Regional approach to developing and deploying stress tolerant maize in West and Central Africa

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d’agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

Regional approach to developing and deploying stress tolerant maize in West and Central Africa

S.O. Ajala


Most important maize stresses

• Drought

• Low and declining soil fertility

• Striga

• Stem borers


African Maize Stress (AMS) Project

“Developing and disseminating Stress tolerant maize for sustainable food security in West, Central and East Africa”


Development Objective

To increase food security and income generation of African farm families by increasing the productivity and sustainabilityof maize-based cropping systems subject to - drought,- low and declining soil fertility,- Striga and - maize stem borer attack


East Africa (CIMMYT)10 countries

West and Central Africa (IITA)11 (8 WECAMAN and 3

additional) countries


“This is one of the top threeprojects funded by the UNDP worldwide”

AMS I project endorsement


AMS II


Components of the new project

• Develop stress tolerant maize varieties and complementary crop management practices

• Strengthen NARs capacity to develop stress tolerant maize

• Initiate transfer of research outputs to farmers and promote linkages with development projects


Objective 1 Develop stress tolerant maize varieties and complementary crop management practices

• Exchange of stress tolerant germplasm• Development of stress tolerant germplasm• Increase screening efficiency• Development of complementary cropmanagement practices

• Conduct of farmer participatory breeding a approaches


Objective 2: Strengthen NARs capacity to develop stress tolerant maize

• Maintain key regional screening and testing sites

• Prepare/present short courses/workshops• Training - Visiting scientists• Offer hands-on experience in stress

breeding at key sites• Strengthen NARs institutional capacity to

sustain research/technology diffusion


Objective 3 : Transfer research outputs to farmers and promote linkages with development projects

• Adjudicate competitive grants to link research and development

• Assist in on-farm testing • Foster seed production• Predict technology impact and adoption

constraints• Prepare and disseminate publications


Action-plan to achieve objectives

- Strengthened WECAMAN

- Back-stop developed screening sites-Allocated resources to carry-out research and

development work

- Manpower development

- Designed and conducted joint research activities.


Strengthened WECAMAN

AMS II• Co-funded WECAMAN activities (Nippon Foundation and

USAID)• Organized and funded a Seed System Development Workshop• Supported Community Based Seed Production efforts• Co-hosting of WECAMAN Research Committee meeting in

Benin and Nigeria• Monitoring visits

AMS I• < 1997 , WECAMAN was for NGS ecology only• > 1997, network coverage is for all maize ecologies in WCA.


Strengthened WECAMAN – 2Call for proposals

STP 1 = Development of complementary crop management practices

STP 2 = Operational support to screening sites

STP 3 = Linking research to development (seed production and impact studies)

STP4 = On-farm trials of improved cultivars and management practices


Strengthened WECAMAN – 3

No of proposals selected for funding by AMS II in 2006

Country STP1* STP2 STP3 STP4 Total

Benin 1 1 1 3Burkina Faso 1 1 1 3Cameroon 1 1 2 4Cote d’Ivoire 1 1 2Ghana 1 1 2 4Guinea 1 1 2Mali 1 1 2Nigeria 1 2 3 6Senegal 1 1 1 3Chad 1 1 2Togo 1 1 2Total 6 12 15 33*Re-submit innovative proposals


Developed screening sites

Country Location Lat Long Alt(masl) Function

Senegal Nioro 13.667 -15.767 240 DroughtBurkina Vallee de Kou 11.110 - 4.333 430 DroughtNigeria Zaria 11.183 7.583 640 Low - NGhana Nyakpala 9.517 - 1.017 120 Low - NCameroon Garoua 9.333 13.383 240 StrigaBenin Ina 9.967 2.733 340 Striga


Allocated resources - 2

Country STP1 STP2 STP3 STP4 Total

Benin 7000 7000 6000 20000Burkina Faso 7000 7000 6000 20000Cameroon 7000 8000 12000 27000Cote d’Ivoire - 6000 6000 12000Ghana 7000 8000 12000 27000Guinea - 6000 6000 12000Mali - 6000 8000 14000Nigeria 7000 14000 14000 35000Senegal 7000 6000 6000 19000 Chad - 6000 6000 12000Togo - 6000 6000 12000Total - 42000 80000 88000 210000


Manpowerdevelopment

• Training (3)

• Visiting Scientists (3)

• Monitoring visits (3)

• Travelling workshop (1)

• Graduate students (4)

• Publications (>20)


Joint research activities

Drought = IITA, ISRA, INERA, IRAD(Menkir, Badu-Apraku, Kamara, Ndiaye, Sanou, The)

*Low - N = IITA, IAR, CRI/SARI, NCRI(Ajala, Kamara, Alabi, Ogunremi, Ennin, Abdullai)

Striga = IITA, INRAB, IRAD, NCRI(Menkir, Badu-Apraku, The, Yallou, Ogunremi)

*Stem borers = IITA, IAR&T, IRAD, CRI, UNILORIN, NCRI(Ajala, Olaoye, Aroga, The, Ogunremi)


Development and deployment of maize genotypes with resistance to stem borers


Stem borers in WC Africa

• Sesamia calamistis - Pink stem borer• Eldana sacharina - Sugarcane borer• Busseola fusca - African stem borer

Yield loss 20-70%


Resistance to stem borers

• Different borer species attack at different stages of development

• Resistance factors operating in the early stages of plant development may not necessarily be operating in later stages.


Screening methods

- Natural/hot spot

- ArtificialAt the appropriate stages of plant growth


Emphases

• Varieties with cross resistance

• Improving on levels of resistance

• Improving on selection efficiency

• Varietal deployment


Achievements

Development/improvement of 12

populations completed

- TZBR Comp 1 – W

- TZBR Comp 2 – W

- TZBR Comp 1 – Y

- TZBR Comp 2 - Y


Achievements - 2

- TZBR Eld 4 – W

- TZBR Eld 4 - Y

Formed by intermating selections from 10

populations and improving product through

a cycle of S1 selection


Achievements - 3

Improved through a cycle of recurrent selection

- Ama TZBR – W C3A

- Ama TZBR – W C3B

- BR 9922 DMRSR C2

- BR 9928 DMRSR C2

- BR 9943 DMRSR C2

- TZBR Eld 3 C5


Achievements - 4

Initiated conversion of three adapted populations

for resistance to stem borers

- Acr99 TZL Comp4 DMRSR

- DMRESR-W

- DMRESR-Y


Trait Mean Min Max Range CV(%)

Borer Rat (1-9) 4.2 2 7 5 22Stalk Break (%) 4.7 0 65.0 65.0 78Yield Inf (kg/ha) 0 864.7 2884.2 2884.2 64Yield Un (kg/ha) 1603.7 350.5 4271.2 3920.7 22

Primary data obtained from the evaluation of 200 S1 lines from Acr99 TZL Comp 4 DMRSR for conversion to stem borer

resistance in 2007


Varieties being used in on-farm trials

• Ghana - TZBR Eld 3

• Nigeria - Ama TZBR -WTZBR Eld 3BR 9928 DMRDRBR 9943 DMRSR

• Cameroon - BR 9922 DMRSRBR 9928 DMRSR

• Mali - TZBR Eld 3


Treatment Plant aspect (1-5)

Ear aspect (1-5)

Number of cobs

No of marketable cobs

Cassava + local maize (farmers practice)

4.3a*

4.5a

77b

47b

Cassava + Ama TZBR-W (farmers practice)

2.0b 2.3b 227a 192a

SED 0.4 0.4 21.5 20.8 *Means with same letter are not significantly different at P=0.05 Source: G. Olaoye (unpublished)

On-farm evaluation of Ama TZBR-W in 23 farmers fields in the second season of 2006 at Abia State, Nigeria


Stem borers - Summary

• New varieties developed

• Levels of resistance enhanced in existing varieties

• Conversion of adapted varieties for stem borer resistance, initiated

• Availability of stem borer resistant varieties announced and shipped to collaborators

• Funds provided for on-farm trials of varieties

• Plans underway to release two varieties in Nigeria


Development of low-N tolerant maize varieties


Savannas of WCA • Savannah is the most productive

environment for maize production

• Soils in the savannas are generally low in organic matter and available nitrogen

• Availability and use of fertilizer also limit maize productivity


Concern

Although,

Combined use of organic manure and nitrogen fixing cover crop can make a difference to maize production

However, there is the concern on

- declining levels of soil fertility

- high proportion of crop residue being fed to livestock, burned or consumed by termites


Therefore,

Maize genotypes with improved N-use efficiency (greater grain yield per unit available soil N) can increase productivity of maize based system

Especially,

In combination with technologies that improve soil fertility

- crop rotation- organic manure- judicious use of inorganic fertilizers.


Breeding methodology

• Screening of germplasm from diverse sources

• Generation of low-N tolerant populations

• Recurrent selection to improve on levels of N-tolerance in desirable populations

• Line development to generate inbreds tolerant to low soil-N


EntryGrain yield

LNStay

green 1Stay

green 2Ears

number ASIAcr 97 TZL Comp 1 2469 2.3 3.3 25 2.9TZL Comp 1-W C6 2343 2.3 3.6 25 3.6DT-SR-W C1 F2 2260 2.3 4.1 25 3.5LNTP-Y C5 2241 2.1 3.8 28 3.0DT SYN-1 W 2239 2.1 4.1 22 3.5TZPB Prol C3 2207 2.1 3.9 24 3.0

Mean 2053 2.4 3.9 24 3.0SED 210.2 0.3 0.4 1.9 0.4CV (%) 26.8 29.8 14.9 21.6 32.4

Performance of varieties with tolerance to other stresses identified under low-N (30 kg N/ha) in 2006


Entry Stay green Ear aspect Ear/plant Grain Yld LN Grain Yld HN65 4.5 3.0 0.46 725.35 1411.7392 5.5 3.5 0.47 815.97 1866.0750 5.5 3.5 0.45 633.55 1904.6810 4.5 3.5 0.40 677.34 1391.36138 5.0 4.0 0.45 819.11 1668.3948 5.5 4.0 0.46 772.62 1346.75144 4.5 4.0 0.52 728.53 1106.44166 4.5 3.5 0.53 867.85 743.48

Mean of selected 15 5.2 3.8 0.48 750.77 1365.35BR 9928 DMRSR 7 4.5 0.40 492.99 1611.12SED 1.59 1.12 0.15 254.78 536.08Sel Dif (%) -25.71 -15.56 19.01 52.29 -15.25

Performance of top 8 S1 lines from BR 9928 DMRSR evaluated for low-N tolerance in 2007


ENTRY Ear/plant Stay green Grain Yld LN Grain Yld HN18 0.54 8.0 233.87 982.588 0.33 8.5 262.59 965.653 0.28 9.0 160.02 1145.7619 0.44 9.0 233.87 975.7451 0.42 9.0 160.02 1108.16184 0.29 8.0 160.02 1487.5026 0.25 8.5 160.02 999.9544 0.34 9.0 336.44 947.8389 0.33 9.0 160.02 1419.68134 0.42 7.5 160.02 925.87

Mean of Selected 15 0.32 8.7 188.46 1130.18TZL Comp 1C6 0.19 7 160.02 1178.20SED 0.21 1.4 54.04 381.95Sel Diff (%) 68.88 24.3 17.78 -4.08

Performance of top 10 S1 lines from TZL Comp 1 C6evaluated for low-N tolerance in 2007


*RSI = Rank summation index

EntryGrain

yield LNGrain

yield HNDays to

silkStay green Ears/plant ASI RSI*

FS 55 2651 5240 62 4 0.7 -0.1 184FS 42 3258 3490 61 3 0.8 0.8 194FS 100 3242 3654 64 3 0.8 0.2 203FS 113 2477 3829 62 4 0.8 -0.6 205FS 14 2936 4044 64 4 0.9 0.9 213

Mean of 151 entries 2143 3754 65 5 0.8 1.3Mean of selected 15 2603.5 4068.5 62.9 4.0 0.8 0.2SED 561.5 1082.5 2.0 0.8 0.8 1.2Sel differential (%) 21.5 8.4 -3.7 -13.0 - -87.4

Performance of the top 5 entries from 151 FS families of LNTP-Y C5 selected under low (30 kg N/ha) and high (90 kg N/ha) in 2005


30N 90N

Entry

Grain yield

(kg/ha)

Days to

silk

Plant ht.

(cm)

Ear aspect(1-9) ASI

Grain yield

(kg/ha)Days to silk

Plant ht.

(cm)

Low N Pool C1 2376 66 173 4.3 3.0 3336 66 195

Low N Pool Y-C4 2677 64 185 3.8 2.6 3071 65 176

Low N Pool Y-C6 2915 63 173 3.8 2.9 3580 64 181

LNTP x LNP C1 2554 66 185 4.1 3.0 3609 63 198

LNTP x LNP C3 2900 65 181 3.9 2.3 3985 64 180

TZB-SR 1656 67 186 4.1 3.4 1828 67 184

Oba Super 2 3078 64 178 3.8 2.9 3102 65 191

S.E. 224.9 1.3 6.7 0.3 0.5 366.7 0.7 6.6

CV 32.7 3.4 9.9 20.8 38.5 29.7 2.8 9.8

VAR ** * ns ns ns ** ** *

Evaluation of cycles of selection from two low-N tolerant maize populations in Mokwa and Zaria in 2006


Treatment Grain yieldPlant population

Number of good cobs

1000 kernel weight

kgha-1 ha-1 ha-1 g

LNTP-W 1/2 fert 1,235 44,705 38,637 165

LNTP-W full fert 1,323 47,057 38,611 160

LNTP-Y 1/2 fert 1,236 46,267 40,191 159

LNTP-Y full fert 1,693 48,099 43,810 161

FARMER 1/2 rate 1,069 48,767 39,809 165

FARMER full rate 1,039 48,646 38,351 157

SE fert*var 158 2,564 2,567 7

Mean maize grain yield and some agronomic characteristics at six locations in the Guinea savannah zone of Ghana 2007

Source: Stella Ennin AMS Report 2007


Low-N - Summary

• Levels of tolerance to Low-N enhanced in three populations

• Conversion of three adapted populations for tolerance to low soil nitrogen, initiated

• Funds provided for on-farm trials of varieties

• Plans underway to release two Low-N varieties in Nigeria and Ghana


Technology dissemination

• Technological innovations in resource-limited agricultural systems will continue to play an important role in solving food insufficiency in developing countries.

• Development of technologies alone will not translate to increased food production unless– such technologies are appropriately

deployed and– farmers are empowered to sustain them.


Approaches to technology dissemination

• Extension system of the 1960s

– Wasteful– Prescriptive – No back-up inputs– No training


Approaches (2) • Training and Visit (T and V)

Merits– Well-trained agents– Suitable messages– Improved management and technology testing– Active participation of farmers

Criticism– Poorly managed– Irrelevant technologies often promoted

Suggestions for improvement– Full farmer participation– Meeting needs of women– Private sector involvement– Improvement in quality of agricultural education


Limitation• Farmer empowerment

– Farmers should be empowered to test and promote technologies

Technology dissemination efforts should concentrate on developing innovative mechanisms that empower farmers to help themselves


Low-N and DT maize in Bauchi State, Nigeria

• 100 kg of LNTP-Y C5 maize variety

• 100 kg of Drought Tolerant Maize variety (TZE Comp 3 DT)

• Each farmer was provided with 1 kg of the new seed to plant as island within the farmer’s main field.

• Simultaneously with the evaluations, 2 farmers were identified to produce seeds in isolation. Thus initial seeds needed to further transfer the varieties were made available locally


Name Location No of cobs Wt of cobs (kg)LNTP Control LNTP Control

Adamu Moha’D Bunjang 545 532 141.7 102.0Ibrahim Dumisai T/Marijini 696 590 155.6 121.3Ja’Afara Zaranda Zaranda 698 610 162.0 129.0Eliz. John Zuall 698 608 165.0 130.0Jummai Haruna Nabordo 696 696 160.0 145.0Musa Galadima Dass 461 450 92.5 81.1

Demonstration of LNTP-Y C5 Maize in in 42 locations of Bauchi State Nigeria in 2006

Source – Umar A. Gital, EA Dass


Name Location No of cobs Wt of cobs (kg)TZE Control TZE Control

Ibrahim Barde Dabardak 450 328 70.0 48.0Gambo Sulai Kofa 395 268 65.0 70.0Ladan Ahamed Lusa 308 286 61.0 52.0Haruna Waziri Gajuwal 420 390 70.0 49.3Iliya Isa Wandi 380 278 67.0 67.0Dahiru Moh’d Gital 430 380 80.0 50.0

Demonstration of TZE Comp3 DT Maize in in 60 locations of Bauchi State Nigeria in 2006

Source – Umar A. Gital, EA Dass


Major findings• A total of 120 farmers participated in the

exercise

• Low-N tolerant maize planted at half fertilizer level with 60 farmers in Bauchi

• Approach replicated with DT maize in Gombe in 2007.

• Reduced involvement of EA

• No cost to government, NGO or Research Institute


AMS project’s achievements

• Provision of germplasm and backstopping of breeding efforts

• Building of institutional capacity to conduct research– Site development

(2 DT varieties released by Burkina Faso)– Training/workshops– Visiting scientists


Highlights (2)

• Support of transfer/deployment of research results– Complementary crop management

practices– On-farm trials– Seed production– Impact studies

• Strengthening of regional network


OverallAfrican Maize Stress (AMS) Project

• Expanded WECAMAN

• Empowered NARS to identify research

needs

• Allocated small grants to address needs

• Contributed to manpower development

through training


Nigerian Maize Initiative


A Public-Private Partnership

- IITA

- Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

- Maize Association of Nigeria


Objective of the Maize Initiative

To

double maize production in Nigeria in two years.

(7 to 14 M metric tons)


Strategy

Intensive cultivation to double yield (from 1.5 to 3 t/ha) in situ

– Availability and use of inputs (seeds and chemicals)

– Strategic deployment of improved varieties

– Extensive demonstration of stress tolerant varieties

– A buy-back mechanism to mop-up excess grain


FundingTotal - N4.2b

Fertilizer – N3bSeeds subsidy - N520mAgrochemicals - N171mEquipments - N100mIITA - N171m ($1.43m)Administration - N238m


Achievements

– Availability and use of inputs (seeds and chemicals)

•Advised on the types of inputs to buy

– Strategic deployment of improved varieties• Zoned Nigeria into high, medium and low maize

producing states• Grouped existing varieties for optimum benefit

(Maximum exploitation of G x E for seeddistribution)


Achievements (2)

A generalized Maize map of Nigeria


Achievements (3)

– Extensive demonstration of stress tolerant varieties

• Allocated N40m to partners in 2007 for – conduct of on-farm trials and – improvement of infrastructure for research

• > 500 on-farm demonstration trials of stress (drought low-N, Striga and stem borer) tolerantvarieties and crop management practices

• Funded a novel agronomic research approach tagged “double-density double-fertilizer” application to double yield(106,000 plants/ha with 240N, 120P and 120 K)


Achievements (4)

– Extensive demonstration of stress tolerant varieties• Provided seeds• Sponsored and Participated in field days


National Maize Workshop(> 300 participants)

13 – 17 April 2008Bauchi, Nigeria.

Achievement (5)


Conclusion• Harnessed resources and

effectively backstopped regional research efforts aimed and developing and improving maize in WCA

• Built trust and collegiality, intangible but invaluable factors


Next steps• Improve on levels of stress tolerance• Develop varieties with tolerance to multiple

stresses• Backstop deployment strategies aimed at

maximizing benefits from stress tolerant varieties

• Develop hybrids to aid growth of seed industry

• Assist with the transformation of successful seed projects into micro-enterprises


Thank

you

Regional approach to developing and deploying stress tolerant maize in West and Central Africa

Technology

development seed production

development assist

developstress tolerant

maize ecologies

transfer research outputs

joint research activities

nars capacity

key regional screening