Maize is the second most important component in rainfed upland cropping systems. Although maize have been grown in Sri Lanka over a long period of time, yield and production levels still remain low. In the past, maize was mainly used as a human food item especially by the rural population, but with the expansion of poultry industry, the demand for maize as an animal feed has increased. The annual demand of maize for poultry feed was 125,000 mt in 1998, and is showing an increasing trend. Although country's requirement could be locally produced, large quantities are imported annually. Research programmes in the past have concentrated mainly on the development of open pollinated varieties and these varieties have significantly higher yield potentials over the traditional varieties grown by the farmers. Three high yielding open pollinated varieties (Ruwan, Aruna and Muthu) were released recently. Also production packages for sole and mixed cropping situations have been developed. However, due to various reasons, adoption of new technologies by the farmers is low. High risk associated with rainfed upland cultivation and low market prices are the main reasons for low adaptability of new technology. However, at present, the market price of maize has increased and more farmers are showing interest in growing maize. Therefore, speeding up the extension and improvements to presently available technology is essential. Use of FI-hybrids is limited only to a few farmers who obtain imported seeds from the private sector. Both on-station and on-farm research have shown that hybrid maize is capable of producing 15-20% more yields than presently recommended opy's. No locally developed FI-hybrids are available but there is a need for a shift towards two-parent hybrids. With the increase in extent and adoption of new varieties the demand for quality seed is increasing but still many farmers use their own seeds due to various reasons. In the past, maize was mainly grown as a rainfed upland crop during the 'maha' (wet) season. But with the increasing demand, cultivation during the 'yala' (dry) season has been introduced and is becoming popular, especially in follow paddy lands. With the increase in extents and extended cultivation periods, new problems, especially high incidence of pest and diseases can emerge in the future. It is suspected that stem borer damage could become a problem in the future if cultivation is extended to the 'yala' season. In order to increase the maize production considerable yield increase and appropriate acreage expansion is necessary .Breeding of new varieties (both OPY and hybrids) resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, development of improved crop management packages for sole and mixed cropping systems, identification of constraints for yield increase, increase production of quality seeds, technology development to minimize pre-and post-harvest losses and speeding up the extension of new technologies are some of the factors that need immediate attention. Exchange of germplasm and technical information, increased availability of funds for collaborative activities, organize training programmes, seminars and workshops, and maintaining direct linkages with national research institutes are some of the activities that could be suggested to improve the collaboration among member countries.

English

0208|AGRIS 0201|AL-Maize Program|R01PROCE

Juan Carlos Mendieta

CIMMYT Publications Collection