Proceedings of the Fifth Asian Regional Maize Workshop - Search ...

cover, short plant stature, and satisfactory yield response to low fertility conditions. Maize
is grown in the marginal areas. This also offers the biggest challenge to research to breed
varieties with suitable yield suited to these conditions. To meet these challenges, the Maize
Research Program has developed broadly adapted improved populations with adequate genetic
variability suited to a reasonable range of agroclimatic environments of the country.
The Nepal Agric. Res. Council, as an independent agriculture organization, has been developed
to broaden and strengthen the agricultural research activities as a national priority,
including extension linkages and cooperation with international and national research centers.
Since 1988/89 yield per hectare has shown an increasing trend. Area has increased by
59.35%, production by 63.79%, and productivity by 2.78% compared to 1981/82.
Research highlights:
1. Varietal improvement.
The major achievement of Nepal's maize improvement program since 1965 has been the development
of populations and release of a dozen composite maize varieties suited to different agroecological
regions. These varieties have been maintained for general cultivation to meet the
varietal demand of the farmers (Table 2).
Most of the released varieties have been selected from exotic germplasm and from crosses of
local with exotic materials introduced by the different organizations in the varietal testing
programs. The evaluation of local and exotic materials to assess their merits for a long term
breeding program has become one of the main objective of the Varietal Improvement Program.
The exotic germplasm, namely Amarillo de Cuba, Cubano Flint, and Francisco Flint were
introduced in Nepal prior to 1965. These varieties proved to be high yielding, but were not
acceptable to farmers due to their late maturity, denty grain type, and tall plant height.
During 1965, some varietal crosses and composite varieties obtained through the Inter-Asian Corn
Program based in India were tested for their adaptation to various environments throughout the
country. OUt of the material tested, three promising exotic varieties called Composite J1,
Antigua 2D x Guatemala, and Antigua Gp.2 x Guatemala were released under the names Rampur Yellow
for terai and inner terai, Khumal Yellow for mid hills (1 500 m) and Kakani Yellow for high hills
(2 000 m) respectively (Table 2).
In order to strengthen and broaden maize research in Nepal, in 1972 the National Maize
Research Program (NMRP) was established as a commodity program for systematic maize breeding at
Rampur. Upon the establishment of the Maize Res. Program, close links were established with
CIMMYT, Mexico and other international organizations to improve and broaden exotic and local
germplasm. These efforts resulted in the development of a dozen maize varieties for general
cultivation on the basis of varietal traits and yield data received from varietal trials.
Even though the varieties listed in Table 2 were high yielding, they were not acceptable due
to undesirable traits such as high percentage of cobs with open tips, late maturity, semi dent
kernels, and tall plant height. But these problems have been significantly reduced through
continuous half-sib modified ear-to-row and mass selection improvement methods.
The varieties Janaki Makai (Rampur 7434), Makalu-2 (Amarillo del Bajio) and Arun-2 (UNCAC
242 x Phil. DMR x Amarillo 59 (Temperate x Tropical) were developed from CIMMYT materials and
released for the terai, inner terai, and hills. The early maturing variety Arun-2 has gained
popularity among farmers because it fits well into the cropping system maize:rice:wheat, and in
mixed cropping yields above 2 t/ha. The newly introduced Pool 9A from CIMMYT has a high yield
potential in the high hills but it has late maturity.
The following populations maintained by NMRP have been released:
Arun-1: Half-sib families of white flint early maturity, subtropical material adapted to low
and mid altitude for mixed or sequential cropping systems.
Rampur-1: Hal-sib families of white flint, full-season, subtropical germplasm adapted to low
altitude «1,000 m) and terai areas.
Manakamana-2: Half-sib families of orange yellow flint, full season, subtropical germplasm
adapted to mid altutde areas (mid hills).
Arun-4: Half-sib families of yellow flint, short season, subtropical germplasm adapted to low
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