Corporate Responsibility

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In the pursuit of its mandates, NACGRAB collaborates with research institutions, Universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other related stakeholders within and outside the country. The collaborations have helped to foster and strengthen relationships with such collaborators. Presently, NACGRAB has the following on-going collaborative projects as enumerated below.

NACGRAB/UNILAG

Collaboration on Competitive Agricultural Research Grant Scheme (CARGS) project titled DNA Banking and Bar-coding of Arid Plants in Nigeria: “DNA banking and Bar coding of arid plant species in Nigeria” is an ongoing project by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in Collaboration with the national Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) and sponsored by the Agricultural research Council of Nigeria (ARCN). This project employs a modern automated identification technology called “DNA bar coding” with the aim of contributing to conservation practices of arid plant species in Nigeria, producing high quality plant germplasm to empower Nigerian farmers and crop breeders with cheap and readily available plantlets thereby solving the problems of shortage of planting materials, breeding constraints and embryo rescue. This project is expected to unlock the genetic diversity of arid crops in Nigeria, explore and document all the genotypes of the entire arid plant species and also made the information available to plant breeders and agriculturists. This research will help to explore and develop the potentials of DNA barcoding for agricultural research as a practical tool and also to achieve the MDGs 1, 7 and 8 by targeting poverty reduction, building and enhancing strong scientific and technological capacity to support research.


NACGRAB/NABDA/NIHORT/FUMAN

Collaborative project titled, “Strengthening the National Production Capacity of Selected fruit species (Pineapple, Plantain and Banana) for Food Security and Poverty Alleviation”: This is a World Bank assisted collaborative project among NACGRAB, NABDA, NIHORT and FUMMAN Limited. It involves the use of Temporary Immersion Bioreactors (TIBs) to scale up the production of the selected fruits in order to meet the current demand by farmers and relevant fruit juice industries.


NACGRAB/UI/NRCRI/FUNAAB/RTEP/NAQS/FED POLY OFFA

collaboration on CARGS project titled, “Sweet potato germplasm Technologies: Assemblage, Assessment and Multi-site Banking”: Two hundred and ninety accessions (290) of Sweet potato germplasm (root and vines) were collected by State contacts across the geo-political zones of the country assembled and planted in the NACGRAB Field gene bank (0.5ha) and University of Ibadan Teaching and Research Farm respectively.


NACGRAB/RMRDC

Collaborative project on the Domestication of Shea tree: The project involved collection and raising of accessions of Shea tree germplasms from five pilot states – Oyo, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Benue – and training of Shea tree farmers on seed management for plantation establishment. About 10 shea farmers from the five selected states attended the training and they were given healthy seeds to establish them in their farms.

NACGRAB/FUNAAB

Collaboration titled, “Monitoring Viability and Genetic Integrity of Stored Seeds at NACGRAB Gene Bank”: Losses of seed physiological quality in terms of seed viability are major issues limiting the capacity of the NACGRAB gene bank to deliver efficient services to the agricultural seed industry. To ensure the maintenance of viable germplasm resources, there is need for frequent resource and labour intensive, as well as seed stock depleting seed germination tests. This task may also be impossible for all accessions in storage for any given year. This collaboration seeks to propose the use of viability prediction models to establish decision support tools for the NACGRAB gene bank. The first phase of the project is seed multiplication of some accessions of rice, African yam bean, tomato and melon.


NACGRAB/UI/NRCRI/FUNNAB/RTEP/NAQS

Collaboration on CARGS project titled” Sweetpotatogermplasm technologies: assemblage, assessment and multi-site banking. One hundred and sixty- one accessions collected throughout Nigeria were successfully regenerated and characterized in the NACGRAB Experimental Plot. The materials showed genetic diversity in vegetative and root characters studied. Traits considered include internode length, mature leaf size, number of lobes/leaf, petiole length, root shape, skin colour ,fleshcolour, skin colour and marketable yield. Nine accessions were observed to be orange flesh and there is need for further evaluation of these lines. The harvested roots have been sent to the Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan and Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, University of Ibadan for nutritional analysis and sensory evaluation respectively. As part of the objectives of the project, duplicate samples of the collection are being maintained at the University of Ibadan Farm at Ile-Ogbo, Osun State and Research Farm of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.


NACGRAB/OAU/EMBRAPA

Brazil collaboration “Comprehensive Molecular Genetics Characterization among West Africa and Brazil Locally Adapted Poultry Breeds: Creation of a Basis for Gerplasm Exchange”. The collaboration was principally sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank and EMBRAPA, Brazil and anchored by the Africa-Brazil-Latin America and Caribbeans (LAC) Agricultural Innovation Marketplace, Brazil.ProfessorO.G. OmitogunfromObafemiAwolowo University (OAU) alongside with AGR unit of the Centre developed a proposal in one of the thematic areas-“Productive Enhancing Technologies”. The Objectives of the project is to generate data from nuclear and mitochondrial genomes from Nigeria locally adapted chicken in order to compare with current Brazilian database. Application of the merging procedure approach (meta-analysis) will be employed as well as direct DNA sequences comparisons to allow an evaluation of genetic diversity among at least ten Nigeria and Brazilian chicken breeds/genetic groups. As a result, both National programs will facilitate easy assessment of their chicken populations and plan in situ and ex situ conservation activities. It will also enhance future gerplasm exchange programs between West Africa and Brazil, thus improving and alleviating poverty. In addition, the achievement of the project will promote the Global Genetic Characterization recognized by Global Plan of Action from FAO for Animal Genetic Resources.


NACGRAB/ FUNAAB

Collaboration project titled, “Monitoring viability and genetic integrity of stored seeds at NACGRAB Gene bank “. Depreciation in viability of conserved seeds is a major constraint in gene bank management. The collaboration seeks to develop the use of prediction empirical models to establish decision tools for NACGRAB   Gene bank. Selected accessions of Kenaf, African yam bean, Rice and Melon       were successfully regenerated