Nigeria Releases Herbicide Resistant Maize Hybrids

First generation maize hybrids resistant to metsulfuron methyl herbicide and to the noxious parasitic weed Striga hermonthica have been released by the Nigerian National Variety Release Committee (NVRC). Developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in partnership with DuPont Pioneer Seeds, the hybrids were released as P48W01 and P48W02 and are recognized as IITA IR-Maize Hybrid 2 and IR-Maize Hybrid 4. The hybrids have a yield potential of up to 5 t/ha under Striga infestation in comparison with local varieties that produce less than 1 t/ha in such conditions.

Farmers rank Striga as the number one constraint to maize production in northern Nigeria, with 50 to 100 percent of the households reporting Striga incidence in their farms. The parasitic weed infests more than 9 million hectares planted to millet, maize, and sorghum in Nigeria and severely lowers the production capacity of these crops.

For more information, read the IITA news release available at: http://www.iita.org/2014-press-releases/-/asset_publisher/CxA7/content/nigeria-releases-first-generation-of-herbicide-resistant-hybrids?redirect=%2Fhome#.U7IfKJSSySo.