Lowland Tropical Maize Subprogram: annual research report 2003

Abstract

2003 was a good year and last of the former maize program. The research activities in the tropical lowland subprogram had a good support from the program director. Dedication of the staff always striving for excellence, allowed us to develop new products that will allow national programs and private seed industry to put in the hands of all type of farmers planting maize in the tropical mega-environment, maize cultivars that possess yield stability and buffer capacity to absorb the many constraints of maize production, resulting from the changing climate and environment. Our efforts of contributing to increase food security and alleviate malnutrition in the developing world, received a tremendous retribution when three new countries released QPM cultivars in the developing world. India and Nicaragua released new QPM hybrids and varieties and seed production has started. In 2003 we planted 23 different types of trials in nine locations: three in Mexico, Cotaxtla, Veracruz, Agua Fria, Puebla and Edzna, Campeche; three in Guatemala, Las Vegas, Cuyuta, and Monjas; one in Turipana, Colombia; one in Bihar, India and Harare, Zimbabwe. Few trials were planted in Panama. International trials were shipped to 42 countries. Results are really exciting with yields up to 13 t/ha at Monjas, Guatemala in single cross hybrids and 13 t/ha at Bihar, India. Our hybrids also performed well under stressed and non-stressed environments, seven new TWC tropical white hybrids QPM outyielded seed industry with 30 to 50% more yield. Under drought prone environments the superior QPM hybrids yielded 4. 7 t/ha and Pioneer P3086 hybrid yielded 1.8 t/ha. Normal and QPM synthetic varieties were extensively tested in marginal environments in Latin America and Asia. New QPM synthetics yielded 5 t/ha across 10 locations, 12% more yield than the best QPM varieties and similar to the best normal hybrid check, information provided bases for release of new open pollinated varieties in 2003 in Indonesia. Two synthetics were approved for release in drought prone environments, the best QPM synthetic yielded 3.0 t/ha and showed resistance to ear rot while the normal hybrid check suffered high incidence of ear rot and yielded only 1.4 t/ha clean yield. In this report we made a recommendation focused on how the new products developed can effectively be used to contribute to increase maize productivity in the developing world once the germplasm is adopted by farmers. Fortunately, in 2003 our budget was not reduced as predicted and we recovered our third testing site in Campeche, Mexico. In 2003 two of our best young scientists in the Maize Program Matthew Krakowsky and Slobodan Trifunovic resigned and went to work with USDA and Monsanto Seed Company, they were offered a more brilliant future than CIMMYT. The tropical lowland maize subprogram staff appreciates all the support received from other sub programs and units and Maize Direction. The Maize Program showed a solid integration with Entomology, Pathology, Physiology, Bank-Pre-breeding, Training, International Testing Unit, Highland and Subtropical subprograms. We are grateful to CIMMYT Maize Outreach in Eastern and Southern Africa, South America, India and Nepal for conducting our trials. We are also grateful to Cristiani Burcard and PROSEMILLAS in Guatemala and Messina Beej Co. in India and Pioneer in Mexico for their support in conducting trials at their experimental sites. We also are grateful to Mario Fuentes, Carlos Perez, Sergio Mejia, Mauro Sierra, Roman Gordon, Ismael Camargo and Dr. N.N. Singh, Project Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, for the assistance in conducting trials at their respective stations. We encourage maize scientists in outreach to read this report carefully because it contains recommendations that can be useful for your region and to test the superior germplasm under the production system of farmers planting maize in the developing world. In September 2003 the maize program experienced an external review by a highly qualified team of expert maize breeders from US universities and seed industry, IITA and national programs, tropical lowland maize subprogram in particular and the maize program in general received high marks for the achievements and well oriented strategies to enhance poor farmer's livelihood.