Ten students who enrolled in January 2009 have presented their PhD research proposals at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, University of Ghana.
The students who have completed the first phase of the PhD programme comprising courses in plant breeding, genetics, biotechnology and related subjects in the first year and special topics presented as modules by guest lecturers in the second year will now leave for their home institutions to conduct their thesis research.
Participating in the proposal seminars were management, associate faculty and some in-country supervisors from students’ home countries. Each student gave a 45 minute presentation followed by a 30 minute discussion.
The following had this to say about the presentations;

• Prof. J.N Aryertey, College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana.

“The standard of the presentations was very high and all the students demonstrated in-depth knowledge of their subject area”.

• Dr. Bonny Ntare, Principal Scientist, International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), African Regional Centre, Mali.

“I was particularly impressed with the presentations of the francophone students who enrolled with low proficiency levels in English. I am convinced that the PhD at WACCI is of a very high standard”

The Director of WACCI in his closing remarks, urged the students to use the knowledge and skills they had acquired to carry out their experiments and deliver theses which will contribute to knowledge and products which would spark a West African green revolution. He assured the students of WACCI’s support while working away from the Centre.
Mr. Edgar Traore, leader of the class of 2008 thanked management and staff of WACCI for the excellent training and the conducive environment for academic work over the two years. He pledged their commitment to the Centre and said that they will network while away to ensure that all of them return to WACCI in the last quarter of the fifth year to submit their theses.

The topics for the students’ research projects are;

• Combining horizontal and vertical resistance against yellow mottle disease in rice, Edgar Valentin Stanislas Traore, Burkina Faso.
• Harnessing Ghanaian maize germplasm to identify suitable parents for Maize streak virus resistant hybrids, Allen Oppong, Ghana.
• Genetic analysis of early maturing maize (Zea mays) inbred lines under low nitrogen and striga stress, Elohor Beatrice IFIE, Nigeria.
• Genetic analysis of earliness and drought tolerance in groundnut  (Arachis hypogaea), Coulibaly Adama Mamadou, Niger.
• Genetic diversity analysis and evaluation of heterotic pattern of tropical maize (Zea mays) inbred lines, Dao Abdalla, Niger
• Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) analysis for yield components and panicle architecture in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor], Dramane Sako, Mali.
• Genetic analysis of alkaline tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa), Oumarou Goita, Mali.
• Genetic studies on root quality traits in cassava with emphasis on Postharvest Physiological Deterioration, Ruth N. A. Thompson, Ghana.
• Genetic Analysis of Resistance to Rosette Disease of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), Usman Alhassan, Nigeria.
• Genetic control of sugars, dry matter and β-carotene in sweetpotato, Vivian Oduro, Ghana.