The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) has resuscitated her monthly seminars. The seminar was suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown as well as industrial dispute between research institutes, labour unions and Government. The seminars kicked off on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at Lawrence Opeke Hall of the Institute. The second seminar was held on Monday September 11, 2023. The August seminar featured two presenters: Dr. T.E. Ogunjobi, Assistant Director and Head, Information and Documentation Department and Dr B.A. Ogundeji, Principal Research Officer. Dr. Ogunjobi presented on the roles of information and documentation in the enhancement of CRIN visibility and successful research output. She listed some of the visibility and research tools that are available in CRIN which includes: Institute website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Internet, Teeal and Research for Life. She encouraged all scientists and entire CRIN staff to make use of available visibility and research tools as this will move the Institute forward. Dr B.A. Ogundeji, spoke on metabolic profile of fungi associated with stored cocoa beans and varieties in Nigeria. He emphasized that despite the economic importance of cocoa beans to the world, fungal infections and mycotoxin contamination often rendered them unsafe for human consumption hence, there is need to determine the stages and conditions for production of toxic fungal metabolites in stored cocoa beans varieties.
Also, September seminar featured two presenters: Dr. C.I. Iloyanomon and Dr. S.B. Rahman.
Dr. C.I. Iloyanomon spoke on growth and early field establishment of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) as influenced by organic and phosphate fertilizers in Ibadan and Owena. In her results presentation, she discovered that sole or combined Chromolaena odorata, cocoa and kola pod husks at 10 kgNha-1 and rock phosphate at 16 kgPha-1 were as effective as NPK and SSP and they improved growth and early field establishment of cocoa in Ibadan and Owena, Nigeria.
Dr. S.B. Rahman presented on training needs of agriculture lecturers for information and communication technology skills enhancement in public universities in Southwestern, Nigeria. He discovered training gaps in skill enhancement for software skills, simple web design, online teaching and learning. Therefore, he recommended training programs to enhance skills of agricultural lecturers in public universities in the study area. Also, he urged university management to provide adequate ICT tools to enable lecturers fully utilize ICT tools in their teaching and research.
