Zimbabwe's agricultural biotechnology research capacity is located at universities, government research institutions and parastatal (state funded) organizations. Projects range from those using traditional biotechnology to a few that are experimenting with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). At the University of Zimbabwe the Dept of Crop Science is involved in tissue culture for the transformation of cassava (Manihot esculenta) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), primarily to confer virus resistance toAfrican cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) and the sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV). In another project, molecular markers linked to Striga asiatica, a devastating parasitic weed, are being identified. The Dept of Soil Sciences have developed Rhizobium-inoculant technology for small-scale farmers. Scientists in the Dept of Biological Sciences are involved in mushroom and spawn production and isolation of enzymes from indigenous macrofungi. Others are working on indigenous fermentation processes, biological control of pests using insect viruses, and the molecular aspects of rabies.
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