Nigeria may experience higher grain production from farmers as it approves the cultivation of the first ever high yielding fall armyworm-tolerant maize hybrid in the country.
According to a facebook post by the by Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Scientists, Anthony Job and Moses Igyuve, at Value Seeds Limited (VSL), Nigeria in collaboration with two Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and The Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Samaru, have successfully developed a fall armyworm (FAW) tolerant maize hybrid which was registered on the 19th of January 2023.
The approval for release of the FAW-tolerant maize hybrid was given at the just concluded 31st meeting of National Committee on Naming, Registration & Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds/Fisheries at National Centre for Genetic Research and Biotechnology. (NACGRAB) which held on 19 January 2023 at NACGRAB Conference hall, Ibadan.
The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E Smith) was first reported in Africa in 2016, where it severely impacts maize production. Annual yield losses in maize due to FAW infestation are estimated between 8.3 and 20.6 million tons in just 12 African countries, valued at 2,481–6,187 million USD. The development of the maize hybrid followed intensive screening activities that started at the University of Ibadan under FAW artificially- infested and protected conditions.
The success recorded during the screening resulted in the evaluation of the selected hybrids in many locations spanning the Southern and Northern parts of the country. The breeding activities followed the concept of participatory plant breeding (PPB) with our smallholder farmers in the driver’s seat. The routine involvement of farmers in the selection process gave VSL scientists the opportunity to incorporate farmer preferred traits in the profiles of the hybrid maize.
The approved maize hybrid, VSL 2201, has a potential yield of over 8.3 tonnes per hectare and is medium maturing (110-120 days). It performs optimally in the derived and Guinea Savanna ecologies which include, but not limited to Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Bauchi, Ekiti, and Oyo states.
The outstanding characteristics of the maize hybrid include high grain yield, tolerance to fall armyworm, maize streak virus, rust, leaf blight and curvularia leaf spot.
Malam Aliyu Muhammad, a participatory farmer in Kwarin Juwan village, Birnin-kudu, Jigawa state said that the farmers’ fears about FAW pest were now over, adding: “We can now plant a FAW-Tolerant maize variety in our fields, not apply any pesticides and be assured of high yield at the end of the season”.
The economic and environmental benefits of the newly developed hybrid are immense and will most certainly reduce the use of chemical pesticides in the control of the invasive pest.
The breeding team that developed the hybrid maize includes Anthony Job (Senior Breeder, VSL), Muhammad Ahmad Yahaya (Maize Breeder, IAR Samaru) and Moses T. Igyuve (Associate Breeder, VSL). Other collaborating Scientists are: I. Iseghohi, R. Olayiwola, A. Abe, R. Akinwale, A.A. Yusuf, K. Abdulbasid, J. Oyekanmi, G. Zangir, and O. Obisesan.
