Maize is the most important staple food crop of Kenya. It is grown on 1,600,000 hectares in the country. It is the most important single agricultural commodity. It is estimated to contribute more than 20% of total agricultural production, 25% of agricultural employment, about 78% of total cereal consumption, 44% of total energy needs and 32% of the total protein in the country. In the Dry mid-altitude ecology comprising upper midland (UM4), 1,300-1,800m above sea level, lower midland (LM5 and LM6), 800-1,300masl; moisture stress, low soil fertility and lack of appropriate varieties are the major constraints to maize production. This agro-ecological zone, covers 12% of the national maize production area and produces 15% of the national maize basket. Farmers' yields average 1.2 t/ha but the yield potential is currently 3.0 t/ha, giving a yield gap of 1.8 t/ha. As a medium term strategy to reduce the yield gap, breeders need to provide new early drought- and low nitrogen-tolerant higher yield varieties. Using the local adapted varieties, and exotic drought- and low N-tolerant germplasm, new drought- and low nitrogen-tolerant varieties have been developed by back-crossing local adapted Katumani to drought- and low N-tolerant exotic germplasm. These varieties have been evaluated at several drought-prone locations within the Dry mid-altitude zone, using alpha lattice design under random drought, managed drought and optimal conditions. Data have been analysed by Alpha programme. Some of these new open pollinated varieties (OPVs) have been found to be of the same maturity as the local widely grown Katumani Composite B (KCB) but have significantly better yield than Katumani and are more drought- and low nitrogen-tolerant than Katumani Composite B. This paper presents the results of evaluation of these new varieties, some of which yield significantly higher than Katumani and have been put forward for the National Performance Trials (NPT) in the dry mid-altitude ecology.

English

0409|AGRIS 0401|AL-Maize Program

Juan Carlos Mendieta

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection