The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, Legon through it MPhil programme in Seed Science and Technology, is training Seed Scientist at MPhil Post graduate level to enhance seed production and seed business in Africa.
As required by the programme, every student enrolled should undertake an internship after the two-semesters course. The training should be done in a Private Seed company or in A National research institute to enable them to develop their skills in seed science and technology. The RMG GHANA LTD have been chosen by us in order to conduct the internship.
After the acceptance of the student by the managing board of RMG LTD to undertake the internship on June, 20th, 2018, the students must submit a comprehensive weekly report summarizing all the activities undertook by the student. The present report is the weekly report of the all the activities done from, June, 19th 2018 to June, 27th, 2018.
WEDNESDAY 20th, JUNE 2018
I. Office duties
The administrative tasks were related to assist the officers in their works. On Wednesday 20th June, the administrative work we did were the follow up check on the seeds that had been delivered to every agriculture Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in the Upper West region of Ghana.
Howe ever, in order to achieve the objectives of the government about “Planting for Food and Job (PFJ)”, a campaign introduced by the Government of Ghana for solving the declining growth of Ghana’s agricultural sector in Ghana, RMG Ltd has supplied Hybrid maize seeds (Pan 53, Pan 12 and Lake 601) and Agra rice seed to some districts in Ghana. There after the delivery of the seed to every district, the company decided to make a follow up check. The purpose of this check was to access how the seed distribution is going in every districts and the associated challenges to be overcome. The follow up check was done through cell phone call. During the call, we asked every Director if they had run the germination test? What was the percentage and if they can send it to RMG Ltd through email or cell phone message? Are the farmers coming to buy the seeds? What quantities of seed they have already sold? What are the challenges that farmers are facing for us to give then technical support to solve those challenges?
The Directors of the following districts was called: Jirapa, Sissala East, Sissala West, Dafiama Bussie-Issa, Wa West, Nandom, Wa municipality, Nadowli Kaleo, West, Mampursi, Yendi Municipal, Lawra. In summary farmers are coming for the seeds in almost all the districts apart from Lawra, where the rain has not stared yet. In yendi, the farmers flow has reduced because at first, they were farmers subsidies fertilizers, but now, due to the fact they stop given the subsidies fertilizer, farmers are not coming as they use to come. In Wa East district farmers complained about the low seed germination percentage is. In Sissala Est, the test for the germination percentage give a result of 60%.
II. Learning about all the RMG products
RMG Ltd is operating on different ranges of agriculture products. They have provided a booklet showing al they product and their different uses. The different products find in the book are: Herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, foliar supplement, Farm tools, growth regulator, seed treatment, seeds, fertilizer and irrigation equipment.
III. Theorical learning about maize: theories aspect of OPV maize seeds and hybrids maize seeds production,
3.1. Hybrid maize seed and OPV maize seed
About maize, we have learnt: the difference between Open Pollinated Variety (OPV) maize and hybrid maize; the advantage of the Hybrid maize on the Maize OPV; the different kinds of maize sell by RMG Ltd and the procedure of hybrid maize seed production.
Hybrids seed is the F1 progeny seed, produced by crossing inbred parents. Hybrid maize seed advantage on the OPV maize seed is Related to the high yield, early maturity and resistant to drought and other performances. Hybrids seed produce high yield and then contribute to enhancement of the farmer income and a quick return of his investment.
We have three kinds of hybrids seed such as following: single-cross hybrids that involve only two inbred lines (example of Ope bro); three-way-cross hybrids, produced by crossing a single-cross hybrid with another inbred line (PAN 53); double-cross hybrids from crossing two single-cross hybrids (Lake 601) and top- crosses, produced by crossing an inbred line with an OPV.
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3.2. Procedure for production of Hybrid seed production
3.2.1. Land selection
For the production of hybrid maize seeds, the required isolation distance adopt in the RMG field is 300m to 400m in order is to avoid genetics pollution from the nearest maize land planted with other varieties. To be safe 400 m. Land should be free from water flood and pest invasion.
3.2.2 Land preparation
Land is cleared and the debris removed. All the previous crops residues which could be a source of infestation (insects) and infection (pathogens) are removed. Apply the non-selective weedicides Landlord (Glyphosate 360g/l) at 1lt/ acre and 200 mls/ 15 lt of water. Make sure to apply landlord when weeds are green. Afterward, the land is then plough, harrow and leveled to be ready for planting.
3.2.3 Acquisition of the parental line
For the hybrid maize seed production, it is only on the female parental plants the seed are harvested. Then, male and female inbred line are planted in different line. The parental line used at RMG Ghana Ltd to produce hybrid seeds are gotten from LEGACY CROP IMPROVEMENT CENTER.
