The Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has secured approval to release three new high-yielding nutrient maize varieties for planting in Nigeria granted by the National Varietal Release Committee at the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology in Ibadan.
The maize varieties were developed by IAR in collaboration with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan.
The maize varieties tagged: SAMMAZ 52, SAMMAZ 53 and SAMMAZ 54 were offshoots of extensive “on-station, multi-locational and on-farm’’ evaluations with strong farmer participation.
According to IAR:
“SAMMAZ 52 is an improvement over previously released varieties as a result of bio- fortification with pro Vitamin A.
This Vitamin A bio-fortified maize variety has yield potential of 6.0 ton/ha, about 24 per cent higher than earlier release varieties in the same category.
It has medium maturing of between 110 and 120 days, tolerant to maize streak virus, rust, leaf blight and curvularia leaf spot.
The SAMMAZ 53 and SAMMAZ 54 varieties are bred for high grain yields up to 7.6 t/ha and 7.2 t/ha. Both varieties are extra early maturity (80-85 days) and resistant to maize streak virus, rust, leaf blight and curvularia leaf spot.
They perform very well in northern Guinea and Sudan savannah environments where climate changes are manifesting in the form of droughts, dry spells and in ecologies where parasitic Striga hermonthica attacks are severe owing to declining soil nitrogen.”
The varieties were produced to strengthen farmers’ resilience in coping with the changing production environments in which irrigation water and rainfall had become increasingly scarce.