Strategy to scale-up crop improvement underway

As part of efforts to ensure that the nation becomes self-sufficient in food production, the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is aiming to scale-up its crop improvement.

 

Dr. Roger Kanton, the Principal Research Scientist-SARI-CSIR, said the goal of the programme is to develop crop varieties that fit into the agro-ecologies of the Institute’s mandate zone, which can withstand the specific stresses of low soil fertility, drought, pests and diseases that characterise the farming environment.

He said SARI conducted research into food and fibre crop farming in northern Ghana for the purpose of introducing improved technologies to enhance agriculture productivity.

Dr. Kanton said crops covered included sorghum, millet, soybeans, maize, rice, cowpea, bam-bara beans, pigeon peas, yam, cassava, cotton and vegetables.

He said the Institute is well-endowed with highly-trained research scientists such as plant breeders, agronomists, plant protectionists and soil physicists.

He observed that SARI’s research programme cover crop improvement, soil fertility management, cropping systems improvement, crop protection, post-harvest, and socio-economics.

He said soil infertility and low soil productivity are the main agricultural problems of the area, adding that the goal of the Institute’s soil fertility management programme is to improve the organic matter content of the soils.

Dr. Kanton said the Institute released two cotton varieties in 2005, four cowpea varieties in 2008, five rice varieties in 2009, and five maize and three soybean varieties in 2012.

He said through the application of soil fertility improvement technologies, maize increased yield from 1.2 to 3t/ha on average; that of soybean yield was increased from 0.8 to 1.5t/ha with inoculation; whereas that of cowpea inoculation increased from 0.45 to 1.2 t/ha.

SARI’s area of major impact include the release of improved crop varieties that are in high demand, and others such as blanching of chilli pepper employing the solar blanching technology; and the release of four maize hybrids and five pearl-millet of high yield and drought resistant varieties.

Dr. Kanton said other areas are training in seed production for seed-growers; supervision and offering facilities for post-graduate and under-graduate training; and offering practical training for university and polytechnic students on attachment, annually.