The Crop Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has proposed that two varieties of cowpea developed by the Institute be released for public use. The two varieties proposed were based on the results of on-station and on-farm evaluation, chemical composition and sensory evaluation done by the Institute. The development of the two new varieties is also to address the malnutrition problem among lactating mothers and children in the country. Seven out of every 10 pregnant women suffer from anaemia resulting from iron deficiency. The two varieties are IT87D-611-3 with the name "Nhyira", meaning blessing in Akan and IT87D-2075 with the name "Tona", meaning profit in Dagarti. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Dr Hans Adu-Dapaah, a chief research scientist and a plant breeder of the Institute, explained that Nhyira had an early maturing (65-68 days), high yielding (2.3t/ha), moderately resistant to virus, resistant to Anthracnose and Cercospora leaf spot, high in iron, energy and phosphorus contents, protein, tolerant to leaf hoppers, bold, white seed with brown eye and drought tolerant. Its leaves are rich in protein and minerals; it has high biomass and suppresses weeds and is good for President's Special Initiative on Oil Palm, Cocoa and Cashew and other plantation crops. The Tona variety has high energy, phosphorus and iron, resistant to Cercospora leaf spot and viruses, resistant to leaf hoppers, and has medium maturing for 71-80 days and is drought tolerant. The new varieties could be used for koose, tubani, gari and beans, rice and beans, cake, aprempransa sausage rolls, jam rolls, pie, chips and can also be used in the school feeding programme based on their nutritional content. Cowpea is a legume, which is capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen for its use. Dr Adu-Dapaah told the GNA that cowpea was an important food legume crop indigenous to Africa and West Africa, the main production area of the world. Because cowpea was generally drought tolerant, it could be successfully grown even in marginal areas where some other crops might fail, he said. He explained that apart from providing cash income for the farmers, cowpea also supplied the bulk of plant protein in the diets of most people in West Africa. "Cowpea leaves, green pods, green peas and dry seeds are all consumed as human food while the fresh and dry haulms provide fodder for livestock. Major constraints to cowpea include insect pest (thrips, pod sucking bugs and storage weevils), fungal, bacterial and viral diseases, Striga gesnerioides and drought." Dr. Adu-Dapaah said cowpea breeding at CRI focused on the development of varieties that were early to medium maturing, resistant to insect pests, diseases, striga gesnerioides and drought. He called on Ghanaians to patronise the two cowpea varieties for their nutritional needs for proper growth and to solve the malnutrition problems plaguing our poor children and lactating mothers. Source: GNA