by PressGM Chinese vigna is not afraid of pod borer
GM Chinese vigna has emerged in Ghana
The Ghanaian government has approved the first GM crop for commercial cultivation — Chinese vigna, also known as cowpea.
The GM crop is resistant to a common pest, the pod borer or Maruca vitrata. This moth destroys legume and soybean crops and is a major cause of crop loss. Farmers in Ghana regularly control pod borer infestations, but their efforts are often ineffective. Some farmers report that the pest can destroy up to 30% of their crops, leading to major losses and the abandonment of legume crops.
Scientists at the Savannah Institute have been working to develop a new GMO variety. Jerry Nboyin led the team. They focused on creating a legume variety that would not attract the pod borer. This became the main objective of the research.
Reasons for breeding the new variety
A single pod borer larva can destroy up to four plants before it develops into an adult. Nboyin says his team has tested several varieties of vigna for resistance to this parasite. Unfortunately, none of them can resist the moth. The only way out is to develop a genetically modified variety of the plant. Only then can farmers protect their plots and reduce production losses.
To create the variety, scientists followed the following algorithm:
— the basis for the development was the Bt corn hybrid bred back in the 1980s;
— the scientists were interested in the Cry1A corn gene;
— an isolated gene was integrated into the most common Ghanaian vigna varieties.
This approach improved the performance of traditional cowpea varieties. The scientists claim that the GM variety will:
— double the average yield of Chinese vigna to 20 bags per hectare;
— reduce the number of pest sprays from eight to two times per season.
Scientists have already conducted extensive research on the variety and claim it is safe for humans. In terms of taste and nutritional properties, the GM crop is no different from traditional cowpeas.
Public reaction
Despite the benefits of the GMO variety, its use is controversial in Ghana. Civil society organisations are taking the government to court to challenge its approval. One such case lasted nine years and ended in May 2024. The court then upheld the legality of imported GM seeds. Experts say there are no financial benefits to using such varieties. However, there are no studies on the long-term effects of GMOs on human health. In addition, the use of modified varieties could have a negative impact on Ghana’s biodiversity.