OUR FELLOWS
Priscilla Adofo Boateng’s heart was set on studying pharmacy, but a lecturer during her undergraduate program inspired her to pursue a career in agriculture. “She talked about how much we can do by using biotechnology tools to improve crops, and I was intrigued,” Boateng recalls.
Boateng embraced the opportunities biotechnology offers to reduce the effects of plant diseases and improve outputs. While concentrating on cassava mosaic-free planting material during her master’s studies, she is now focusing on breeding maize that tolerates low nitrogen levels in the soil. Her doctoral research is supported by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa with a scholarship at the West African Center for Crop Improvement at the University of Ghana, Legon.
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Farmers need to fertilize their maize in March, or by April at the latest, but the government’s subsidy for fertilizer doesn’t reach them until June most years—which is way too late—and the fertilizer is still quite expensive, particularly for women farmers,” Boateng explains. “When I received the news about my PhD scholarship, I was so happy that finally, I will be able to help farmers with this fertilizer problem.
Field of Research
Breeding of maize hybrids tolerant to low-nitrogen soil conditions.