GOAL 1: Appropriate Technologies developed and disseminated Objective 1.2 Appropriate management technologies for food and industrial crops developed

 Major Activities conducted in 2011: 1. Studies on Seedborne diseases of Tomato, Pepper, Onions and Rice 2. Development of Botanical Fungicides

3. Production of Glucoamylase enzyme using native fungal species for starch hydrolysis 4. Conducted RTIMP Farmer Field Fora 5. Development of Aflatoxin Resistant Varieties of Maize

6. Identifying Cassava Bacterial Blight (CBB) Resistant genotypes

 Student Supervision: 6 MSc. Students (Crop Science & Hort., KNUST) 2 MSc. Students (School of Agric. UCC) 2 MSc. Students (Applied Biol. ; Biochemistry, KNUST) 1 Ph.D Chemical Engineering (KNUST)

Seedborne Pathogens of Tomato and Pepper in Southern Ghana Agro- ecologies and Control of Diseases

Team: E. Moses - CSIR-CRI S. Nyarko- CSIR-CRI Z. Appiah-Kubi-CSIR-CRI

Introduction Farmer-saved seeds used in production (70-90 %) Promotes seedborne diseases and their transmission Inappropriate control measures and abuse of pesticides

 Methodology: Collecting farmer-saved seeds from major producing districts in agroecologies Seed health testing in the laboratory Identification of pathogens using cultural and microscopic features particularly of conidia or spores

 Results

Farmer-saved seeds of Tomato (samples collected) CropForest- Savanna ForestCoastal- Savanna Tomato Pepper472847

Number of Fungal Species Identified CropForest- savanna ForestCoastal- savanna Tomato14 12 Pepper211621

Tomato seed infected by Aspergillus niger

Important seedborne pathogens identified ZoneTomatoPepperIncidence of Fungal Species (%) Forest- savanna Fusarium oxysporum F. solani F. moniliforme F. pallidoroseum Colletotrichum dematium Cercospora sp. Fusarium oxysporum F. solani F. moniliforme F. pallidoroseum Colletotrichum dematium Cercospora sp. 7.7; ; ; ; ; ; 4.3

Seedborne pathogens identified ZoneTomatoPepperIncidence of Fungal Species (%) Forest F. oxysporum F. solani F. moniliforme F. pallidoroseum Colletotrichum dematium Cercospora sp. F. oxysporum F. solani F. moniliforme F. pallidoroseum Colletotrichum dematium Cercospora sp ; ; 89.2* 44.8 ; ; ; 82.2* 6.9 ; 7.2

 Major wilt causing pathogens of tomato and pepper: Fusarium oxysporum F. solani F. moniliforme F. pallidoroseum

 Causal Organism of pepper anthracnose Colletotrichum dematium 82 % of seed samples from the forest –savanna were found to be infected by C. dematium

 Conclusion : Fusarium oxysporum F. solani F. moniliforme F. pallidoroseum Colletotrichum dematium are seedborne, seed transmitted and cause important field diseases resulting in high yield losses.

Seed treatment with appropriate chemical or botanical fungicides must be the important first line of defence against diseases of these two crops in the absence of certified seeds Farmers have to produce their seeds from healthy plants and healthy fruits Avoid continuous cropping of these crops on the same piece of land

Improved farm sanitation Strategic protection using appropriate fungicides (limited use of chemical fungicides) on the field

DEVELOPMENT OF CASSAVA BACTERIAL BLIGHT (CBB) RESISTANT VARIETIES

FUNDING: Generation Challenge Programme- Challenge Initiative

TEAM: E. Moses (CSIR-CRI) E. Parkes (CSIR-CRI) S. Nyarko (CSIR-CRI) B. Boakye Pepprah (CSIR-CRI) COLLABORATORS: C. Egesi- NRCRI (Umudike) E. Okogbenin –NRCRI (Umudike) J. Onyeka- NRCRI (Umudike)

 INTRODUCTION CBB is a devastating cassava diseases with potential of causing complete crop failure and famine CBB has caused famine in Nigeria and Congo (DR) in the 1970s Under favourable conditions most varieties of cassava will succumb to CBB

 Symptoms of CBB Leaf blight Wilting Defoliation Dieback Gummy exudation Death of Plants

METHODOLOGY Identification and collection of cultivars with suspected resistance from farms Isolation of bacterium and screen house inoculation experiments Screening of cultivars in hot spots

 RESULTS 26 (out of 28) cultivars of cassava inoculated with the bacterium resisted it. No symptoms of CBB observed in any of the 28 cultivars 5 MAP at Fumesua Station

Mealybugs and spider mites are the major challenges to most of the cultivars

Healthy growing cultivar Mealybug Infested cultivar

 Conclusion 8 of the cultivars have resisted CBB, mealybugs and spider mites 5 MAP

Publications: J. K. Ocran, J.K., Moses, E., Olympio, N.S. and Kumah, P Fungi associated with banana crown rots in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Ghana Journal of Horticulture. Vol. 9: P. Kumah, E.O. Ampomah and N.S. Olympio, E. Moses Efficacy of four botanicals and two chemical fungicides in the control of crown rot disease of banana (Musa spp AAA) ‘Medium Cavendish’. Accepted for publication in ACTA Horticulturae.

THANKS FOR THE ATTENTION!