Presentation by Dr Emmanuel Chamba, CSIR Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, Tamale, Ghana Delivered at the B4FA Media Dialogue Workshop, Accra, Ghana - September 2012 www.b4fa.org

1. EmmanuelEmmanuel ChambaChamba,,
CSIRCSIR--SARI, TamaleSARI, Tamale
The development of two
cotton varieties in Ghana

2. Presentation Outline
Introduction
- Cotton and benefits
- some major production constraints
• Research focus/objectives
Basic plant breeding principles
Research methods used
Results
Seed multiplication plan
The way forward – Bt cotton introduction

3. Cotton and Benefits
Major cash crop in Northern Ghana
Plays a key role in the economy of
households in the region by providing
- additional income to households
- benefits from residual fertilizer for
production of maize in rotation
Cotton reduces striga seeds in the soil
when rotated with striga susceptible crops
Fertilizer and insecticide diversion

4. Cotton and Benefits cont’d
Potential of cotton to the economy of Ghana
is 500,000 ha capable of producing 200,000
metric tons of lint.
with a market value of US$ 350,000,000

5. Cotton Growing BeltCotton Growing Belt -- GhanaGhana Long 1Long 1ooEE -- Long 3Long 3ooWW
Lat 8.5Lat 8.5ooNN -- Lat 11Lat 11ooNN

6. Some major constraints of cotton
production in Ghana
Lack of improved seeds to sufficiently renew
the seed stock resulting in low seed cotton
yields and poor lint quality (exhibits)
The average seed cotton yield in Ghana 775
kg/ha as against a West African average of
about 1100-1200 kg/ha.
Ghana highest total production is less than
40,000 MT . In Burkina Faso it is 300,000 MT

7. Seed source of cotton production in
Ghana
Cotton companies depend on imported
seed from neighbouring countries such as
Burkina Faso, Togo, Mali and Senegal
Most of the imported seed are third or fourth
generation seed with very low genetic
potential and low viability.

8. Research focus
To introduce, develop, test and recommend
improved varieties for the cotton growing areas
To develop appropriate cultural control practices
for cotton production

9. Specific objectives of Cotton
Improvement programme
Develop improved varieties with
o High and stable yields across the cotton belt
of Ghana
o High lint-seed ratio (ginning outturn-GOT)
o High quality lint- staple length, strength etc
o Tolerance to insect pest/diseases and
drought

10. Principles of plant breeding- The four
stages of the plant breeding process
Breeding – creation of variability
Selection to fix desired genes
Evaluation of the selected lines
Cultivar release

11. Principles of plant breeding-sources of
genetic variation
o Plant introduction – collections of plant
genotypes
o Hybridisation – crosses within species
o Interspecific crossses/intergeneric –
between two deferent genera
o Mutation
o Other sources- breeding lines
o Trans genic plants

12. Germplasm
collection,
Observation
Nursery
(Mass selection
On-Station
Evaluation,
Multi-location
Trials,
Participatory
Varietal
Selection,
Advanced
Yield Trials,
On-farm
Adaptive Trials,
BREEDING PROCEDURE USED TO DEVELOP SARCOTS
SARCOT 1
SARCOT 5
SARCOT 9

13. Breeding Procedure
Germplasm collection from Togo, Burkina,
Cote d’Ivoire, Syria, China, USA, Benin,
Zimbabwe (1988- ongoing) 60
Crosses
Observation Nursery – 1996
On station-replicated evaluation of 19
selected genotypes -1997-1999

14. Breeding Procedure
Researcher managed multilocational
testing of 8 selected genotypes- 1999 –
200
Locations:
Nyankpala,Yendi,Walewale (NR),
Wa(UWR), Bawku and Pusu-
Namgo(UER)

15. Breeding procedure continues
Conducted Farmer Participatory
Varietal Selection (PVS) trial of 8 cotton
genotyes at Nyankpala from 2001-2002
3 lines of cotton with broad adaptation
were identified after years of
evaluation

16. Breeding procedure continues
Farmer managed researcher
supervised on-farm evaluation of
3 genotypes of cotton from 2003-
2004
Locations: same as before

18. HVI in CSIR-SARI

19. Yield and quality parameters
Potential yield
(kg/ha)
FK 290
Commercial
variety
SARCOT 1 SARCOT 5 SARCOT 9 STANDARD
VALUES
1900 2100 2100 200 2000
Yield across
regions (kg/ha)
1239 1443 1471 1425 1000
Lint index (GOT) % 44.5 46.5 44.4 44.2 40-48
HVI Readings
length (mm) 29.00 29.05 30.7 26. 75 25 - 333
Short fibre index
5.1 5.5 3.95 8.5
The smaller
the better
Micro 3.10 3.28 4.12 4.25 3.7 – 4.2

20. 0.00
500.00
1000.00
1500.00
2000.00
2500.00
3000.00
3500.00
1500.00 1700.00 1900.00 2100.00 2300.00 2500.00 2700.00 2900.00
ENVIRONMENT MEAN SCWT
GENOTYPICMEANSCWT
sarcot11
mean
sarcot1
sarcot4
sarcot9
sarcot17(FK290)
sarcot5

21. Varietal release
Two of the cotton lines evaluated were
released as varieties to farmers in 2005.
These varieties are SARCOT 1 and
SARCOT 5

22. Seed Multiplication Scheme
YEAR SEED GENERATION & AREA
PROJECTED QUANTITY OF SEED
IN METRIC TONNES (MT)
YEAR I BASE (Foundation Seed)
12 ha
↓
4.5
YEAR 2 First reproduction (certified seed)
400 ha
↓
220
YEAR 3 Second reproduction ( Certified seed)
11,00 ha
↓
6,000 -11,000
YEAR 4 Farmers seed
242, 00 – 440,000

23. Cotton seed multiplication field at
Nyankpala

24. The way Forward
Introduction of Bt Cotton, Ghana
Government initiative and SARI is a core
institution in the process
Bt Workshop in June, 2012 and Burkina
preparations
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), NOT Biotech cotton
Bt – soil microrganism in soils worldwide
Why Bt cotton

25. Major Cotton Insect Pests
Bollworms are key pests
of cotton
The larvae damage
plant terminals and also
chew into squares and
developing bolls,
resulting in abscission of
these floral parts and
loss in seed cotton yieldCotton bollworm

26. Control relies on insecticides eg Polytrin C,
Tiham, Thunder, Karate and Dunsbarn
An average of six sprays are applied in a
season
Chemicals are expensive and detrimental
to the farmer and the environment
Current control methods

27. Merits of Bt Cotton
Reduction of pesticide application
from 6 to 2 times (resistance to Bollw)
Reduction in walking distance (Burkina
Faso farmer experience
Reduction in risk from insecticide
exposure(social implications)and
poisoning
Reduction in labour cost
Reduction in chemical cost

28. Merits of Bt cotton continues------
Increase in cotton production
Increase in seed cotton yield of 30% BF
Increase farmer income
Improve farmer livelihood
Demerits of Bt cotton:
NONE

29. Bt cotton breeding procedure
- Confined field Trials (CFTs)
- Introgression of A x B
A = Donor variety
B = Farmer preferred variety
(SARCOTS)
Breeding (fore and background) using
backcrossing procedure

30. Conclusion
Increase in cotton production
Increase farmer income
Improve farmer livelihood

31. THANK YOU