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CRI develops two varieties of cowpea to benefit nutrition
Accra, Feb. 4, Ghanadot/GNA – The Crop
Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) has developed two varieties of
cowpea for public use.
The varieties, which are on the market, were based on the
results of on-station and on-farm evaluation, chemical
composition and sensory evaluation done by the Institute.
Their development was to address the malnutrition problem
among lactating mothers and children in the country where
seven out of every ten pregnant women suffer from anaemia
because of iron deficiency.
The two varieties are IT87D-611-3 named “Nhyira” meaning
Blessing in Akan and IT87D-2075 with the name “Tona” meaning
Profit in Dagarti.
Dr Hans Adu-Dapaah, chief research scientist and a plant
breeder of CRI told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), in an
interview that the Nhyira had an early maturing period
(65-68 days), high yielding (2.3 tons per hectare),
moderately resistant to virus, resistant to Anthracnose and
Cercospora leaf spot, high in iron, energy and phosphorus
contents, protein, tolerant to leaf hoppers, bold, white
seed with brown eye and drought tolerant.
He explained that the Tona variety has high energy,
phosphorus and iron, resistant to Cercospora leaf spot and
viruses, resistant to leaf hoppers, medium maturing age of
71-80 days and drought tolerant.
The two new varieties could be used for koose, tubani, gari
and beans, rice and beans, cake, apapransa sausage rolls,
jam rolls, pie, chips and can also be used in the school
feeding programme based on their nutritional content.
Dr Adu-Dapaah said cowpea was an important food legume crop
indigenous to Africa and West Africa where it remained the
main production area of the world.
“Because cowpea was generally drought tolerant, it could be
successfully grown even in marginal areas where some other
crops may fail”, he added.
Cowpea is a legume, which is capable of fixing atmospheric
nitrogen for its use.
He noted that apart from providing cash income for the
farmers, cowpea also supplied the bulk of plant protein in
the diets of most people in West Africa.
“The Cowpea leaves, green pods, green peas and dry seeds are
all consumed as human food while the fresh and dry haulms
provide fodder for livestock.
Major constraints to cowpea include insect pest (thrips, pod
sucking bugs and storage weevils), fungal, bacterial and
viral diseases, Striga gesnerioides and drought”.
Dr Adu-Dapaah said cowpea breeding at the CRI focused on the
development of varieties that were early to medium maturing,
resistant to all the major constraints.
He asked Ghanaians to partonise the two cowpea varieties for
their nutritional needs for proper growth to solve the
malnutrition.
He noted that the demand for the seeds was so high and
called on government to assist in providing funds for
increased production to feed farmers and the market.
GNA
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