Dr. Matilda Ntowaa Bissah

Senior Research Scientist

Dr. Matilda Bissah is a plant breeder and currently, the Head of the Plant Genetic Diversity Division of the CSIR-PGRRI. She obtained a PhD in plant breeding from the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana in 2017. She also holds B.Sc (Botany) and MPhil (Plant Physiology) degrees from the same University. Dr. Bissah was appointed as a research scientist at the CSIR-PGRRI in 2007. Following her appointment, she was assigned with the responsibility of starting an in vitro germplasm conservation programme at the CSIR-PGRRI. As the pioneer in vitro specialist at the Ghana National Genebank, she successfully developed micro-propagation protocols for the mass propagation of crops including plantain, pineapple, princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) and nibima (Cryptolepis sanguinolenta). As the in vitro genebank curator, she also maintained and distributed the national collections of root and tuber crops including cassava, yam, cocoyam, sweet potato, taro and Frafra potato. Dr. Bissah is a fellow of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). She has participated in several plant genetic resources (PGR) conservation and use training programmes in the Netherlands, Nigeria, France, Brazil, Benin, India and Kenya and has a wealth of knowledge in PGR management. Her current research as a plant breeder with special interest in rice includes elucidating the diversity in rice germplasm to understand the variability in agronomic and phenotypic traits of importance for rice improvement.

Publications

  • Bissah Matilda Ntowa, Bimpong Isaac Kofi, Amoah Nana Abeka Kofi (2020). Comparative analysis of rice genotypes for tolerance to salt stress at the seedling stage Journal of Genetics, Genomics and Plant Breeding 4(3):147-156. D. A. Kotey, J. Siamey, K. F. Egbadzor and M. N. Bissah (2020). Towards the identification of new sources of resistance to stem borer pests of maize in Ghana: Preliminary findings and matters arising. Ghana Journal of forestry Research, 36(1): 22-33

  • Bissah, M. N., Tetteh, R., Darko, R. and Osei-Kofi, P. S. (2019). Viability of genebank Oryza species conserved at -20 o C for different durations. Ghana Journal of Science, 18(2)63-67

  • Bissah, M. N. A. Osei-Bonsu, L. Arhin, E. Ando-Mensah, D. Appiah-Kubi, G. Osei-Diko, G. Gyamfua and M. D. Quain (2020). Establishment of protocol for embryo culture and acclimatization of cocus nucifera (L.) cv: West African Tall. Ghana Journal of forestry Research, 35:1-5

  • Bissah, M. N. (2017). Preliminary studies on the establishment and multiplication of Anti- malarial plant –Cryptolepis sanguinolenta Journal of the Ghana Science Association 17 (2); 52- 59

  • Adu-Gyamfi P. K. K., Michael Barnor, Abu Mustapha Dadzie, Samuel T Lowor, Stephen Y. Opoku, K. Opoku-Ameyaw, Matilda Bissah, Francis K Padi (2011). Somatic embryogenesis from immature cotyledon explants of Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa G.). Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology

  • Gordon, C., Linstead, B., Moss, B., Ansah-Asare, O., Annang, T., Leah, R., Kyeremanteng, R., Owusu, E. H., Maltby, E., Bissah, M. and Ampomah, B. (2012). Tool kit for the Sustainable Management of Ghana’s Riverine Biodiversity: An Overview. West Africa Journal of applied Ecology, 20(3): 11-33.

  • Bissah, M., E. Acheampong and S. O. Bennett-Lartey (2009). Effect of BAP on shoot proliferation of in vitro cultured pineapple (Ananas comosus). Journal of the Ghana Science Association. Vol. 11(2):

Book Chapter

  • Maxwell Asante Darko, Francis Osei Amoako-Andoh, Valentin Stanislas Edgar Traore, Matilda Ntowa Bissah and Joshua N. Cobbs (2019). Marker Assisted Breeding for Improving the Cooking and Eating Quality of Rice. In: Qureshi, A. M. I. et al. (Eds.) Quality breeding in Field Crops. Chapter 2. Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04609- 5_2

  • Bissah M. N., Kotey, D. A., Asante, M. D., Korle, N. and Agbenyagah, B. (2019). Catalogue of some rice genetic resources in Ghana.

Newsletter Article

  • Bissah, M. N. and Kotey, D. A. (2020). Plant Genetic Resources for Resilience Nutrition and Food security. August, 2020 Pp13-15.

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