UCC introduces seven new improved cowpea varieties

The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has released seven new varieties of cowpeas to help increase yields and promote food security.

Currently, adequate foundation seeds have been produced for certified seed production in 2020 to enable farmers to access and cultivate the new varieties.

The seven, the Asare-Moya, Kum-Zoya, Saka-Buro, Aluba-Kpole, Yor-Kpitio, UCC-Early and the Aduapa are improved varieties that are high yielding and mostly resistant to main parasitic weed, the 'striga gesneriodes' which often leads to significant yield losses of up to 80-100 per cent in the major cultivation regions of Northern Ghana.

The new varieties, on the other hand, have the potential yield ranging from two tonnes per hectare to 4.6 tonnes per hectare.

The varieties are also drought-resistant, tolerant to viruses, rust, root rot, have early maturity periods and is expected to increase the production of the crop to meet consumer demands.

The research was funded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Treaty on the Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), with support from the University of Virginia, USA, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

The Principal Investigator of the research team, Professor Aaron Tettey Asare, at a press conference yesterday in Cape Coast, said the seeds would be made available to certified seed distributors for onward sale to farmers.

Research

The research began in 2007 as a development from a doctoral thesis at the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences under the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences of the University of Cape Coast.

The outcome of the thesis, Prof. Asare said, was incorporated into the development of a proposal by a team of researchers in the University of Cape Coast as well as local and international collaborators.

Benefits of cowpea

Prof. Asare said cowpea remained a multipurpose protein-dense food security crop widely consumed in Ghana but the major challenges confronting cowpea production included infections, viruses and drought, most of which could not be controlled by cultural practices, weedicides and insecticides.

"The consequence is hunger and poverty with prevailing protein deficiency diseases, especially among children and pregnant women in rural and some urban communities in Ghana, since they cannot afford to buy animal protein," he stated.

However, he noted that Ghana still depended on imported cowpea varieties to supplement local production to meet consumer needs.

That, he noted, warranted continuous rigorous research to breed for resistance in cowpea genome with improved yield and grain quality to complement already made efforts by institutions such as the Savannah Agriculture Research Institute, Crop Research Institute and the Plant Genetic Resources Institute to help feed the increasing Ghanaian population.

Nutritional importance

The Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, in his remarks, stated that the nutritional, socio-economic and agricultural importance of cowpea could not be underestimated saying the increasing population growth, hospitality industry, traditional and industrial processors and the school feeding programme were emerging cowpea markets in the country.

He said the breakthrough in the release of the seven varieties was timely and congratulated the researchers on their work which had culminated in the achievement.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh, said the university was committed to researching issues to find solutions to problems for better lives.

There was an exhibition later on the varieties and some pastries made from the new varieties.