Ghana National Genebank

The Crop Trust is a non-profit international organization dedicated to conserving crop diversity and making it available for use globally, forever, for the benefit of everyone.

We work with donors and partners to lead global projects that protect crop diversity, conserve crop wild relatives and develop technology to make this diversity accessible worldwide.

We seek professionals with a passion for global food security and a strong drive to contribute to our mission of conserving crop diversity for future generations.

Headquarter: Ghana Website: http://www.pgrri.csir.org.gh/

Location

Bunso, Ghana

Parent Organization

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

Overview

The CSIR–Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (PGRRI) was founded in 1964 as Plant Introduction and Exploration (PIE), a division of the Crops Research Institute of the CSIR. The purpose of PIE was to collect and maintain the plant germplasm of Ghana. The name changed to the Plant Genetic Resources Unit in 1984, and in 1994, its responsibilities expanded and its status was elevated to that of a Center, called the Plant Genetic Resources Center (PGRC) of the CSIR. In 2005, the PGRC was upgraded to an Institute, the CSIR-PGRRI, with the mandate to collect, characterize, evaluate, conserve, document, distribute, and utilize the plant genetic resources of Ghana.

PGRRI’s objectives are to:

Collect and conserve the plant germplasm of Ghana
Characterize, evaluate and document the Institute’s collection
Encourage the use of the collection by breeders, researchers and farmers
Serve as a national PGR coordinating agency
Engage in research relevant to its mandate.

Mission

PGRRI’s mission statement is to undertake demand-driven research, build capacity and promote the application of technologies for sustainable management of plant genetic resources for the benefit of society.

The Collection

More than 15,000 accessions listed in Genesys
The largest holdings are of yam (Dioscorea spp.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), maize (Zea mays), rice (Oryza spp.) and eggplant (Solanum spp.)
Species conserved in vitro include cassava (Manihot esculenta), yam, sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) and frafra potato (Coleus rotundifolius)
Species conserved in field genebanks include Guinea yam (Dioscorea cayenensis subsp. rotundata), cassava, sweetpotato, cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) and bush yam (Dioscorea praehensilis)

Opportunity Crops in Ghana

The most widely cultivated opportunity crops in Ghana are Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), fonio (Digitaria exilis), and turkey berry (Solanum torvum). Bambara groundnut is a hardy legume that thrives in poor soils and provides an essential protein source for rural households. Fonio is an ancient grain that matures quickly and is well adapted to drought-prone areas. Turkey berry is a resilient shrub crop whose small fruits are rich in iron and widely used in local cuisines and traditional medicine.

Key opportunity crops held at PGRRI include amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), Corchorus spp., Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan).

These crops are vital for food security in Ghana because they offer climate-resilient, nutrient-dense, and locally adapted food sources that enhance household nutrition and income stability in vulnerable farming communities.

Related Projects

PGRRI is working with BOLDER to enhance the conservation of four priority crops. This includes:

Collecting diversity of Amaranthus spp., Turkey berry (Solanum torvum), sesame (Sesamum indicum) and baobab (Adansonia digitata).
Regenerating collected accessions and making seeds available for distribution
Documenting the diversity of these crops in local databases and Genesys
Capacity building of staff for more efficient operations at the genebank