Effects Of Storage Container and Storage Condition on Seed Health Quality of Common Bean Variety Ennepa in Southern Ghana

Emmanuel  Asamoah Adjei; Ben Kwaku Branoh Banful; Ernest Assah  Asiedu; James Yaw Asibuo; Stephen Yeboah; Paul Kweku Tandoh

doi:10.4314/just.v1i1.1750

Dr. Emmanuel Asamoah Adjei CSIR-Crops Research Institute
Prof. Ben Kwaku Branoh Banful Department of Horticulture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2268-6122
Dr. Ernest Assah Asiedu
Prof. James Yaw Asibuo
Dr. Stephen Yeboah CSIR-Crops Research Institute https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6811-6355
Dr. Paul Kweku Tandoh Department of Horticulture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8110-7333

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/just.v1i1.1750

Keywords: Plastic container, polythene bag, ambient environment, cold environment, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium spp

Abstract

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) has been introduced in Ghana for cultivation; however, yields on farmers’ fields are low due to poor seed health quality resulting in poor plant stand. This study determined the effect of storage containers (polythene bag vs plastic container) and storage environment (ambient vs cold storage temperature) on the seed health quality of common bean seeds stored for eight months. The fungal species and loads on the seeds were determined using the blotter method at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months after storage. Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., and Rhizopus spp. were the major fungi recorded during storage. Seeds stored in plastic containers under an ambient environment showed a significantly lower incidence of Aspergillus flavus than the other treatments. Seeds stored in polythene bags under an ambient environment significantly lowered the incidence of A. niger. Seeds stored in polythene bags recorded a significantly higher incidence of Penicillium spp. after two months in storage irrespective of the storage condition. The lowest incidence of Rhizopus spp. was observed in seeds stored in plastic containers in an ambient environment. There was no observed insect infestation in storage over the eight-month duration. Seeds of the common bean variety Ennepa can safely be stored in a polythene bag under an ambient environment (25.43-29.660C).

Author Biographies

Dr. Emmanuel Asamoah Adjei, CSIR-Crops Research Institute

Mr. Asamoah holds a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Agriculture from the University of Cape Coast. He also holds an M.Sc. in Agroforestry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Mr. Asamoah has over a decade’s experience in seed production. He was responsible for the planning and production of foundation seeds for the entire country during his stint with the Grains and Legumes Development Board. He is well versed in seed dissemination and was able to raise the adoption of quality seeds by farmers from 50MT to 600MT within two years when he was appointed as Technical Seed Manager at Wienco Ghana Limited. Mr. Adjei has worked with a lot of researchers and research institutions in the development and release of improved crop varieties. He was appointed as a demonstrator during his master’s degree education at KNUST, a position he held for two years. He has attended numerous national and international conferences and training programs on seed production. He is currently a research scientist with the CSIR-Crops Research Institute and Head of the Seed Section. A member of the Research Staff Association (RSA), ISTA, Ghana Science Association, GhIH, as well as the International Society of Organic Farming Research (ISOFAR).

Prof. Ben Kwaku Branoh Banful, Department of Horticulture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana

Prof. Ben Kwaku Branoh Banfulis a Full Professor and the immediate past Provost of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He holds a PhD & MPhil in Agronomy from the University of Ghana and BSc. Agriculture, from the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast. He has many years of university teaching, research and administrative experience. Prior to this, he had 19 years of research and development experience from the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Kumasi. In this University, he has served in examination and administrative positions as a Departmental Examinations Officer, Head of Department, Hall Master of Queen Elizabeth II Hall, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Prof. Banful’s research interests include cropping systems, soil fertility management and maintenance, plant population and plant arrangement studies, seed quality maintenance of vegetables, cereals and legumes.

Dr. Ernest Assah Asiedu

Dr. Ernest Assah Asiedu was the past Chief of Party of the West Africa Seed Program (WASP) of the West and Central Africa Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) with its Secretariat at Dakar, Senegal. Dr. Asiedu holds the B.Sc. degree in Crop Science from the University of Ghana (1979-1981); M.Sc. in Seed Technology, minor in Plant Breeding from Mississippi State University, USA, (1984-1986), and Ph.D. in Seed Physiology from University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, (1992-1996). Dr. Asiedu started his carrier with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Ghana from 1981 to 2006 and rose to the level of Chief Research Scientist.
At the CSIR-CRI, Dr. Asiedu headed the Seed and Biotechnology Division and was the Counterpart Coordinator for the GTZ (now GIZ) funded West Africa Seed Development Unit(1996to2004). Dr. Asiedu pioneered the establishment of the Ghana National Seed Committee, the National Variety Release Committee in 1989 and the reformation of the seed sector from public sector led to private sector inclusion. After working for CSIR-CRI for 25 years, he joined CORAF in 2006 as the Cereals Network Coordinator for West Africa (2006-2007), as the First Manager for the Staple Crops Program, West and Central Africa (2007-2012), Chief of Party for WASP (2012 to 2017) and the Partnership for Agricultural Research and Education (PAIRED;2017-2018). Whiles at CORAF/WECARD Dr. Asiedu supported the design and management of thirteen regional agricultural projects to improve the productivity of major cereals, legumes, roots and tubers and plantain value chains under the partnership with USAID, AusAID (now DFAT), DFID, the World Bank and West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP); over 50 students were anchored to these projects leading to post-grade degrees. As the Chief of West Africa Seed Program, he supported the implementation of the ECOWAS Seed Regulation in 17 Member States, networking and capacity development in the seed sector which resulted in increased supply of certified seeds in West Africa from 12% in 2012 to 25% between 2012 and 2016. Dr. Asiedu coordinated the Agricultural Rehabilitation Seed Program for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to curb eminent famine and economic decline during and after the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Diesease. He has presented papers at international, regional and national conferences and workshops and has 39 scientific publications and several articles, manuals and materials to his credit, covering plant breeding, seed quality improvement and seed and agriculture sector development. Dr. Asiedu was a Member of the International Seed Testing Association, Seed Vigour Committee for two terms (2000 to 2008) and is a member of the Association of Official Seed Analysts, USA. He has also held the positions of Acting Executive Director and Acting Director of Research Innovation at CORAF and has contributed immensely to agricultural sector development in West and Central Africa. He was a Consultant to the AfDB funded Savannah Zone Agricultural Productivity Improvement Program (SAPIP) under MoFA.

Dr. Stephen Yeboah, CSIR-Crops Research Institute

Dr. Stephen Yeboah obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture (First Class Honors) from University of Education, Winneba, in 2005, a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Agronomy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2010 and Doctor of Philosophy in Agroecology at Gansu Agricultural University in 2017. In 2011, he was appointed as a Research Scientist in CSIR–Crops Research Institute, Kumasi–Ghana. Stephen has conducted extensive research in the areas of crop resource management, environmental and soil nutrient management on a variety of crops. He has developed a number of technologies which have improved the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers. His research priority is to improve understanding of plant responses to the environment with a focus on field, theoretical and laboratory research towards increasing understanding of the soil–plant–water relationships and mitigate effects of climate change on crop production and environmental quality. He has refereed several papers for both local and international scientific journals, and has over forty (40) refereed journal publications in science listed, international and African Journals.

Dr. Paul Kweku Tandoh, Department of Horticulture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana

Dr. Paul Kweku Tandoh is a Lecturer at the Department of Horticulture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He holds PhD and MPhil in Seed Science and Technology and BSc. Agriculture from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. Dr. Tandoh has 17 years working experience with this University starting as a Senior Technician and rising to the rank of a Lecturer. He currently serves as the Assistant Examinations Officer in the Department of Horticulture. Dr. Tandoh’s research interests include seed production of indigenous crops, seed dormancy-release and seed quality evaluation of vegetables, cereals, legumes and forest tree species.