The rural farmer and plant genetic resources conservation: A case study in the Fanteakwa District in the Eastern Region of Ghana

The methods of conservation used by rural farmers were studied in the Fanteakwa District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Ten rural communities were randomly selected, and10 rural farmers were interviewed in each community. Questions posed ranged from methods of conservation to traditional belief systems associated with conserving certain plants. It was observed at the end of the study that rural farmers are true conservers and their basically traditional methods of conservation are handed down to them from generation to generation. An example of these traditional methods is ntute, used to conserve cocoyam. However, most methods used by rural farmers are mostly effective on the short-term basis, according to scientists of the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (PGRRI), which has necessitated the need for long-term conservation methods. Also, it was established that some traditional belief systems associated with conservation had helped rural farmers to conserve certain plants. In all these, rural farmers have, in their own small ways, contributed to the sustainability of plants for a considerable period.Il a été établi que l'on ne peut pas parler de la conservation de plantes sans considérer les agriculteurs ruraux qui cultivaient les cultures sur une longue période de temps. L'étude cherche à savoir davantage de méthodes de conservation employées par les agriculteurs ruraux dans le district de Fanteakwa de la Région de l'Est du Ghana. Dix communautés rurales étaient sélectionnées au hasard dont dix agriculteurs ruraux étaient interviewés dans chaque communauté. Les questions formulées variaient de méthodes de conservation aux sytèmes de croyance traditionnelle liés à la conservation de certaines plantes. Il était observé à la fin de l'étude que les agriculteurs ruraux sont les conservateurs véritables et leurs méthodes de conservation sont fondamentalement traditionnelles qui se transmettent à eux de génération en génération. Un exemple de ces méthodes traditionnelles est ntute qui est employé pour conserver le taro. Toutefois la plupart de méthodes employées par les agriculteurs ruraux sont surtout efficaces à court terme selon les scientifiques de l' Institut pour la Recherche de Resources Génétiques de Plante qui a nécessité le besoin pour les méthodes de conservation à long terme. De plus, il était établi que vraiment les agriculteurs ruraux ont quelques sytèmes de croyance traditionnelle liés à la conservation qui leur ont aidé de conserver certaines plantes. En tout, ces agriculteurs ruraux, à leurs manières, ont contribué à la durabilité des plantes sur une période de longtemps. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 40 (2) 2008: pp. 159-16

Characterization and preliminary evaluation of some accessions of local germplasm of velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens DCvar. utilis Wall) of Ghana

Velvet bean is a vigorously growing leguminous plant used for food, cover crop, and for soil improvement. Eight accessions of velvet beans, namely: 1739, 1740, 1741, 1742, 1743, 1744, 1745, and 1746 were collected from the Ashanti, Eastern, and Upper West Regions between 1982 and 1983. They were planted for characterization and preliminary evaluation in a replicated trial at the Plant Genetic Resources Centre at Bunso in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Qualitative characters like flower colour, plant pigmentation, and seed colour showed variability. Quantitative characters included both vegetative and reproductive characters. Characters like hypocotyl length, days to 50 per cent flowering and maturity, pods per plant, pod length, and 100-seed weight all showed variability. Accessions 1739, 1740,1741,1742,1743,1744, and 1745 had medium to large canopies and flowered (74-154 days) and matured (142-189 days) late, attributes which will make them good cover crops due to their vigorous vegetative growth. Accession 1746 had a light canopy, flowered early (49 days), set pod and matured early (118 days), and had high pods per plant (50.0). Ghana Jnl agric. Sci. Vol.31(1) 1998: 131-13

Variability studies in some qualitative characters of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) (L.) Walp) accessions from four cowpea-growing regions of Ghana

Forty-five cowpea accessions, randomly selected from cowpea germplasm from four cowpea-growing regions Of Ghana, namely, Upper East, Upper West, Northern, and Eastern Regions, were characterized and evaluated to determine the range of variability in qualitative characters in the samples. Variability was observed in growth habit, twining tendency, plant and pod pigmentation, and raceme position. Accessions from the Upper West, Northern and Eastern Regions showed three types of growth habit: prostrate, semi-prostrate and intermediate, with the semi-prostrate type in the majority, whilst and Upper East Region showed only the semi-prostrate type. Accessions from the Northern and Eastern Regions showed three types of twining tendency, namely, no twining, slight, and intermediate twining, whilst the Upper East Region accessions showed only none twining types. Majority of the accessions showed the no twining type. All the regions showed great variability in plant and immature pod pigmentation in the cowpea accessions. Two types of flower colour were observed, purple and white. With the exception of the Upper East Region accessions which showed only white flower colour, accessions from all the other regions showed both white and purple colours with the accessions with purple colour in the majority. In most of the accessions from the Upper West, Northern and Eastern Regions, the racemes were held above the canopy. Ghana Jnl.agric. Sci Vol.32(1), 1999: 3-1

Heterosis in cowpealandraces from Ghana

Four crosses involving five local accessions of cowpea were evaluated to determine the amount of heterosis for maturity date, seed yield, and components of yield. Heterosis for seed yield plant-1 was greater than that for other characters with a high-parent heterosis of 2.4 to 72.1 per cent. Number of pods plant-1 was the most heterotic of the yield components. The cross between high-yielding parents produced the highest heterosis above the mid-parent and high parent for seed yield plant-1. Seed yield may be improved by crossing among local landraces of cowpea through improving the number of pods plant-1. Ghana Jnl.agric. Sci Vol.32(1), 1999: 27-3

Agro-morpho-logical and sensory characterization of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L) (Schott) germplasm in Ghana

Seventy-eight accessions of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) were collected from seven regions of Ghana to gather the available germplasm for conservation and use. The materials were planted at the Plant Genetic Resources Centre (PGRC), Bunso and characterized agro-morphologically using the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute's (IPGRI) descriptors for Xanthosoma. Twenty-one qualitative and 10 quantitative characters were studied. Two main groups were identified based on characters of the pseudo-stem and colouration of the apical portions of cormels. However, three groups were identified based on cooked cormel qualities. The qualitative character which recorded the highest polymorphism was the cooking quality of cormels with a diversity index of 0.540. A cluster analysis using the 31 characters showed eight distinct groupings. A further characterization using molecular methods is recommended to indicate more variability or otherwise in the germplasm. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 37 2004: 23-3

Ethno-Botanical Survey Of Medicinal Plants In The Plant Genetic Resources Centre Arboretum – Bunso

The ethno-botanical uses and mode of administration of twenty-nine medicinal plants found in the arboretum of the Plant Genetic Resource Centre located at Bunso in the Eastern region of Ghana against some disease conditions are hereby documented. Key words: Ethnobotany, medicinal plants, arboretum, Ghana. Nig. J. Nat. Prod. And Med. Vol.8 2004: 5-