Agronomic potentials of quality protein maize hybrids developed in Ghana

Abstract

A quality protein maize (QPM) hybrid programme was started in 1991 to develop and promote high and stableyielding QPM hybrids to increase production of nutritionally superior maize varieties in Ghana. Six 3way QPM hybrids developed from inbred lines originating from germplasm of the International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) were evaluated on research stations and in farmers' fields in Ghana from 1995 to 1996. In the on-station evaluations, grain yields across 10 sites in both years averaged 6.0 ton ha -1 for the three hybrids (GH132-28, GH110-5 and GH2328-88), 5.22 ton ha -1 for Obatanpa, and 3.60 ton ha -1 for the local maize variety. In farmers' fields, data from over 50 farm sites in 1995 and 1996 showed mean yields of 4.95 ton ha -1 for the three hybrids, and 4.28 ton ha -1 for Obatanpa compared to 3.59 ton ha -1 for farmers' varieties. On the average, the hybrids were similar to Obatanpa in days to 50 per cent silking, but were shorter in plant height and ear placement. Consumer preference tests showed that the three hybrids were rated similar to the local variety in popular traditional food preparations such as 'kenkey' and 'tuo zafi'. In 1997, the National Variety Release Committee approved the release of GH132-28, GH110-5, and GH2328-88 under the local names Dadaba, Mamaba, and CIDA-ba, respectively. These hybrids are recommended for planting in all the major agro-ecologies to boost maize production in Ghana.

Social seed networks: Identifying central farmers for equitable seed access

“…Importantly, these farmer varieties are open-pollinated and can be saved for repeated use in upcoming seasons, dramatically reducing overall input costs for resource-poor farmers (Sallah et al, 2007;Tripp and Mensah-Bonsu, 2013). Social relationships, such as kinship alliances, facilitate seed and information exchanges necessary for continual and equal seed access when there are insufficient yields (Almekinders and Elings, 2001;Badstue et al, 2006;Abay et al, 2011).…”

Simulating the Capacity of Rainfed Food Crop Species to Meet Social Demands in Sudanian Savanna Agro-Ecologies

“…Changing the soil parameters that define the behavior of soil water in APSIM or the use of additional cultivars might help to simulate the wider range of maize yields across West Africa. In any case, the maximum average maize yield of the simulations matches that of the widely adopted Obatanpa cultivar obtained by high-yielding farmers in Ghana (4.28 t ha −1 ) [94], meaning that the simulated yields can be representative of the highest expected yields in the current context of resource endowment in West Africa.…”