Excess soil moisture caused by flooding, water logging, or a high water table, is one of the most important constraints for maize production in South Asia and many other parts of the world. In South-East Asia alone, about 15% of total maize growing areas are adversely affected by floods and water logging (Rathore et al. 1996). In India, water logging is one of the most serious constraints for maize production and productivity with approximately 8.5 million hectares of arable soil prone to this problem. Out of a total 6.6 million hectare maize area, about 2.5 million hectares are affected by excess soil moisture, causing losses in maize production of 25 to 30% almost annually (DMR 2001). Development of excess moisture tolerant genotypes would be an ideal and affordable response, suitable for poor maize- growing farmers in marginal areas prone to water logging. However, the lack of suitable and reliable screening techniques and selection criteria for identification of promising germplasm tolerant to excess moisture stress are major bottlenecks. In this study, we attempted to develop and standardize a reliable screening technique suited to large-scale screening against the stress, as well as identifying suitable morpho-physiological traits and their values as selection criteria along with grain yield, as a means to improve tolerance in maize to excess moisture stress.

Global Maize Program

English

0311|AGRIS 0301|AL-Maize Program

Juan Carlos Mendieta

INT2823

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection