New sorghum and millet cultivar introduction in Sub-Saharan Africa: impacts and research agenda

In spite of substantial introduction of new sorghum and millet cultivars in semiarid Sub-Saharan Africa, there has been minimum aggregate impact on yields (FAO and ICRISAT, 1996: The World Sorghum Economies: Facts, Trends and Outlook. FAO, Rome, Italy and ICRISAT, Andhra Pradesh, India) in contrast with other crops, such as cotton and maize. Only where inorganic fertilizers and improved water retention or irrigation were combined with new cultivars were there large yield increases. Given the low soil fertility and irregular rainfall in semiarid regions, both increased water availability and higher levels of principal nutrients apparently will be necessary for substantial yield increase. The cultivar-alone strategy is unlikely to have a significant sustainable yield effect and therefore reduce poverty in semiarid Sub-Saharan Africa. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.