Maize varietal replacement in Eastern and Southern Africa: Bottlenecks, drivers and strategies for improvement

Chivasa, Walter; Worku, Mosisa; Teklewold, Adefris; Setimela, P.S.; Gethi, J.; Magorokosho, Cosmos; Davis, Nicholas J.; Prasanna, Boddupalli M.

doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100589

Cited by 29 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Given the success of breeding for improved yield and stress tolerance, these issues need to be addressed to reduce the yield gaps. Poor varietal turnover is common in East Africa and remains a major bottleneck in improving crop yields (Abate et al, 2017;Atlin et al, 2017;Lee, 2020;Chivasa et al, 2022). Varietal turnover appears to be better in Uganda compared to other East African countries; the area-weighted average age of maize varieties in Uganda is about 7.7 years compared to an average age of 10.2 years across ESA (Chivasa et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Poor varietal turnover is common in East Africa and remains a major bottleneck in improving crop yields (Abate et al, 2017;Atlin et al, 2017;Lee, 2020;Chivasa et al, 2022). Varietal turnover appears to be better in Uganda compared to other East African countries; the area-weighted average age of maize varieties in Uganda is about 7.7 years compared to an average age of 10.2 years across ESA (Chivasa et al, 2022). Improved agronomic practices including timely planting, fertilizer application, and weed management have the potential to further improve maize productivity in Uganda, together with improved genetics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic trends for yield and key agronomic traits in pre-commercial and commercial maize varieties between 2008 and 2020 in Uganda

et al. 2023

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Estimating genetic gains is vital to optimize breeding programs for increased efficiency. Genetic gains should translate into productivity gains if returns to investments in breeding and impact are to be realized. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic gain for grain yield and key agronomic traits in pre-commercial and commercial maize varieties from public and private breeding programs tested in (i) national performance trials (NPT), (ii) era trial and, (iii) compare the trends with the national average. The study used (i) historical NPT data on 419 improved maize varieties evaluated in 23 trials at 6-8 locations each between 2008 and 2020, and (ii) data from an era trial of 54 maize hybrids released between 1999 and 2020. The NPT data was first analyzed using a mixed model and resulting estimate for each entry was regressed onto its first year of testing. Analysis was done over all entries, only entries from National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), or private seed companies. Estimated genetic gain was 2.25% or 81 kg ha-1 year-1 from the NPT analysis. A comparison of genetic trends by source indicated that CIMMYT entries had a gain of 1.98% year-1 or 106 kg ha-1 year-1. In contrast, NARO and private sector maize entries recorded genetic gains of 1.30% year-1 (59 kg ha-1 year-1) and 1.71% year-1 (79 kg ha-1 year-1), respectively. Varieties from NARO and private sector showed comparable mean yields of 4.56 t ha-1 and 4.62 t ha-1, respectively, while hybrids from CIMMYT had a mean of 5.37 t ha-1. Era analysis indicated significant genetic gain of 1.69% year-1 or 55 kg ha-1 year-1, while a significant national productivity gain of 1.48% year-1 (37 kg ha-1 year-1) was obtained. The study, thus, demonstrated the importance of public-private partnerships in development and delivery of new genetics to farmers in Uganda.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic trends for yield and key agronomic traits in pre-commercial and commercial maize varieties between 2008 and 2020 in Uganda

et al. 2023

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“…Advances in molecular and systems biology provided new opportunities to accelerate the maize improvement progress in SSA ( Wossen et al, 2017 ). As a result, the adoption of improved maize varieties tolerant to drought and other stresses has increased across the region ( Chivasa et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Breeding For Maize Drought Tolerance In Ssamentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving drought tolerance in maize: Tools and techniques

McMillen

Mahama²,

Sibiya³

et al. 2022

Front. Genet.

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Drought is an important constraint to agricultural productivity worldwide and is expected to worsen with climate change. To assist farmers, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), to adapt to climate change, continuous generation of stress-tolerant and farmer-preferred crop varieties, and their adoption by farmers, is critical to curb food insecurity. Maize is the most widely grown staple crop in SSA and plays a significant role in food security. The aim of this review is to present an overview of a broad range of tools and techniques used to improve drought tolerance in maize. We also present a summary of progress in breeding for maize drought tolerance, while incorporating research findings from disciplines such as physiology, molecular biology, and systems modeling. The review is expected to complement existing knowledge about breeding maize for climate resilience. Collaborative maize drought tolerance breeding projects in SSA emphasize the value of public-private partnerships in increasing access to genomic techniques and useful transgenes. To sustain the impact of maize drought tolerance projects in SSA, there must be complementary efforts to train the next generation of plant breeders and crop scientists.

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“…Three-way cross hybrids are common in SSA, even if yields are lower since the cost of goods sold (COGS) is lower due to the higher seed yield of single cross females compared with inbred lines. Technologies to reduce both COGS and the complexity of producing high-quality hybrids would offer smaller seed companies greater opportunities to provide new hybrids to smallholder farmers 11 . Seed production technology (SPT) is a process previously used by Corteva Agriscience to produce commercial hybrid maize seeds in the United States.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating male sterility increases hybrid maize yield in low input African farming systems

Collinson

Hamadziripi²,

Ndegwa

et al. 2022

Commun Biol

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Maize is a staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa, but yields remain sub-optimal. Improved breeding and seed systems are vital to increase productivity. We describe a hybrid seed production technology that will benefit seed companies and farmers. This technology improves efficiency and integrity of seed production by removing the need for detasseling. The resulting hybrids segregate 1:1 for pollen production, conserving resources for grain production and conferring a 200 kg ha−1 benefit across a range of yield levels. This represents a 10% increase for farmers operating at national average yield levels in sub-Saharan Africa. The yield benefit provided by fifty-percent non-pollen producing hybrids is the first example of a single gene technology in maize conferring a yield increase of this magnitude under low-input smallholder farmer conditions and across an array of hybrid backgrounds. Benefits to seed companies will provide incentives to improve smallholder farmer access to higher quality seed. Demonstrated farmer preference for these hybrids will help drive their adoption.

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Maize varietal replacement in Eastern and Southern Africa: Bottlenecks, drivers and strategies for improvement

Cited by 29 publications

References 42 publications

Genetic trends for yield and key agronomic traits in pre-commercial and commercial maize varieties between 2008 and 2020 in Uganda

Genetic trends for yield and key agronomic traits in pre-commercial and commercial maize varieties between 2008 and 2020 in Uganda

Improving drought tolerance in maize: Tools and techniques

Incorporating male sterility increases hybrid maize yield in low input African farming systems

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