A maize variety that is resistant to the maize borer pest, which accounts for up to 15 per cent of post harvest losses annually, is set for field testing in Kenya.
Developed by scientists from CIMMYT and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), the seed braves attacks from the larger grain borer while it is in storage.
The larger grain borer, christened ‘scania’ or ‘osama’ by farmers has been found to be more devastating than the common maize weevil, and was first noticed in Kenya in 1990s.
The new maize varieties will be taken for national performance trials at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS). They will also be distributed for evaluation in other countries through the CIMMYT international maize testing program next year, before being introduced in 2009.
“Having the solution in the seed itself means there is no added workload or expense to the farmer, making adoption much easier,” says Marianne Banziger, the director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program.
She cautioned that resistant maize is not a silver bullet solution to the grain borer problem. “We encourage the use of the new varieties in combination with other measures,” she says.
The larger grain borer, native to Central America, was first observed in Tanzania around 1980.
Business Daily Africa
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October 14, 2007
Maize borer-resistant seed variety to be tested in Kenya
Categories biotechnology, CIMMYT, maize, pest control
