Identifying and Evaluating Salt-Tolerant Halophytes Along a Tropical Coastal Zone: Growth Response and Desalination Potential.

Littoral soils along Ghana's coastal zones, hosting diverse halophytes with multiple potential applications, contain significant salt content due to seawater influence. This study identified and explored the nutritional, ecological, and medicinal significance of these halophytes, focusing on their salt tolerance and desalination abilities. Deep learning image recognition was employed to identify plant species, followed by a greenhouse experiment on five selected halophytes ( and ) to assess their response to varying salt concentrations (0, 25, and 50 dS/m) and soil types (sea sand and arable soil).

Multitrait Selection for Higher Agronomic and Tuber Yield-Related Traits in Tiger Nut ( L.) Genotypes.

The tiger nut is a valuable crop that has been overlooked and underutilized. The tubers of this plant are highly valued for their nutritional benefits and health advantages. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic potential of 42 tiger nut genotypes using a multitrait index based on factor analysis and genotype-ideotype distance (MGIDI).

Photosynthetic efficiency and water retention in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) contribute to tolerance to single and combined effects of drought and heat stress.

The co-occurrence of drought and heat significantly hampers plant productivity. Although their impacts are well studied, these studies have been based on the effects of individual stressors rather than their combined influence. Okra is crucial for food and nutritional security and livelihoods in many regions, yet it remains under-researched and unimproved.

Rapid and low-cost screening for single and combined effects of drought and heat stress on the morpho-physiological traits of African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) germplasm.

Drought and heat are two stresses that often occur together and may pose significant risks to crops in future climates. However, the combined effects of these two stressors have received less attention than single-stressor investigations. This study used a rapid and straightforward phenotyping method to quantify the variation in 128 African eggplant genotype responses to drought, heat, and the combined effects of heat and drought at the seedling stage.

Plasticity of root hair and rhizosheath traits and their relationship to phosphorus uptake in sorghum.

Sorghum is an essential crop for resilient and adaptive responses to climate change. The root systems of crop plants significantly contribute to the tolerance of abiotic stresses. There is little information on sorghum genotypes' root systems and plasticity to external P supply.

Root System Traits Contribute to Variability and Plasticity in Response to Phosphorus Fertilization in 2 Field-Grown Sorghum [ (L.) Moench] Cultivars.

Due to roots' physical and physiological roles in crop productivity, interest in root system architecture (RSA) and plasticity in responses to abiotic stresses is growing. Sorghum is significant for the food security of millions of people. Phosphorus deficiency is an important limitation of sorghum productivity.

Causal shoot and root system traits to variability and plasticity in juvenile cassava ( Crantz) plants in response to reduced soil moisture.

Cassava is an important source of food security and livelihoods for millions of consumers daily. Water deficit conditions are one of the major factors that affect the development of root system architecture (RSA) and consequently, crop productivity, and yet, due to its long maturity periods and bulky storage root systems, RSA studies in cassava are uncommon. The objective of this study was to identify traits that are responsible for the variability and plastic responses of cassava in response to drought at the juvenile stage of growth.

Phenotypic Characterization of Tiger Nuts ( L.) from Major Growing Areas in Ghana.

Tigernut ( Lativum) is an important but understudied and underutilized crop in Ghana. The tubers are highly appreciated for their health benefits and nutritive value. To contribute to the conservation process of tiger nut and identify elite genotypes, this study was conducted to assess phenotypic variability in tiger nut genotypes in Ghana.

The search for yield predictors for mature field-grown plants from juvenile pot-grown cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz).

Cassava is the 6th most important source of dietary energy in the world but its root system architecture (RSA) had seldom been quantified. Ability to select superior genotypes at juvenile stages can significantly reduce the cost and time for breeding to bridge the large yield gap. This study adopted a simple approach to phenotyping RSA traits of juvenile and mature cassava plants to identify genotypic differences and the relationships between juvenile traits and harvest index of mature plants.

Respiratory and non-respiratory symptoms associated with pesticide management practices among farmers in Ghana's most important vegetable hub.

The data presented here are from the Offinso North District Farm Health Study (ONFAHS), a population-based cross-sectional study among vegetable farmers in Ghana. The paper addresses knowledge, pesticide handling practices, and protective measures related to pesticide use by self-reported symptoms for 310 adult farmers who completed a comprehensive questionnaire on pesticide management practices and health. In addition, an inventory was prepared using information supplied by pesticide sellers/dealers in this district.

Spatial assessment of sugarcane ( L.) production to feed the Komenda Sugar Factory, Ghana.

Ghana imports about US$ 2 million worth of sugar annually. To address this huge import bill and to take advantage of a growing demand for sugar in the West African sub-region, the Government of Ghana initiated a Sugar Policy. The Government of Ghana, therefore, re-constructed and commissioned the Komenda Sugar Factory in 2016 at a reported cost of US$ 35 million.

Ghanaians Might Be at Risk of Excess Dietary Intake of Potassium Based on Food Supply Data.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the beneficial role of adequate intake of potassium (K) in combating the global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mainly hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Diets are the main source of K supply to humans and can contribute to both K deficiency (hypokalemia) and excess (hyperkalemia). While global attention is currently devoted to K deficiency, K excess can be even more dangerous and deserves equal attention.

Systematic review of the effects of agricultural interventions on food security in northern Ghana.

Background: Food insecurity and poverty rates in Ghana are highest in the districts from latitude 8° N upwards. These have motivated several interventions aimed at addressing the food insecurity via promoting agricultural growth. An assessment of the overall impact of these interventions on food security is necessary to guide policy design and future interventions.

Agronomic biofortification of selected underutilised solanaceae vegetables for improved dietary intake of potassium (K) in Ghana.

Agronomic biofortification is the deliberate use of mineral fertilizers to increase the concentration of a target mineral in edible portions of crops to increase dietary intake of the target mineral. Globally, increased dietary intake of potassium (K) is becoming a part of the strategy to address hidden hunger and related non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and cardiac disorders. This study aimed at demonstrating the efficacy of increasing the concentration of K in the edible portions of three commonly consumed but underutilized solanacea vegetables (, and ) in Ghana.

Characterising shoot and root system trait variability and contribution to genotypic variability in juvenile cassava ( Crantz) plants.

The development of cassava genotypes with root system traits that increase soil resource acquisition could increase yields on infertile soils but there are relatively few work that has quantified cassava root system architecture (RSA). We used an easily adaptable and inexpensive protocol to: (i) measure genotypic variation for RSA and shoot traits of a range of cassava genotypes; and (ii) identify candidate variables that contribute the largest share of variance. Cassava genotypes were grown in soil-filled pots, maintained at 70% field capacity.

Soil-Transmitted Helminths in Top Soils Used for Horticultural Purposes in Cape Coast, Ghana.

This paper investigated the concentrations of eggs of three helminths (roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm) in the so-called black soils used for domestic and urban landscaping, home gardening and as growth medium for potted plants and pot experiments. The black soils are largely collected from active or abandoned waste dumpsites and fallowed or vegetated idle sites in the urban fringe or rural areas. Users buy black soils from dealers.

Modelling spatio-temporal heterogeneities in groundwater quality in Ghana: a multivariate chemometric approach.

Chemometric techniques were applied to evaluate the spatial and temporal heterogeneities in groundwater quality data for approximately 740 goldmining and agriculture-intensive locations in Ghana. The strongest linear and monotonic relationships occurred between Mn and Fe. Sixty-nine per cent of total variance in the dataset was explained by four variance factors: physicochemical properties, bacteriological quality, natural geologic attributes and anthropogenic factors (artisanal goldmining).

Response-based selection of barley cultivars and legume species for complementarity: Root morphology and exudation in relation to nutrient source.

Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) use efficiency may be improved through increased biodiversity in agroecosystems. Phenotypic variation in plants' response to nutrient deficiency may influence positive complementarity in intercropping systems. A multicomponent screening approach was used to assess the influence of P supply and N source on the phenotypic plasticity of nutrient foraging traits in barley (H.

Ghanaians Might Be at Risk of Inadequate Dietary Intake of Potassium.

Adequate dietary intake of potassium (K) helps fight noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mainly hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. This paper (i) estimated the K intake of Ghanaian population using food supply and food composition data and (ii) compared this estimate with the WHO recommended requirement for K in order to assess if there is a risk of inadequate K intake. Food supply data (1961-2011) was obtained from the FAO Food Balance Sheet (FBS) to derive trends in food and K supply.

Analysis of root growth from a phenotyping data set using a density-based model.

Major research efforts are targeting the improved performance of root systems for more efficient use of water and nutrients by crops. However, characterizing root system architecture (RSA) is challenging, because roots are difficult objects to observe and analyse. A model-based analysis of RSA traits from phenotyping image data is presented.

A scanner system for high-resolution quantification of variation in root growth dynamics of Brassica rapa genotypes.

The potential exists to breed for root system architectures that optimize resource acquisition. However, this requires the ability to screen root system development quantitatively, with high resolution, in as natural an environment as possible, with high throughput. This paper describes the construction of a low-cost, high-resolution root phenotyping platform, requiring no sophisticated equipment and adaptable to most laboratory and glasshouse environments, and its application to quantify environmental and temporal variation in root traits between genotypes of Brassica rapa L.