Lagos, Nigeria
February 13, 2009
by Abiose Adelaja, SciDev.Net
Nigerian farmers who tested new maize crops resistant to the
widespread Striga plant parasite are so enthusiastic about their
increased crop yields that they are selling more seeds than the
official distribution channels.
The crops were developed in the Nigerian laboratories of the
International Institute for
Agricultural Research (IITA). They dramatically cut maize
losses from the root-infecting Striga, or witchweed, during two
years of trial cultivation by farmers in Borno State in northern
Nigeria.
Nigeria's
Institute for Agricultural Research began distributing the
new parasite-resistant maize seeds in December 2008.
Abebe Menkir, the lead scientist on the research project at
IITA, told SciDev.Net that some farmers in Borno state were
already producing large quantities of resistant seeds and
selling them on to farmers in and outside the region. He was
unable to say how many seeds are being — and will be —
distributed through official channels.
"The farmers say they couldn't wait for the official release of
seedlings because the variety is successful, cutting losses,"
says Menkir.
Menkir said the next step was to distribute the
parasite-resistant maize in other countries in West and Central
Africa.
The varieties, known as Sammaz 15 and 16 contain genes that
diminish the growth of parasitic flowering plants such as
Striga, which attaches to the maize root. Both Sammaz varieties
tolerate heavy Striga infestations without suffering crop
losses.
"A normal maize variety without resistance to Striga can sustain
from 60 per cent to 100 per cent grain yield loss in farmers'
fields that are severely infested," Menkir told SciDev.Net.
Sammaz 16 loses just ten per cent of yield in an extreme
invasion.
Sammaz 16 is a late-maturing variety requiring 110 to 120 days
of growth, whereas Sammaz 15 can often be harvested at 100 days
and is more suitable for regions with short growing periods or
unpredictable water supplies.
Agronomy researcher Michael Aken'Ova from the faculty of
agriculture at the University of Ibadan, said that producing
resistant and tolerant cultivars such as Sammaz is the most
economically feasible, easily accessible, safe and sustainable
approach to combat losses due to Striga, particularly compared
to labour-intensive methods such as weeding.
He added that he is sure that the resistant crops will soon make
it to the farmers who need them, with the aid of leaflets, radio
magazine programmes and messages in local languages.
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