SARI to scale-up crop improvement

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

Dr Roger A. L. Kanton, the Principal Research Scientist, SARI-CSIR, said the goal of the programme was to develop crop varieties that fit into the agro-ecologies of the Institute’s mandate zone; which could withstand the specific stresses of low soil fertility, drought, pests and diseases that characterised 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, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said crops covered included sorghum, millet, soybeans, maize, rice, cowpea, bambara beans, pigeon peas, yam, cassava, cotton and vegetables.

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

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

He said soil infertility and low soil productivity were the main agricultural problems of the area adding that the goal of their soil fertility management programme was 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, 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 released improved crop varieties that are in high demand such as blanching of chilli pepper employing the solar blanching technology, the release of four maize hybrids and five pearl millet of high yield and drought resistant varieties.

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

 
GNA