Alfred Oduor Odindo

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of KwaZulu-Natal

Managing human excreta and organic waste from municipal solid waste is important for a cleaner environment. The recent circular bioeconomy paradigm brought the idea of sustainable resource recovery and reuse through valorising organic waste streams and wastewater reuse. Many studies have been done on human excreta val-orisation, but the adoption of...

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) like ozonolysis, UV-photolysis, and TiO2-photocatalysis have proven effective in treating secondary municipal wastewater effluent to meet unrestricted agricultural reuse standards. However, concerns arise due to residual byproducts such as catalysts and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the treated effluents, pote...

To meet wastewater treatment quality standards for reuse, integrating advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) with Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) is promising. This study aimed to optimize AOPs (ozonolysis, UV photolysis, TiO2 photocatalysis) for polishing anaerobic filter (AF) effluent from DEWATS, as an alternative to constructed...

Global food security faces challenges arising from population growth, climate change, and the prevalence of monoculture agriculture. In addressing these concerns, Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean (L.) Verdc.) emerges as a promising crop due to its nutritional richness and resilience in marginal environments. Despite its potential, research gap...

Pathogen removal in wastewater offers a chance to recover water and nutrients for crop production, reducing environmental contamination and public health risks. However, the risk of pathogens regrowing in treated effluents can endanger public health if reused in agriculture, attracting stringent reuse standards. While advanced oxidation processes (...

Water deficit and heat are the primary abiotic stresses affecting plants. We conducted in vitro experiments to investigate how citron watermelon seedlings respond to water deficit and heat, focusing on growth, water status, reserve mobilization, hydrolase activity, and metabolite partitioning, including non-structural carbohydrate availability, dur...

Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) is an important indigenous leafy vegetable consumed in sub‐Saharan Africa. The species is an important source of micronutrients for medicinal purposes. A controlled experiment was conducted at the University of KwaZulu‐Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, to investigate the effect of zinc and boron applications o...

To meet quality standards for wastewater treatment for reuse, advancement of treatment technologies has been considered very important. One promising avenue is the integration of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) with Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS). This study sought to optimize the efficacy of selected AOPs for polishing the...

Soil fertility degradation is one of the major constraints in smallholder farming environments especially in the semi-arid region of Sub-Saharan Africa. This has been worsened by poor farming methods, lack of technical knowledge and inadequate application of nutrient sources by farmers. The use of mineral fertiliser alone has been cost ineffective...

The use of urine-derived fertilizers has several economic and environmental advantages. However, there is concern that pharmaceutical residues present in urine could enter the food chain after plant uptake and pose potential risks to human and animal health. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the uptake of nine target antiretroviral drugs (...

Background: Water stress may alter the seed chemical composition and cause changes in the concentrations of non reducing soluble sugars in seeds and germination performance of chickpea. We evaluated the effect of water stress during chickpea seed development on seed (i) accumulation of non-reducing soluble sugars, and (ii) vigour and germination. M...

The study evaluated the physical and chemical characteristics of vermicompost mixtures to optimize nutrient extraction. Three compost mixtures (chicken plus horse (CH+H), chicken plus cattle (CH+C), and cattle plus horse (C+H)) were selected for quality evaluation at three extraction times: 24, 48, and 72 h. The results showed differences (p < 0.05...

Although Synsepalum dulcificum is viewed as one of the most economically promising orphan tree crops worldwide, its genetic improvement and sustainable conservation are hindered by a lack of understanding of its evolutionary history and current population structure. Here, we report for the first time the application of genome‐wide single nucleotide...

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc) is grown by smallholders and subsistence farmers in the marginal parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This legume is native to Africa and is cultivated throughout semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa. It is hardy and has been recognized as a nutritious food source in times of scarcity. Drought can negatively affect th...

Africa is vulnerable to climate change impacts because of drought extremes, flooding, and overdependence on rainfed agriculture. Smallholder farming communities are the most susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change and, owing to resource constraints, are always away from the benefit of any emerging opportunities. Traditional agricultura...

Many Southern African countries suffer from chronic freshwater shortages for domestic use, and the readily accessible water resources are heavily polluted. In Southern Africa, nearly 80% of the population relies on surface water as the primary water source. The relatively high percentage of the population without proper water supply services indica...

Gynandropsis gynandra (spider plant) is an African traditional leafy vegetable rich in minerals, vitamins and health-promoting compounds with potential for health promotion, micronutrients supplementation and income generation for stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies. However, information on biomass productivity is limited and consequen...

Citron watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) is a drought-tolerant cucurbit crop widely grown in sub-Saharan Africa in arid and semi-arid environments. The species is a C3 xerophyte used for multiple purposes, including intercropping with maize, and has a deep taproot system. The deep taproot system plays a key role in the species’ adaptati...

Understanding the genetic variability within a plant species is paramount in implementing a successful breeding program. Spider plant (Gynandropsis gynandra) is an orphan leafy vegetable and an extraordinary source of vitamins, secondary metabolites and minerals, representing an important resource for combatting malnutrition. However, an evaluation...

Citron watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) is an extremely drought-tolerant cucurbit crop widely grown in sub-Saharan Africa in arid and semi-arid environments characterized by drought. The species is a C3 xerophyte used for multiple purposes, including intercropping with maize and has a deep taproot system. The deep taproot system plays...

Long-term nutrient mining of soil hampers agricultural production across Africa. However, emerging sanitation technologies afford a hygienically safe and ecologically sustainable solution to this development challenge by providing fertilizers derived from human excreta that could facilitate a socio-technical transition toward a more sustainable foo...

The established link between anthropogenic activities and environmental problems calls for the understanding of public perceptions of the environment. Circular bioeconomy approaches promote sustainable and resilient food systems, and are critical to address soil, human, and environmental health. This study endeavours to understand the ecological wo...

Considerable progress has been made in developing human excreta recovery pathways and processes for maximum nutrient recovery and contaminant elimination. The demand segment has often been ignored as an area for future research, especially during the technology development. The findings from the few published articles on social acceptance show miss...

Long-term cultivation of citron watermelon under water-constrained environments in sub-Saharan Africa resulted in the selection and domestication of highly tolerant genotypes. However, information on the magnitude of variation for drought tolerance in citron watermelon is limited for the effective selection of suitable genotypes for breeding. The o...

The objective of this study was to determine drought tolerance of diverse potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) genotypes. The physiological and morphological responses of eight potato genotypes were assessed under well-irrigated (Wi) and deficit irrigation (Di) conditions across four different growth stages, namely, the Vegetative (VG), Tuber Initiation (...

Roasted citron watermelon seeds are eaten as snacks based on maturity indices. Association between coat colour, nutrient composition and physical properties is unknown. Therefore, seed coat thickness (SCT), hardness and popping yield (PY) may influence roasting quality and chewability. Understanding seed nutrient composition, physical properties, a...

Most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa rely on on-site sanitation systems. Integrating on-site sanitation systems with local food systems by recovering nutrients and materials from human excreta, and reuse in agriculture can promote a sustainable circular bioeconomy, which could improve livelihoods and minimize environmental pollution in low-income c...

Plant breeders have focused on reducing phytic acid in maize seeds to improve grain nutritional quality. However, this could have negative effects on seed quality. The objective of this study was to compare seed performance of low and high phytic acid (LPA and HPA) synthetic populations of tropical origin with two hybrid varieties (SC701 and LS8520...

Selection of drought-tolerance (Solanum tuberosum L.) genotypes is essential to enhance tuber yield and quality for food and processing. The aim of the study was to evaluate effect of water deficit on tuber yield, quality and drought-tolerance of selected potato genotypes at different growth stages. Tuber quality of eight potato genotypes were eval...

Despite the growing interest in the miracle plant worldwide due to its numerous applications, the threats and the wild harvest of the species hamper its sustainable utilisation. Moreover, traditional knowledge so far documented on the species is limited to a narrow geographical coverage of its natural distribution range, which is West and Central A...

Pigeon pea is an important source of protein for smallholder farmers in South Africa. The average seed yield per hectare ranges from 0.5 to 1 tonne due to the use of un-improved varieties that succumb to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Understanding the relationship between seed yield and agronomic traits in a genetically diverse germplasm collec...

The decentralised wastewater treatment system (DEWATS) is an onsite sanitation technology that can be used in areas away from municipal sewerage networks. The discharge of effluent emanating from DEWATS into water bodies may cause pollution. Agricultural use of the effluent may improve crop yields and quality thereby contributing to food security i...

Maize mutants with low phytic acid have a compromised overall agronomic performance that results in low yields. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of P (18, 26 and 34 mg/kg) on the agronomic performance of low and high phytic acid (LPA and HPA) maize synthetic populations of tropical origin, compared to two commercial hybrids (SC701...

Background Understanding end-users’ preferred breeding traits and plant management practices is fundamental in defining sound breeding objectives and implementing a successful plant improvement programme. Since such knowledge is lacking for Synsepalum dulcificum , a worldwide promising orphan fruit tree species, we assessed the interrelationships a...

Genetic improvements for yield-component traits in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have resulted in substantial contributions to wheat yield increases globally. Conversely, yield gains have tended to reduce genetic gains for grain quality traits, requiring a strategic breeding approach for simultaneous improvement of grain yield and grain qualit...

The disposal of feacal matter from Urine Diversion Dry Toilets is a significant challenge due to limited land availability, possible underground water contamination, and the risk of spreading diseases. The collected faecal matter can be fed to Black Soldier Fly Larvae to produce protein-rich larvae used as animal feed. The disposal of the leftover...

The disposal of feacal matter from Urine Diversion Dry Toilets is a significant challenge due to limited land availability, possible underground water contamination, and the risk of spreading diseases. The collected faecal matter can be fed to Black Soldier Fly Larvae to produce protein-rich larvae used as animal feed. The disposal of the leftover...

Roots are key organs for water and nutrient acquisition and transport. Therefore, root phenes that are associated with adaptation to low phosphorus (P) environments could enhance top-soil exploration, while deeper allocation is important for acquiring water and mobile nutrients. The understanding of interactions among root phenes can help in the de...

Citron watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (L.H. Bailey) Mansf. ex Greb.) is an underexploited and under-researched crop species with the potential to contribute to crop diversification in Sub-Saharan Africa. The species is cultivated in the drier parts of Southern Africa, mainly by smallholder farmers who maintain a wide range of landrace...

This study explicates the scope of published literature on the influence of attitudes and perceptions on the intention to use human excreta and human excreta derived materials in agriculture. Using a scoping review methodology, search results from Scopus and Web of Science were screened and synthesized using the DistillerSR web-based application. O...

In relation to seed vigour and hyperosmotic stress, phytic acid has implications in imparting drought tolerance and enrichment of seed mineral reserves respectively. The present study was undertaken to determine the variation in phytic acid during seed development and physiological maturity of 4 Bambara groundnut landraces. The landraces were grown...

Citron watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) is an underexploited and under-researched crop species with potential to contribute to crop diversification in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. The species is commonly cultivated in the drier parts of Southern Africa, mainly by smallholder farmers who maintain a wide range of landraces. Understandi...

Using effluent from the anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) of the decentralised wastewater treatment system (DEWATS) as a sole nutrient source is not sufficient for tomato plants grown in hydroponic system. The study investigated the effects of commercial hydroponic fertilizer mix (CHFM) combined with ABR effluent on tomato growth and yield. A media-b...

The miracle plant Synsepalum dulcificum is a multipurpose natural sweetener and a promising West African orphan fruit shrub candidate for genetic improvement. Unfortunately, basic knowledge such as phenotypic variation and inheritance estimates required for implementing a breeding program are still lacking. A set of 203 accessions were sampled in t...

The twin challenges of lack of access to improved sanitation and food insecurity remain critical, particularly in the global south. With cognizance of the nutrient potential of human excreta, there has been increasing interest in linking sanitation innovations with agriculture by using nutrients recovered from human excreta for crop production, thu...

Assessing the genetic variation and relationships present in crop germplasm is a prerequisite for parental selection and breeding. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic relationships present among selected heat and drought tolerant wheat genotypes using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, agronomic traits and grain quality para...

Challenges associated with rapid population growth, urbanization, and nutrient mining have seen increased global research and development towards ‘waste to wealth’ initiatives, circular economy models, and cradle-to-cradle waste management principles. Closing the nutrient loop through safe recovery and valorization of human excreta for agricultural...

Disposal of human excreta derived materials (HEDM), particularly domestic wastewater, presents a challenge in areas served with on-site sanitation systems, most particular in informal settlements. The use of HEDM for agricultural food production represents a couple of opportunities such as improved sanitation, household food security as well as the...

The need for the optimal use of land, without a yield penalty, in urban and peri-urban (UP) settlements is vital. This study investigated the effect of intercropping madumbe and rice with respect to yield and land productivity when irrigated with anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent under different irrigation water management techniques. It was...

The need for the optimal use of land, without a yield penalty, in urban and peri-urban (UP) settlements is vital. This study investigated the effect of intercropping madumbe and rice with respect to yield and land productivity when irrigated with anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent under different irrigation water management techniques. It was...

Abstract Background Spider plant [Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Briq.], an economically promising African leafy vegetable, characterized for leaf yield components and nutritive quality, exhibits poor seed germination that hinders a wider expansion of the crop in urban and periurban horticultural systems. So far, there is little information pertaining...

There is increasing interest and wide recognition of the potential use of human-excreta derived materials (HEDM) as fertilizer to supply essential nutrients needed for crop production. However, most work on HEDM has focussed on yield responses using soils and very little done on soil-less media using hydroponics. Further, physiological responses of...

Water scarcity, nutrient-depleted soils and pollution continue to be a major challenge worldwide and these are likely to worsen with increasing global populations particularly, in urban areas. As a result, environmental and public health problems may arise from the insufficient provision of sanitation and wastewater disposal facilities. Because of...

This study determined genotype-by-environment effect on grain quality among heat and drought tolerant bread wheat genotypes to select ideal genotypes for grain quality improvement. Gliadin (Gli), gluten (Glu), glutenin (Glut), gliadin: glutenin ratio (Gli: Glut ratio) and total protein content (TPC) were determined among 28 elite bread wheat genoty...

Grain quality, including protein content, is a key determinant of marketability and end-user acceptance of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). This study determined the grain quality of bread wheat genotypes under simulated terminal drought (TD) and well-watered (WW) conditions for selecting suitable genotypes for breeding. The amount of gliadin (G...

The selection response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under water-limited condition can be enhanced through breeding novel genotypes possessing drought-adaptive and yield-related agronomic and physiological traits. The objective of this study was to evaluate terminal drought tolerance among bread wheat genotypes and select superior parents for bre...

Enhanced grain yield has been achieved in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through development and cultivation of superior genotypes incorporating yield-related agronomic and physiological traits derived from genetically diverse and complementary genetic pool. Despite significant breeding progress, yield levels in wheat have remained relatively l...

We evaluate the detection and discriminative strength of three different satellite spectral settings, namely, HyspIRI, the forthcoming Landsat 9 and Sentinel 2-MSI, in mapping tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants grown under hydroponic system using humanexcreta derived materials (HEDM), namely, anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent and nitrified...

Efforts to recover nutrients from wastewater have drawn interest in effluent polishing with duckweed, a small angiosperm known to grow in high nutrient environments. One important consideration is that pathogens may be transferred to suspended duckweed biomass and ultimately spread into agricultural or other environmental settings. Our objective wa...

The selection of relatively high and stable yielding genotypes is key in wheat breeding programs to improve yield performance under heat and drought-stressed environments. This study determined grain yield response and stability among elite heat and drought tolerant bread wheat genotypes under simulated drought-stressed (DS) and non-stressed (NS) e...

We assess the discriminative strength of three different satellite spectral settings (HyspIRI, the forthcoming Landsat 9 and Sentinel 2-MSI), in mapping tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Linnaeus) plants grown under hydroponic system, using human-excreta derived materials (HEDM), namely, anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent and nitrified urine conce...

Genetic improvement of wheat for drought tolerance can be achieved by developing suitable ideotypes with enhanced yield-response associated with agronomic traits and biochemical markers. The objective of this study was to determine drought response of elite drought tolerant wheat genotypes using agronomic and biochemical traits to select promising...

A newly emerged seedling, given light and water, but no external source of minerals, uses its internal mineral nutrient reserves effectively for an early establishment. This research sought to investigate the influence of seed coat colour on the abundance of mineral elements in Bambara groundnut. Four landraces (G340A, Kazai, Kazuma, and Mana) vary...

Municipalities in South Africa face problems in providing sanitation to unserved informal settlements in peri-urban areas and rural nodes. The Decentralised Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS) connected to community ablution blocks can be an option, with the treated effluent then applied to agricultural land. However, the management of treated was...

Bambara groundnut is cultivated using landraces of different seed coat colours. However, very few studies have associated the seed coat colour (morphological feature) with other physiological and biochemical processes as underlying the observed differences in seed quality among landraces. This research sought to investigate seed quality characteris...

The need to cultivate effluent-irrigated rice is paramount and synonymous with treated wastewater reuse, recycling and water resources management. A trial in a peri-urban set-up with a low-cost decentralized wastewater treatment system (DEWATS) was carried out in the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons to assess the effect of irrigation water reuse mana...

Water shortages is a major constraint in wheat production in South Africa. It is important therefore to assist irrigated wheat farmers to identify water stress tolerant growth stages in irrigated wheat genotypes. This study evaluated new wheat genotypes for water stress at different growth stages. An 8 (genotypes) × 2 (water treatments) × 3 (growth...

This study evaluated the effects of irrigation water management techniques on the growth and yield parameters of madumbe (Colocasia esculenta) irrigated with anaerobic filter (AF) effluent. The irrigation water management treatments considered were alternate wetting and drying (AWD), continuous flooding irrigation (CFI) and wetting without flooding...

The Decentralised Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS) provides low cost onsite sanitation to residents living in informal settlements. Wastewater management through agriculture prevents environmental pollution and promotes sustainable agriculture. This study investigated the effects of fertigation with DEWATS effluent to field capacity in three So...

The study evaluated the effect of irrigation water management techniques using anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent on the growth and yield of rice. It was hypothesized that irrigation techniques with ABR effluent have a significant effect on the growth, yield of rice, water productivity (WP) and water balance (WB). The experimental setup was a...

Building a nutrient channel between eutrophic water and agricultural fields could reduce nutrient input into fields and alleviate eutrophication by returning nitrogen. In order to determine the feasibility of returning nitrogen by biochar loading, a rhizobox experiment was conducted with two nitrogen applied methods, namely SN (applied nitrogen by...

Edited by LJ McGaw Vernonia is a novel, underutilised oilseed crop that has suffered genetic erosion and neglect from previous classification as a weed. Mutations of a single or few genes possessing target traits are invaluable in crop improvement programs, and the use of chemical mutagens like ethylmethanesulfonate (EMS) can potentially address ag...

The use of urine, and urine-derived products can supplement chemical fertilisers. There is little information on the use of urine products in agriculture particularly in South Africa. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to determine effects of urine-derived sources on nitrogen (N) release in soil. A 5 × 2 factorial in a completely rand...

Neglected and underutilized crops such as bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] are associated with considerable drought tolerance. The objective of this study was to determine variation in the level of drought tolerance among bottle gourd landraces based on photosynthetic efficiency and to identify unique genotypes for breeding. Phot...

Faecal sludge and urine can be recycled and processed into usable fertilizer products such as the latrine dehydrated and pasteurization (‘LaDePa’) pellets and struvite, respectively. To quantitatively determine the financial cost effectiveness of using LaDePa and struvite, a study was conducted using experimental data for maize, wheat and sugarcane...

The objective of this study was to determine drought tolerance characteristics of dryland wheat genotypes based on leaf gas exchange and water-use efficiency in order to identify promising genotypes for drought tolerance breeding. Physiological responses of ten genetically diverse wheat genotypes were studied under non-stressed (NS) and water stres...