Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers were used in characterization of 113 cowpea accessio... more Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers were used in characterization of 113 cowpea accessions comprising of 108 from Ghana and 5 from abroad. Leaf tissues from plants cultivated at the University of Ghana were genotyped at KBioscience in the United Kingdom. Data was generated for 477 SNPs, out of which 458 revealed polymorphism. The results were used to analyze genetic dissimilarity among the accessions using Darwin 5 software. The markers discriminated among all of the cowpea accessions and the dissimilarity values which ranged from 0.006 to 0.63 were used for factorial plot. Unexpected high levels of heterozygosity were observed on some of the accessions. Accessions known to be closely related clustered together in a dendrogram drawn with WPGMA method. A maximum length sub-tree which comprised of 48 core accessions was constructed. The software package structure was used to separate accessions into three groups, and the programme correctly identified varieties that were known hybrids. The hybrids were those accessions with numerous heterozygous loci. The structure plot showed closely related accessions with similar genome patterns. The SNP markers were more efficient in discriminating among the cowpea germplasm than morphological, seed protein polymorphism and simple sequence repeat studies reported earlier on the same collection.
Governments in West and Central Africa are confronted with the challenge of producing adequate, a... more Governments in West and Central Africa are confronted with the challenge of producing adequate, affordable and quality food for healthy and productive lives of their people (food security). Efficient and sustainable use of plant genetic resources (PGR) for crop improvement for varied needs play a significant role in meeting this challenge. Crop breeding includes altering the genetic composition of a crop population to meet consumer or end-user preferences. The most important step in crop breeding is the ability to assemble a wide range of genetically variable germplasm. This paper discusses an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional approach to germplasm collection, evaluation, utilization and conservation. Strengthening existing links between genebanks, plant breeders and other users is emphasized. Data on the acquisition and distribution of germplasm of specific crop species have been provided. Crop varieties developed as a result of the linkage between plant breeders and the g...
Production of high quality seeds depends upon the appropriate time of harvest. In this study, var... more Production of high quality seeds depends upon the appropriate time of harvest. In this study, variation in physiological seed quality in relation to maturity stage was assessed in two pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars (Legon 18 and BAG 14/001) which have different fruit shapes and sizes. Fruits were harvested at four maturity stages (i.e. initially ripe, half ripe, fully ripe and rotten) and seeds extracted after each harvest. Seed quality was assessed by 100-seed weight, seed vigour and germination percentage. The results showed that the seeds extracted at the initially ripe stage had the lowest 100-seed weight in both cultivars. Whereas, seeds extracted at the fully ripe and rotten stages gave higher vigour and germination percentage than those harvested at the initial and half ripe stage in both cultivars. Also, the seeds extracted from Legon 18 had higher viability than BAG 14/001 at all maturity stages.
Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among 141 cowpea (Vigna unguiculataL. Walp.) acc... more Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among 141 cowpea (Vigna unguiculataL. Walp.) accessions collected throughout the nine geographical regions of Ghana were evaluated using simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers. Twenty-five primer combinations pre-selected by their ability to polymerase chain reaction amplify SSRs from a set of test cowpea germplasm were evaluated. Of these, 20 primer combinations gave reproducible polymorphisms among 97.2% of the cowpea accessions tested, with the remaining accessions being found to be genetically identical. The informative primer combinations revealed a total of 74 alleles at 20 loci with an average of 3.8 alleles detected per locus. Variation in heterozygosity among cowpea SSRs ranged from 0.01 to 0.84 with an average occurrence of 0.19. The polymorphism information content varied from 0.07 to 0.66 with an average of 0.38. The Ghanaian cowpea accessions clustered into five main branches, each of which was loosely associated ...
The tomato sector in Ghana has failed to realize its full potential, in terms of attaining yields... more The tomato sector in Ghana has failed to realize its full potential, in terms of attaining yields comparable to other countries, sustaining its processing plants and improving livelihoods of households involved in tomato production. The need therefore, to evaluate some introduced tomato varieties in order to identify varieties with good attributes and make recommendations to tomato farmers cannot be overemphasized. This study thus looked at some tomato varieties from the USA for genetic diversity and adaptability to environmental conditions in Ghana with focus in the Ashanti region. The tomato varieties showed one to two growth patterns; determinate and semi determinate. Based on the number of plants per plot, marketable fruits, average fruit weight and plant height, tomato varieties Shasta and CRI-P00 were rated high in terms of adaptability. Low disease infections and pest pressure were also observed during the growing season and this may be due to good agronomic practices carried...
hundred and twenty-three accessions of tomato germ plasm collected from Ghana were characterized ... more hundred and twenty-three accessions of tomato germ plasm collected from Ghana were characterized and evaluated under field conditions. The International Plant Genetic Resources Institutes 'descriptors were used. Nineteen qualitative traits and ten quantitative traits were studied. Among the qualitative traits, concentric cracking, radial cracking and blossom end scar size had the greatest diversity and least leaf type and leaf attitude as shown by their Shannon diversity indices (SDI). In the quantitative traits, number offruits per plant, mean fruit weight, fruit length and yield per plant had the greatest variability. The number of leaves below the inflorescence was negatively related to the fruit length pericarp thickness and the mean fruit weight. The fruit length was positively related to the pericarp thickness, fruit weight per plant and the mean fruit weight. The number oflocules was negatively related to the number of fruits per plant but positively related to the mean fruit weight. The number offruits per plant was positively related to the fruit weight per plant. The diversity in the tomato accessions gives ample scope for the exploitation for its improvement.
Agricultural Science Digest – A Research Journal, 2021
Background: Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world due to its dietary v... more Background: Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world due to its dietary value. Harvesting and storing of physiologically matured tomato seeds is very important to secure good quality seeds for future use in a changing climate. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of maturity stages on seed quality of two tomato accessions during cold storage. Methods: Seeds of two tomato accessions extracted at four maturity stages (i.e. initially ripe, half ripe, fully ripe and rotten) were stored at -20oC in a deep freezer for 12 months. The quality of stored seeds was measured by seed vigour and germination percentage at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after storage. Conclusion: The study showed significant differences in seed vigour and germination percentage at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after storage (MAS) among the maturity stages. Seeds extracted at the initially ripe stage in GH 9305 had the least vigour at 3, 6, 9 and 12 MAS. The highest reduction in seed quality du...
hundred and twenty-three accessions of tomato germ plasm collected from Ghana were characterized ... more hundred and twenty-three accessions of tomato germ plasm collected from Ghana were characterized and evaluated under field conditions. The International Plant Genetic Resources Institutes 'descriptors were used. Nineteen qualitative traits and ten quantitative traits were studied. Among the qualitative traits, concentric cracking, radial cracking and blossom end scar size had the greatest diversity and least leaf type and leaf attitude as shown by their Shannon diversity indices (SDI). In the quantitative traits, number offruits per plant, mean fruit weight, fruit length and yield per plant had the greatest variability. The number of leaves below the inflorescence was negatively related to the fruit length pericarp thickness and the mean fruit weight. The fruit length was positively related to the pericarp thickness, fruit weight per plant and the mean fruit weight. The number oflocules was negatively related to the number of fruits per plant but positively related to the mean f...
Journals are important source of relevant and quality information. They provide current source of... more Journals are important source of relevant and quality information. They provide current source of up-to-date information to facilitate research, teaching, learning and knowledge dissemination. The objective of the study is to investigate the major subject research areas covered by the articles of the five journals in the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. The study was undertaken in the CSIR of Ghana in which a major device for data collection was quantitative content analysis. This mode of data collection was determined after its validity and reliability among 1,430 journal articles from four CSIR Institutes was proven. Data collected were analysed using tables and graphs to group major publications. Results from the research indicated that cereal and legumes recorded the highest (318) disciplines in all the five journals in the CSIR.
A survey conducted in 2012 in three yam growing areas in Ghana revealed that, a greater proportio... more A survey conducted in 2012 in three yam growing areas in Ghana revealed that, a greater proportion of yam genetic resources being conserved by farmers are getting extinct due to biotic and abiotic factors. Some of these yams are conserved ex-situ in the gene bank at the CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute. A strategy was formulated to increase farmers' access to these materials through regeneration, multiplication and distribution to farmers to augment their dwindling yam genetic stock. A total of 89 accessions of yams - D. alata (40 accessions); D. rotundata (42 accessions) and D. esculenta (7 accessions) were multiplied, using the mini-sett technique. One thousand, five hundred micro tubers which were distributed to 30 farmers in three yam growing communities, to serve as a primary multiplication and distribution sites. In all, 330 farmers (110 farmers per community) received yam germplasm to replenish their genetic stock and thus to broaden the genetic base of the...
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers were used in characterization of 113 cowpea accessio... more Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers were used in characterization of 113 cowpea accessions comprising of 108 from Ghana and 5 from abroad. Leaf tissues from plants cultivated at the University of Ghana were genotyped at KBioscience in the United Kingdom. Data was generated for 477 SNPs, out of which 458 revealed polymorphism. The results were used to analyze genetic dissimilarity among the accessions using Darwin 5 software. The markers discriminated among all of the cowpea accessions and the dissimilarity values which ranged from 0.006 to 0.63 were used for factorial plot. Unexpected high levels of heterozygosity were observed on some of the accessions. Accessions known to be closely related clustered together in a dendrogram drawn with WPGMA method. A maximum length sub-tree which comprised of 48 core accessions was constructed. The software package structure was used to separate accessions into three groups, and the programme correctly identified varieties that were known hybrids. The hybrids were those accessions with numerous heterozygous loci. The structure plot showed closely related accessions with similar genome patterns. The SNP markers were more efficient in discriminating among the cowpea germplasm than morphological, seed protein polymorphism and simple sequence repeat studies reported earlier on the same collection.
Governments in West and Central Africa are confronted with the challenge of producing adequate, a... more Governments in West and Central Africa are confronted with the challenge of producing adequate, affordable and quality food for healthy and productive lives of their people (food security). Efficient and sustainable use of plant genetic resources (PGR) for crop improvement for varied needs play a significant role in meeting this challenge. Crop breeding includes altering the genetic composition of a crop population to meet consumer or end-user preferences. The most important step in crop breeding is the ability to assemble a wide range of genetically variable germplasm. This paper discusses an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional approach to germplasm collection, evaluation, utilization and conservation. Strengthening existing links between genebanks, plant breeders and other users is emphasized. Data on the acquisition and distribution of germplasm of specific crop species have been provided. Crop varieties developed as a result of the linkage between plant breeders and the g...
Production of high quality seeds depends upon the appropriate time of harvest. In this study, var... more Production of high quality seeds depends upon the appropriate time of harvest. In this study, variation in physiological seed quality in relation to maturity stage was assessed in two pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars (Legon 18 and BAG 14/001) which have different fruit shapes and sizes. Fruits were harvested at four maturity stages (i.e. initially ripe, half ripe, fully ripe and rotten) and seeds extracted after each harvest. Seed quality was assessed by 100-seed weight, seed vigour and germination percentage. The results showed that the seeds extracted at the initially ripe stage had the lowest 100-seed weight in both cultivars. Whereas, seeds extracted at the fully ripe and rotten stages gave higher vigour and germination percentage than those harvested at the initial and half ripe stage in both cultivars. Also, the seeds extracted from Legon 18 had higher viability than BAG 14/001 at all maturity stages.
Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among 141 cowpea (Vigna unguiculataL. Walp.) acc... more Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among 141 cowpea (Vigna unguiculataL. Walp.) accessions collected throughout the nine geographical regions of Ghana were evaluated using simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers. Twenty-five primer combinations pre-selected by their ability to polymerase chain reaction amplify SSRs from a set of test cowpea germplasm were evaluated. Of these, 20 primer combinations gave reproducible polymorphisms among 97.2% of the cowpea accessions tested, with the remaining accessions being found to be genetically identical. The informative primer combinations revealed a total of 74 alleles at 20 loci with an average of 3.8 alleles detected per locus. Variation in heterozygosity among cowpea SSRs ranged from 0.01 to 0.84 with an average occurrence of 0.19. The polymorphism information content varied from 0.07 to 0.66 with an average of 0.38. The Ghanaian cowpea accessions clustered into five main branches, each of which was loosely associated ...
The tomato sector in Ghana has failed to realize its full potential, in terms of attaining yields... more The tomato sector in Ghana has failed to realize its full potential, in terms of attaining yields comparable to other countries, sustaining its processing plants and improving livelihoods of households involved in tomato production. The need therefore, to evaluate some introduced tomato varieties in order to identify varieties with good attributes and make recommendations to tomato farmers cannot be overemphasized. This study thus looked at some tomato varieties from the USA for genetic diversity and adaptability to environmental conditions in Ghana with focus in the Ashanti region. The tomato varieties showed one to two growth patterns; determinate and semi determinate. Based on the number of plants per plot, marketable fruits, average fruit weight and plant height, tomato varieties Shasta and CRI-P00 were rated high in terms of adaptability. Low disease infections and pest pressure were also observed during the growing season and this may be due to good agronomic practices carried...
hundred and twenty-three accessions of tomato germ plasm collected from Ghana were characterized ... more hundred and twenty-three accessions of tomato germ plasm collected from Ghana were characterized and evaluated under field conditions. The International Plant Genetic Resources Institutes 'descriptors were used. Nineteen qualitative traits and ten quantitative traits were studied. Among the qualitative traits, concentric cracking, radial cracking and blossom end scar size had the greatest diversity and least leaf type and leaf attitude as shown by their Shannon diversity indices (SDI). In the quantitative traits, number offruits per plant, mean fruit weight, fruit length and yield per plant had the greatest variability. The number of leaves below the inflorescence was negatively related to the fruit length pericarp thickness and the mean fruit weight. The fruit length was positively related to the pericarp thickness, fruit weight per plant and the mean fruit weight. The number oflocules was negatively related to the number of fruits per plant but positively related to the mean fruit weight. The number offruits per plant was positively related to the fruit weight per plant. The diversity in the tomato accessions gives ample scope for the exploitation for its improvement.
Agricultural Science Digest – A Research Journal, 2021
Background: Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world due to its dietary v... more Background: Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world due to its dietary value. Harvesting and storing of physiologically matured tomato seeds is very important to secure good quality seeds for future use in a changing climate. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of maturity stages on seed quality of two tomato accessions during cold storage. Methods: Seeds of two tomato accessions extracted at four maturity stages (i.e. initially ripe, half ripe, fully ripe and rotten) were stored at -20oC in a deep freezer for 12 months. The quality of stored seeds was measured by seed vigour and germination percentage at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after storage. Conclusion: The study showed significant differences in seed vigour and germination percentage at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after storage (MAS) among the maturity stages. Seeds extracted at the initially ripe stage in GH 9305 had the least vigour at 3, 6, 9 and 12 MAS. The highest reduction in seed quality du...
hundred and twenty-three accessions of tomato germ plasm collected from Ghana were characterized ... more hundred and twenty-three accessions of tomato germ plasm collected from Ghana were characterized and evaluated under field conditions. The International Plant Genetic Resources Institutes 'descriptors were used. Nineteen qualitative traits and ten quantitative traits were studied. Among the qualitative traits, concentric cracking, radial cracking and blossom end scar size had the greatest diversity and least leaf type and leaf attitude as shown by their Shannon diversity indices (SDI). In the quantitative traits, number offruits per plant, mean fruit weight, fruit length and yield per plant had the greatest variability. The number of leaves below the inflorescence was negatively related to the fruit length pericarp thickness and the mean fruit weight. The fruit length was positively related to the pericarp thickness, fruit weight per plant and the mean fruit weight. The number oflocules was negatively related to the number of fruits per plant but positively related to the mean f...
Journals are important source of relevant and quality information. They provide current source of... more Journals are important source of relevant and quality information. They provide current source of up-to-date information to facilitate research, teaching, learning and knowledge dissemination. The objective of the study is to investigate the major subject research areas covered by the articles of the five journals in the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. The study was undertaken in the CSIR of Ghana in which a major device for data collection was quantitative content analysis. This mode of data collection was determined after its validity and reliability among 1,430 journal articles from four CSIR Institutes was proven. Data collected were analysed using tables and graphs to group major publications. Results from the research indicated that cereal and legumes recorded the highest (318) disciplines in all the five journals in the CSIR.
A survey conducted in 2012 in three yam growing areas in Ghana revealed that, a greater proportio... more A survey conducted in 2012 in three yam growing areas in Ghana revealed that, a greater proportion of yam genetic resources being conserved by farmers are getting extinct due to biotic and abiotic factors. Some of these yams are conserved ex-situ in the gene bank at the CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute. A strategy was formulated to increase farmers' access to these materials through regeneration, multiplication and distribution to farmers to augment their dwindling yam genetic stock. A total of 89 accessions of yams - D. alata (40 accessions); D. rotundata (42 accessions) and D. esculenta (7 accessions) were multiplied, using the mini-sett technique. One thousand, five hundred micro tubers which were distributed to 30 farmers in three yam growing communities, to serve as a primary multiplication and distribution sites. In all, 330 farmers (110 farmers per community) received yam germplasm to replenish their genetic stock and thus to broaden the genetic base of the...
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