EDUCATIONAL VISIT OF KNUST’S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING STUDENTS TO CSIR- CROPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
If you have ever been curious about the irrigational methods used on farmlands, you would have loved our session with the Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
The students were 213 in total, and as such, they came in batches on two subsequent Fridays.
The first batch of students were in level 200, and they were 73 in total. Dressed in their Oxford blue and Lime green field suits, the public relations office received the students joyfully and educated them about what we do at CSIR- CR on the 26th of August 2022. After a conversation on patent rights arose, the head of Commercialization briefed the students about how the researched and improved seed varieties are commercialized and protected.
We progressed to the Rice field, where Mr. John Naa Dong and Mr. Daniel Kamangye took charge and explained the rice breeding process to the students. As students of Agric Engineering, they were pleased to know that engineers and Agronomics work closely with plant research to manage water flow used for irrigation.
At the Biotech Lab, Dr. Victor Amankwa and Mr. Emmanuel Igo from the Tissue Culture department met and filled their curiosity about Tissue planting. We visited the screen house – the clean house, to see the aeroponics system and the engineering construction that goes into the screen house. Madam Agnes Nimo Bosompem explained the samples they work on in the laboratory at the molecular biology lab.
Moving on, the next batch of students arrived at premises CSIR-CRI on the 2nd of September, 2022, to also have a feel of the research the institute conducts. They were level 100 students and came with their lecturer, Dr. Enock Bessah, and their two teaching assistants. The students were 140 in total.
As usual, the public relations office received them with glee. We then visited the Rice field where Mr. George Atta Fosu took them through the rice breeding activities. They were curious about how the irrigation on the rice field is done, and that was explained to them as well. We grouped them into two groups and shuffled between the two groups in the different research fields. You would have found us at the maize field where Mr. Eric Baffoe received the students and took them through maize breeding and evaluation. He explained their breeding objectives, and on the subject of cross-pollination, many questions arose.
Our next stop was at the Biotechnology Laboratory, where. Mr. Francis Anti Amoako from Molecular Biology explained plant cells and DNA to the students. Mr. Gofred Osei Kwame from tissue culture also took the student through the activities they do, and to complement his explanations; it was required we visit the screen house. We ended the tour at The Cottage, where Madam Helena Asare and Mr. Kinsford Adubofour explained the concept of aquaculture recirculation to the students.
During both tours, we began at 9:am, and by 3 pm, the whole process was over. In a nutshell, the tour was educational and an excellent first-hand field experience for the students.
List of contributors: Bernard Sakyiamah, Augustine Ofosu, Peter Amankwaah, Enoch Osei Tutu, David Kow Amo, Patricia Mensah, Enoch Bobie Agyemang
