Download - Maize

Research and development partners
CIMMYT and IITA have established collaborative germplasm development for drought and N stress,
mostly with national research systems in sub‐Saharan Africa, and CIMMYT has supported emerging
efforts in Asia. This network needs to be strengthened, particularly in Asia where increasing yield levels
and climate change greatly amplify production variations due to drought and heat, and for poverty
pockets in Central America. Research collaboration will be sought with multinational seed companies
and biotechnology organizations (building on successful collaboration with Monsanto, Syngenta, AATF
and Pioneer) and advanced research institutes including those in the developing world (Brazil, China,
India, Mexico) for positional cloning of relevant native‐trait alleles and transgene sourcing and
deployment. The basic requirements for engaging in transgenic trait research include: (1) royalty‐free
access for farmers in low and lower‐middle income countries (or a significant number of such countries);
(2) proof of concept for relevant (>10%) yield increases at the field level in maize or other crops; (3) a
feasible deregulation strategy.
These partners include the wider range of national research systems, local seed companies, NGOs, and
community‐based organizations in drought affected countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, for local
variety adaptation/selection, release, and scale‐out to farmers in stress‐prone environments. More
effective interactions need to be built with development partners engaged with farming families and
communities that do not receive adequate services—either from the private or the public sector—and
have limited access to markets because of poverty and lack of political influence.
Outcomes
Sufficient production increases in stress‐prone environments to allow farmers to escape the poverty
trap of recurrent failed harvests and enable them to obtain reliable returns on investments in seed,
fertilizer, land and labor.
Increased diffusion of improved technologies in stress‐prone environments, to the benefit of
farmers and local entrepreneurs.
Reduced variation in maize production and more stable grain prices.
Key milestones
2011: Research collaborations formalized and collaborative breeding/variety testing networks
extended to include as a minimum:
Africa: six drought phenotyping sites, six N stress phenotyping sites, one heat phenotyping
site, one acid soil phenotyping site.
Asia: four drought phenotyping sites, two heat phenotyping sites, three waterlogging
phenotyping sites. Tolerance to combined heat plus drought, and waterlogging plus
drought, will be evaluated in at least one site for each combination.
Latin America: two drought phenotyping sites, two N stress phenotyping sites, one acid soil
phenotyping site. Tolerance to heat plus drought will be evaluated in at least one site.
Disease and insect pest phenotyping hubs established in key countries in East and West
Africa, and in Asia
2011: Target regions with the greatest potential return to investment in drought/heat tolerance
breeding defined, based on available GIS data.
2011: Standard biotic stress screening protocols developed and shared with partners.
2012: Stress tolerant donors identified from existing databases and confirmed in phenotypic
screening. Information made available on the internet and seed availability ensured.
2012: Managed stress screening sites operational and research staff trained in common protocols.
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