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Introduction
Throughout the developing world during the
past decade, maize and wheat production has
advanced as never before. In Mexico, for example,
average yields of wheat progressed
from about 2,200 kg/ha in 1960 to 3,200 in
1969-70. Maize production was increased from
about six million tons in 1960 to almost nine
million in 1968, years with comparable rainfall.
With high yielding varieties and production
technology imported from Mexico, Pakistan
raised its wheat production from 4.6 million
tons in 1964-65 to about 8.4 million tons in
1969-70. Similarly, India increased production
from 12 million tons in 1965, to over 20 million
in 1970.
These phenomenal successes have been
referred to as the Green Revolution and have
stimulated other countries to greater activity
with hopes of becoming self sufficient in their
basic food grains.
From Pakistan, the CIMMYT-Mexican varieties
and technology have spread rapidly into
Afghanistan. Turkey, with seed imported directly
from Mexico, almost doubled production
in the spring wheat Mediterranean coastal
area over a four year period.
Iran is considering importing large quantities
of INIA 66 seed for the coming crop year.
A report from Tunisia indicates that 50 percent
of the total soft wheat production was produced
by CIMMYT-Mexican varieties planted on only
19 percent of the total acreage. Morocco claims
similar results. Algeria planted the CIMMYT­
Mexican varieties for the first time this past
season, with striking success, and hopes to
expand acreage as rapidly as seed supplies
will permit.
In Europe, Denmark is producing large
quantities of some CIMMYT-Mexican varieties
and has become an important seed distribution
center for other parts of Europe, the Near East
and North African regions.
In Latin America, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
have organized production programs based
on the Colombian and CIMMYT-Mexican varieties
with the hope of reaching self sufficiency
in a few years. As a result of these expanded
activities, the total area planted to the improved
varieties has grown from about 800,000
hectares in 1964 to about 8 million in 1969,
representing 10 times the total acreage planted
to wheat in Mexico. During the 4 year period
from 1965-1968, Mexico exported approximately
100,000 tons of seed -most of it going to
India, Pakistan and Turkey. This represents
the largest transfer of seed from one region
to another ever recorded.
In the early stages of CIMMYT's International
Maize Program, the breeders concentrated
on the identification and isolation of the
outstanding germ plasm complexes from about
200 races collected and described in Latin
America. Six races were finally isolated;
namely, Tuxpeiio (Mexico), Cuban Flint (Cuba),
Coastal Tropical Flint (West Indies), Salvadoreiio
(EI Salvador), Eto (Colombia) and U.S.
corn-belt synthetic variety. These have been
widely distributed throughout the lowland tropics,
singly and in various combinations. The
payoff has been enormous.
The varieties developed from the various
mixtures of these complexes are revolutionizing
maize production around the world in the
tropics and sUb-tropics from 0 to 1,000 meter
elevations.
In Central America the new surge in production
is primarily coming from the high yielding
Tuxpeiio-Salvadoreiio hybrids and varieties.
In Venezuela, the high yielding varieties
and hybrids are largely Tuxpeiio-Eto combinations.
In Colombia, the good varieties for
intermediate elevations were mostly derived
from combinations of Eto X Caribbean Flintdents.
In the lowlands of Colombia, Ecuador,
Peru and Bolivia, new lands are being planted
with varieties developed from the Tuxpeiio­
Caribbean Flint composites. In Peru, hybrids
developed from these materials have flourished
in the coastal irrigated areas and are
responsible for the rapid development of
poultry industry, meat and egg production.
In the lowlands of Bolivia, a Caribbean composite
is being grown widely, as made up by
CIMMYT.
An outstanding example of the value of
exotic germ plasm has been demonstrated
in Brazil. There, the first hybrids were made
from the local flints in the early 1940's with
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