Browsing by Author "Karikari, B."
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Item Cowpea Cropping Systems, Traits Preference and Production Constraints in the Upper West Region of Ghana: Farmers’ Consultation and Implications for Breeding(CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 2023) Karikari, B.; Akakpo, D.B.; et al.Background Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is used primarily as food for humans and feed for animals. It is also used for soil management within a cropping system. However, cowpea production is confronted with numerous challenges. As such farmers and consumers alike have certain preferences in terms of production and utilization. This present study investigated cowpea cropping systems, traits preference and production constraints among farmers in the Nandom, Lambusie and Lawra districts in the northern part of the Upper West Region of Ghana. A total of 306 farming households were sampled from the 3 chosen districts. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The IBM SPSS software, version 22, was employed to analyze the data using descriptive statistics, specifically frequencies, percentages and crosstabulations. Results The study’s results indicated that a majority (58.5%) of the cowpea farmers practice intercropping, whereas a minority (41.5%) practice sole cropping. The farmers intercropped cowpea with maize, millet, sorghum and yam. Farmers preferred cowpea varieties with the following traits: high yield, drought tolerance, early maturing, pest resistance, improve soil fertility, high price, high demand, better taste, less cooking time, storage quality, palatability and fast growing. Farmers indicated that susceptibility to storage pests, high pest incidence, late maturity, difficulty in harvesting, high input cost, small grain size, low yield, high disease incidence, poor colour, lack of improved variety, and drought are some constraints that hinder cowpea production. Conclusion Results indicate a need for behavioural change communication to assist cowpea farmers to adopt improved and appropriate cropping systems. Farmers should be involved in cowpea technology development in order to understand their preferences and constraints to enable subsequent adoption of such technologies. The results from this study call for an interdisciplinary committee to plan and breed cowpea varieties that meet the needs of the farmers.Item Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Genetic Architecture and Candidate Genes for Yield and Related Traits under Terminal Drought, Combined Heat and Drought in Tropical Maize Germplasm(MDPI, 2022) Osuman, A.S.; Badu-Apraku, B.; Karikari, B.; Ifie, B.E.; Tongoona, P.; Danquah, E.Y.Maize (Zea mays L.) production is constrained by drought and heat stresses. The combination of these two stresses is likely to be more detrimental. To breed for maize cultivars tolerant of these stresses, 162 tropical maize inbred lines were evaluated under combined heat and drought (CHD) and terminal drought (TD) conditions. The mixed linear model was employed for the genome-wide association study using 7834 SNP markers and several phenotypic data including, days to 50% anthesis (AD) and silking (SD), husk cover (HUSKC), and grain yield (GY). In total, 66, 27, and 24 SNPs were associated with the traits evaluated under CHD, TD, and their combined effects, respectively. Of these, four single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers (SNP_161703060 on Chr01, SNP_196800695 on Chr02, SNP_195454836 on Chr05, and SNP_51772182 on Chr07) had pleiotropic effects on both AD and SD under CHD conditions. Four SNPs (SNP_138825271 (Chr03), SNP_244895453 (Chr04), SNP_168561609 (Chr05), and SNP_62970998 (Chr06)) were associated with AD, SD, and HUSKC under TD. Twelve candidate genes containing phytohormone cis-acting regulating elements were implicated in the regulation of plant responses to multiple stress conditions including heat and drought. The SNPs and candidate genes identified in the study will provide invaluable information for breeding climate smart maize varieties under tropical conditions following validation of the SNP markers.