The National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), in collaboration with Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) have inaugurated Germplasm Users Group (GUG) for sorghum, cowpea and other crops with relevance to climate change resilience to improve the use and management of germplasm.
Dr Sunday Aladele, the director and chief executive officer, NACGRAB, while speaking with journalists after the inaugural meeting of the Technical Working Group pointed out that the purpose of the meeting is for NACGRAB to expose the germplasm that is being kept in genebank to farmers.
Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses. Germplasm collection is important for the maintenance of biological diversity and food security.
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These genetic resources may take the form of seed collections stored in seed banks, trees growing in nurseries, animal breeding lines maintained in animal breeding programs or gene banks, etc.
NACGRAB boss stated that the agency’s genebank has array of varieties that can mitigate climate change to enable the country have planting and breeding varieties that will be able to survive climate change such as high temperature and flooding.
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“The meeting held today had in attendance a group of technical people that will be able to advice on the best way to approach farmers and to be able to guide farmers in selecting the right variety for cultivation. Aladele added
Dr Mrs Abisoye Ojo, Head of Biotechnology, NACGRAB added that the Technical Working Group is expected to make useful technical recommendations on the implementation of GUG activities, fast track interaction and exchange of knowledge among the users group in order to expand user engagement activities.
