Mercy Chelangat2025-11-102025-11-102024-07http://repository.embuni.ac.ke/handle/123456789/4487ThesisBambara groundnut is an underused leguminous crop in the Fabaceae family that originated from West Africa. Agro-morphological and nutritional diversity studies to determine Bambara groundnut landraces with superior end-user preferred traits are limited. The objective of this study was to determine the agro-morphology, nutritional, and phytochemical profiles of Bambara groundnut landraces grown in Kenya. For two cropping seasons, field experiments were conducted in Embu West (Kangaru), Mbeere North (Ishiara), and Mbeere South (Kiamuringa) sub-counties, in Embu County. Three replicates of the field tests were set up using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). All the agro-morphological data were collected based on International Plant Genetic Resource Institute (IPGRI) descriptors for Bambara groundnuts. Five Bambara groundnut plants were selected randomly from each plot and tagged for data collection. Both qualitative and quantitative data were organized in a matrix and subjected to cluster and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to select landraces with superior agro-morphological traits. Using XLSTAT software 2023, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on quantitative data, and the means were separated using Tukey's Honest Significant Difference (HSD) at a 95% confidence level. Pearson correlation was conducted to assess the strength of linear relationships between agro-morphological traits. Phytochemical, nutritional, and compositional analyses were conducted using standard procedures, and the resulting data were subjected to ANOVA, cluster analysis, and PCA. Pearson correlation analysis was also done to determine how the nutritional and phytochemical variables related to one another. Higher yields were obtained in the first season compared to the second in all locations, and there were significant location effects for all quantitative traits. A combined analysis of variance revealed significant differences (P<0.05) in all agro-morphological variables evaluated except for days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, and plant height. The yields ranged from 0.84–5.01 t ha⁻¹ (Kiamuringa), 0.69–3.14 t ha⁻¹ (Kangaru), and 0.60–2.44 t ha⁻¹ (Ishiara). Yield correlated positively and significantly (P<0.05) with days to first flowering, weight of 100 seeds, days to 50% flowering, and number of seeds per plant. The landraces BS-107, LU-122, LU-121, BS-134, and BS-144 were among the high-yielding landraces identified and can be adopted for cultivation. In the pooled data for both seasons, there were significant variations (P<0.05) in every phytochemical and nutritive trait. The total ash ranged from 3.17 to 4.69%; moisture content from 3.47 to 6.24%; fats from 4.56 to 7.02%; and crude protein from 21.18 to 26.00%. Zinc ranged from 0.06 to 0.42 mg/100g; iron levels from 4.07 to 5.13 mg/100g; potassium from 819.34 to 1,133.80 mg/100g; and sodium from 25.14 to 129.66 mg/100g. The saponin levels ranged from 0.82 to 1.06 mg/100g; tannin from 0.01 to 0.04 mg/g; flavonoids from 4.07 to 8.45 mg/100g; and alkaloids from 0.01 to 0.12 mg/100g. The landraces with high nutritional value, such as BG-125, BS-148, and BS-145, among others, are recommended for adoption by farmers, while those with high levels of phytochemicals, such as BS-104 for flavonoids and MU-137 for saponins, are recommended for exploitation by pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. The nutritional value of landraces BS-114, LU-123, and KS-108 should be enhanced by lowering their sodium content levels.en-USThesis