Research Program On Maize News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Developing nutritious, high-yielding, climate-resilient, disease- and pest-resistant maize for the tropics.

By Joshua Masinde Scientists are calling for accelerated adoption of new hybrid maize varieties with resistance to maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease in sub-Saharan Africa. In combination with recommended integrated pest management practices, adopting these new varieties is an important step towards safeguarding smallholder farmers against this devastating viral disease. A new publication in Virus Research shows that these second-generation MLN-resistant hybrids developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) offer better yields and increased resilience against MLN...

Announcing CIMMYT-derived fall armyworm tolerant elite maize hybrids for eastern and southern Africa Breakthrough comes after three years of intensive research and trials conducted in Kenya — and during the United Nations International Year of Plant Health — and represents a significant advance in the global fight against fall armyworm. December 23, 2020 A collage of maize images accompanies a CIMMYT announcement about fall armyworm-tolerant maize hybrids for Africa. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is pleased to announce the successful developme...

National breeding programs prepped to measure – and boost – genetic gains. December 14, 2020 By adopting best practices and established modern tools, national agricultural research systems (NARS) are making data-driven decisions to boost genetic improvement. And they are measuring this progress through tracking and setting goals around “genetic gain.” Genetic gain means improving seed varieties so that they have a better combination of genes that contribute to desired traits such as higher yields, drought resistance or improved nutrition. Or, more technically, genetic gain measures, ...