Dr. Daniel Kwadjo Dzidzienyo
PhD, Molecular Biology, Nottingham
Deputy Director, Administration, Teaching and Learning (ATL)
Deputy Centre Leader, WACCI - ACE Project
Senior Lecturer, Biotechnology Centre
University of Ghana
Profile Grant-Funded Research Research & Teaching Publications
Research Interest
Research interest includes the applications of innovative techniques for the genetic improvement of crop plants and the use of modern molecular techniques for improving the quality of staple crops particularly root and tuber crops for food and nutrition security in Africa.
Teaching Experience
Post-graduate level:
2020 - date |
WACI 719 |
Plant Molecular Biology |
2020 - date |
WACI 708 |
Plant Cell Tissue Culture |
2000 - date |
CROP 615 |
Plant Tissue Culture |
2000 (date) |
CROP 703 |
Plant Cell and Tissue Culture |
2017 - date |
WACI 608 |
Seed Trade, Policies and regulations |
2017 - date |
CROP 704 |
Laboratory Instrumentation |
2016 - date |
CROP 630 |
Molecular Plant Pathology |
2015 - date |
WACI 607 |
Crop Improvement and Biotechnology |
2013 - date |
CROP 616 |
Principles of Gene Manipulation |
2013 - 2019 |
WACI 703 |
Biotechnology in Plant Breeding |
2013 - 2015 |
CROP 613 |
Molecular Genetics |
Undergraduate level:
2013 - date |
CROP 413 |
Molecular Biology |
2013 - date |
AGRC 312 |
Principles of Biotechnology |
Undergraduate level:
2015 - 2019 | HORT 021 | Crop Improvement |
Curriculum Development/Review
- Involved in the development of curriculum in Biotechnology and Biosafety which are yet to be launched at the Biotechnology Centre.
- Involved in the development of WACCI’s innovative curriculum in MPhil Seed Science and Technology which was launched in 2015.
- Involved in the revision of the MPhil Plant Breeding and Genetics curriculum at the Department of Crop Science and the WACCI PhD Plant Breeding curriculum.
- WACCI recently (2018) obtained international accreditation for its PhD and MPhil programmes from the Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes (AQAS), Germany, and I have been involved in preparing documents including the self evaluation report (SER) for the WACCI programmes for the accreditation process.
- Led a team from the University of Ghana to create awareness on Biotechnology among selected stakeholders (farmers, extension officers, opinion leaders, chiefs and media personnel) in three selected districts, i.e. Lawra, Walewale and Bawku in Northern Ghana under the USAID-Feed the Future (FtF) project awarded to the School of Agriculture including WACCI and Biotechnology Centre.
- Involved in facilitating the training of Farmers and Extension Agents in Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso under the WACCI Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) project.
- Involved in organising farmer field schools and open days for farmers under the AU-EU project.
- Part of the team from the University of Ghana that organized “Food Security Summer Training” programme for college students from the Monmouth College, USA, held at WACCI, UG.
- Part of a team from the University of Ghana working with collaborators at the Iowa State University, to develop Instructor Guides and Applied Learning Activities (ALAs) for the courses under the Plant Breeding e-learning in Africa (PBEA) project. https://pbea.agron.iastate.edu/
GRADUATE STUDENT THESIS COMMITTEE MEMBER
PhD Thesis Supervision Committees
NAME | TITLE | YEAR OF COMPLETION |
Diallo Chiaka | Genetic Analysis of Grain Yield and Related Traits in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Under Phosphorus Deficient Field Conditions in Southern Mali | 2017 |
Dieni Zakaria | Genetic Analysis of Resistance of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) to Alectra vogelii Benth. In Burkina Faso | 2017 |
Bathe Diop | Genetic Characterization of Tolerance to Ferrous Iron Toxicity in West African Rice Cultivars | 2017 |
Kayondo Siraj Ismail | Genetic Analysis and Selection Strategies for Improvement of Farmer Preferred Traits in Cassava | 2017 |
Akaogu Ijeoma Chinyere | Genetic Analysis of Drought Tolerant Early Maturing White Maize (Zea mays L.) Inbreds with Striga Resistance Genes from Zea diploperennis | 2017 |
Kumba Yannah Karim | Genetic Analysis for the High Starch, Dry Matter Content and Storage Root Yield in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) | 2017 |
Ousmane Seyni Diakite | Breeding Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] for High Quality Stover for Niger | 2018 |
Saba Baba Mohammed | Genetic Improvement of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) for Phosphorus Use Efficiency | 2018 |
Essohouna Modom Banla | Characterization of Cultivated Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and Genetic Analysis of Late Leaf Spot Resistance in Togo | 2018 |
Gmakouba Tighankoumi | Genetic Improvement of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) for Cassava Mosaic Disease Resistance in Togo | 2019 |
Bassirou Sani Boubacar Gaoh | Genetic Studies on Grain Iron and Zinc concentration and Agronomic Traits in West African Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] Germplasm | 2019 |
Asare Kwabena Bediako | Genetic Improvement of Locally Adapted Groundnut Varieties for Resistance to Pre-Harvest Aflatoxin Contamination in Ghana | 2019 |
Vangahun Juliana Mariama | Genetic Studies of Salinity Tolerance of Mangrove Rice Varieties in Sierra Leone | 2019 |
Sikiru Adeniyi Atanda | Development of Efficient Protocols for Training Population Design and Resource Allocation for Genomic Selection in Cimmyt Tropical Maize Breeding Programme | 2021 |
Uchendu Ugochukwu Kelechi | Genome-Wide Association Mapping and Stability Analysis of Root Mealiness in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) | 2021 |
Aboagye Benjamin Danso | Breeding for resistance against Cercospora Leaf Spots Disease in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) | 2022 |
Okwu Queen Udodirim | Genomic selection for cassava starch quality | 2022 |
Wembabazi Enoch | Genetic Analysis of Texture and Related Properties of Cassava Storage Roots | 2023 |
Abah Simon Peter | Optimizing Genetic Gain of Cassava Breeding Cycle for Storage Root System Traits Using High Throughput Screening Systems | 2023 |
Mbe Joseph Okpani | Genomic Studies for Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cassava (Manihot esculanta Crantz) | 2023 |
Mrema Emmanuel Frank | Breeding for Resistance to Cassava Brown Streak Disease | 2023 |
Abiodun Olayinka | Genetics of Plant Architecture and Effect on Yield, Yield-Related Traits and Carotenoid Content in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) | 2024* |
Solomon Otu Ayeboafo | Development of Cassava Mosaic Disease Resistance varieties through mutation induction and genetic transformation | 2024* |
Abincha Wilfred Magangi | Breeding for Pro-vitamin A carotenoids cassava in Kenya | 2025* |
Opuni Muhammed | Genome wide association studies of nitrogen use efficiency and yield related traits in rice landraces and wild relatives | 2025* |
Omotola Dorcas Olaoye | Genetic studies of cassava product quality traits | 2026* |
Joseph Pascal Sene |
Genetic improvement of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench] for post flowering drought tolerance |
2026* |
*Expected year of graduation
GRADUATE STUDENT THESIS- SUPERVISOR
MPhil Thesis Supervision Committees
NAME | TITLE | YEAR OF COMPLETION |
Benjamin Aboagye Danso | Introgression of Cowpea Aphid resistance gne into susceptible cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) (L.) Walp) Cultivars Through Marker Assisted Backcrosses | 2016 |
Iddrisu Baba Adam | Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Sorghum (Sorghum biocolor (L.) Moench) Cultivars in the Northern Ghana | 2016 |
Amihere Kwame Blay Nwaleh | The Role of Quality Seed in Rice Production – A case study of the Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme | 2018 |
Gariba Yakubu Samuel | Assessment of Four Plant Extracts as Mazie Seed Storage Protectants Against Sitophilus zeamais and Prostephanus truncatus in Ghana | 2018 |
Mariama Hamidu | Effect of Seed Extraction Methods and Seed Storage Conditions on the Quality of Garden Egg (Solanum aethiopicum) Seeds | 2018 |
Kwakyewaa Nuako | Priming of Rice Seeds for Improvement in Germination and Adaptation to Drought Stress | 2019 |
Tsamenyi Harrison | Evaluation of F2 Populations of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) Genotypes for Drought Tolerance and High Yield | 2019 |
Johnson Antwi Adom | Assessment of the Quality of Marketed Certified Vegetable Seeds in Original Package and those Repackaged at Retailers’ end in the Ashanti Region of Ghana | 2019 |
Koomson Isaac Appiah-Asare | The Groundnut Seed System and Adoption of Improved Varieties in Northern Ghana | 2021 |
Joyce Kobia | Effects of Post-Emergence Herbicides on Seed Quality and Yield-Related Traits of Maize Inbred Lines | 2021 |
Hounnou Amele Aurore | Effect of the storability of Traditional African Vegetables (TAV) on seed quality in West Africa | 2024* |
Konadu Jonathan Attah | Isolation and molecular characterization of Aspergilus niger and Aspergillus flavus in store maize (Obatanpa and Pannar maize) in Ghana | 2024* |
Francis Mirara |
Effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and silicon in the management of Rice blast Disease Magnaporthe oryzae on Rice in Kenya |
2025* |
Jessica Naa Offeibea Dodoo | The effects of seed priming and storage environments on seed germination and seedling establishment of Cleome gynandra L | 2026* |
Samuel Wristberg | Assessment of some seed quality parameters of retailed maize and soyabean seeds after certification in the five northern regions of Ghana | 2026* |
*Expected year of graduation
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH SUPERVISOR
NAME | TITLE | YEAR OF COMPLETION |
George Nii O. Sackey | Morphological and Molecular Characterization of some Rice Accessions using SSR Markers | 2015 |
Ocloo Edem | Screening of some Cassava Germplasms for Cassava Mosaic Disease | 2015 |
Sey Dominic Kobina | Phenotypic and Molecular Screening of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Germplasm for Resistant to Cassava Bacterial Light | 2016 |
Ofoe Rapheal | Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Xanthomonas campestris infecting Mango Ghana | 2016 |
Obirih-Opareh Jennifer | Developing High Nodulating Bacteria for Soyabean (Glycine max (L.) merr) using Transposons Mutagenesis | 2016 |
Mercy Korkor Azanu | Molecular Screening of some Tomato Accessions for Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Disease (TYLCD) Resistance Gene | 2017 |
Galley Christopher | Molecular Characterization of Selected Maize Hybrids in Ghana using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers | 2017 |
Abbey Abraham Anartey | Molecular Identification of Xanthomonas campestris pv. Mangiferae indica and Evaluation of Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Germplasms for Resistance to the Bacterium in the Coastal Savanna Zone of Ghana | 2017 |
Lawrence Afenyi Arhin | Genetic Diversity of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Using SSR Marker | 2017 |
Asare Benedict Tetteh | Molecular Characterization of Maize Inbred Lines for Resistance to Maize Streak Virus Disease | 2019 |
Basakeng Baayor Peter | Agro-morphological Characterization of some Biofortified Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Accessions | 2023 |
Asare Joseph Osei | Evaluation of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Genotypes for Yield and Morphological Traits | 2023 |