Journal
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
Volume 160, Issue 3-4, Pages 168-184Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0021859622000193
Keywords
Maize adaptability; minimum tillage; nutrition security; opaque-2 gene; variety adoption
Categories
Funding
- European Union through the WeltHungerHilfe organization
- Germany Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
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Maize is the most important staple food crop in southern Africa. Despite the development of quality protein maize, stunting and malnutrition remain high due to low adoption of these varieties. This study compares the agronomic performance and farmer preferences of new generation quality protein maize and non-quality protein maize varieties, finding that high-yielding and stable QPM varieties are likely to be adopted by farmers in southern Africa.
Maize is the most important staple food crop in southern Africa with human consumption averaging 91 kg/capita/year. Most smallholder farmers and weaning children depend on maize for much of the daily food requirements and it is the largest contributor of dietary proteins. Despite the development of quality protein maize (QPM) with high tryptophan and lysine content, stunting and kwashiorkor remain high in southern Africa partly due to low adoption of QPM varieties. The objective of this study was to compare the agronomic performance and farmer preferences of new generation of QPM with non-QPM varieties under conservation agriculture on-farm conditions. Eight QPM and four non-QPM varieties were tested on on-farm trials in Zimbabwe during the 2014/15 and 2015/16 cropping seasons at five different locations. Significant differences were detected among the genotypes for the measured traits in the two seasons. Similarly, genotype plus genotype x environment interactions were significant for both seasons for grain yield. Three QPM varieties, SC527, SC535 and SC643, recorded the highest and stable yield. Four QPM varieties, SC643, SC535, SC527 and MQ623, and a non-QPM variety, PAN413, were ranked high among farmers for overall ear characteristics as their most preferred varieties. The high-yielding and stable QPM varieties are likely to be adopted by farmers in southern Africa.
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