CIMMYT Launches Project to Develop Heat Resilient Maize for South Asia

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has launched the Heat Tolerant Maize for Asia (HTMA) Project, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Feed the Future (FTF) Program. HTMA is a public-private CIMMYT-led alliance consisting of Purdue University, Pioneer Hi-Bred seed companies, and South Asian public sector maize programs. It targets resource-poor farmers of South Asia who rely on growing maize for subsistence or income in rainfed conditions, and whose welfare is directly dependent on maize yields and negatively affected by crop failures.

To develop and deploy heat stress resilient, high-yielding maize hybrids for vulnerable regions in South Asia, the HTMA project will build upon CIMMYT's elite abiotic stress tolerant maize germplasm base; the technical expertise of the key resource partners (Purdue University, Pioneer Hi-Bred, and CIMMYT); the maize breeding and phenotyping locations and strengths of the national agricultural research systems of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan; and the seed production capacity, strong links with the farming communities, and the market reach of private sector partners.

For more information, visit http://blog.cimmyt.org/?p=9993.