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| Dr Kusi on field inspection with the National Varietal Release Registration Committee NVRRC |
Cowpea is a potential food security crop that plays vital role in the food value chain as a cheap source of plant protein, vitamins and minerals.
It is one of the major and most common leguminous grains that complement staple starchy food consumed in the diet by children, youth and adults across rural and urban communities in Ghana. Over 70% of Ghana’s population consumes cowpea in different forms food.
Despite consumer demand for cowpea, production is still low and largely restricted to the three northern regions, with an average farm yield of about o.4 to o.6 tone per hector as compare to achievable yield of about 1.6 to 2.5 tons per hector.
In line with this, a day’s assessment meeting has been organized at the Manga Agriculture Station, Bawku for the certification process.
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| Members of the National Varietal Release Registration Committee in the certification process |
The relentless efforts of research scientist to find an innovative
means by adapting to an improved variety of seed, that can
withstand climate change, improved yield and soil to help avert the perennial
loses of farmers, has made yet another progress.
The National Varietal Release
Registration Committee NVRRC in collaboration with the University of Cape Coast
UCC, lead Institution through the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research CSIR, Savanna Agriculture Research Institute SARI, University of
Virginia, USA and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture MoFA has again certified
another three droughts tolerant, striga and root rot resistant varieties of
cowpea.
This brings the number of improved certified cowpea to eight 8 since
2016 to date. The certification meeting was organized by SARI, Manga under the
sponsorship of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for food and
Agriculture ITPGRFA and Food and Agriculture Organization FAO.
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| Dr. Francis Kusi an entomologist in charge of Manga station -Bawku |
Speaking to Radio Ghana, an entomologist and
field officer 2 in charge of the Northern Sector Dr. Francis Kusi indicated
that, Ghana still produces less cowpea than could meet consumer need and the
deficit is filled by importation from neighboring countries.
He attributed the
low production to factors such as biotic and abiotic stresses, lack of high
yielding varieties, poor agronomic practices and underutilization of land and
space in productive agro-ecological zones.
Dr. Kusi stated that, on-farm
conservation, the crop is challenged by the parasitic weed Striga gesneroides
Sg infestation resulting in up to about 100% yield losses in the three regions
of northern Ghana.
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| Dr F Kusi with the NVRRC members explaining how the Cowpea can suppress striga |
He explained further that, the effect of the parricides,
rust and viral diseases coupled with drought on yield loss of cowpea contribute
to hunger and poverty among resource poor families in rural and urban
communities.
He said that, the unreliable cultural practices to control striga,
rust and viruses as well as drought necessitated the exploitation of resistant
genes, involving the application of marker assisted selection protocols for
genomics analysis, coupled with field evaluation of cowpea genotypes.
The
coastal savannah agro-ecology has been exploited for the production of cowpea
since rainfall pattern favor two times cultivation of the crop in a year.
He
added that cowpea germplasm were obtained from SARI, CSIR and local farmers in
Ashanti Regions of Ghana and the International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture IITA Ibadan Nigeria. He said farmers adapting to the improved variety,
will increase cowpea production by 30%.
This will not only provide affordable
protein-rich foods but also create jobs to generate incomes to improve
livelihoods. Plant breeders will also make use of available cowpea genetic
resources tor continues improvement of the crop to sustain its industry in
Ghana.
Dr. Kusi explained the economic value of cowpea as two times profitable
and more nutritious than other cereal crops since plant protein is preferred to
animal protein.
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| Professor Aaron Tettey Asare UCC Principal Inverstigator |
The Principal investigator and Project Manager University of
Cape Coast Head of Department
of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Professor Aaron Tettey Asare said that eight
genotype of cowpea are being exhibited for inspection and four out of the eight
are resistant to all racist of striga in West Africa.
The other four he added
that are resistant to all except one a racist in Benin called la pota that is susceptible
too. These varieties he said are not only for farmers to cultivate, but for
further improvement in order to sustain the cowpea industry in Ghana.
Story by: GBC's Emmanuel Akayeti
akayeti16@gmail.com
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