{"id":18159,"date":"2026-06-20T13:02:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T13:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/iita-researchers-and-breeders-gain-insight-into-gpr-technology\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:52:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T16:52:36","slug":"iita-researchers-and-breeders-gain-insight-into-gpr-technology","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/iita-researchers-and-breeders-gain-insight-into-gpr-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"IITA researchers and breeders gain insight into GPR technology"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_32953\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32953\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32953 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Prof.-Amal-El-Ghazaly.png\" alt=\"Prof. Amal El-Ghazaly during the training with IITA researchers. (Photo: Rashid Hadi\/IITA)\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32953\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prof. Amal El-Ghazaly during the training with IITA researchers. (Photo: Rashid Hadi\/IITA)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enhancing efforts in developing agricultural technologies is key to revolutionizing the agriculture sector. Such innovations can significantly reduce losses caused by plant diseases and empower smallholder farmers to make informed decisions throughout the production process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prof. Amal El-Ghazaly from Cornell University delivered a powerful seminar and valuable insights to the <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\">IITA<\/a>\u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgiar.org\/\">CGIAR<\/a> breeders and scientists on \u201cSensing underground crops to understand the interdependence of food, agriculture, and climate.\u201d\u00a0 She introduced ground penetrating radar (GPR), an innovative technology for monitoring underground crop growth at all stages. This technology will help boost Cassava productivity and ensure food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While introducing this technology to participants, she noted, \u201cI am sure you all wonder how exactly you see what is in the ground. How do you monitor a crop that is growing underneath the soil surface?\u00a0And ideally, can we do that without destroying or uprooting the crop?\u00a0There are many ways to detect properties in the soil,\u00a0and they are used in different contexts based on their environment.\u00a0But what we use is what is called ground-penetrating radar (GPR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_32954\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32954\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32954 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/The-importance-of-GPR-technology-to-participants.png\" alt=\"Prof. Amal El-Ghazaly explaining the importance of GPR technology to participants. (Photo: Rashid Hadi\/IITA) \" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32954\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prof. Amal El-Ghazaly explaining the importance of GPR technology to participants. (Photo: Rashid Hadi\/IITA)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, Prof. El-Ghazaly has been working closely with the Cassava breeding program, and this crop was used as a test. She engaged with the IITA cassava breeding team to collect data in the field and showed its importance in enhancing food, agriculture, and nutrition security. More efforts are also invested in understanding the development of technologies\u00a0to help bananas, tubers, and roots since this technology can be used for many crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prof. El-Ghazaly, expressing his interest in choosing cassava over other crops, noted, \u201cCassava is a staple household crop, and every part of the plant is utilized. The leaves are commonly used as a food ingredient and can also serve as animal feed. The stems are used for replanting to grow new cassava plants. Cassava roots can be boiled or fried \u2014 we had it for breakfast on my first day here. Additionally, cassava starch is used in producing beverages, as a sweetener, and even for making alcohol.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Staff from IITA expressed their strong interest in technology and emphasized the importance of creating a scalable environment to extend its reach to a greater number of smallholder farmers. This includes raising awareness among agricultural stakeholders such as extension officers, farmers, and partners to ensure the effective dissemination and adoption of technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a need to use this technology in terms of sustainability. Hence, we can link our technologies for cassava, such as AKILIMO and Plant Village Nuru, into one platform to ensure many smallholder farmers benefit from these technologies,\u201d Mwantumu Omari, IITA Scaling Specialist, noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Contributed by Rashid Hadi<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enhancing efforts in developing agricultural technologies is key to revolutionizing the agriculture 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