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Abiotic stress tolerant maize for increasing
income and food security among the poor
in South and Southeast Asia
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
The challenge
Maize production offers considerable scope for increasing
productivity and reducing poverty in South and Southeast
Asia, where demand is projected to double by 2020. The
production capacity of irrigated systems is close to saturation, so rainfed areas – about 80% of the total – must play a
greater role in meeting projected maize demand. However,
rainfed yields are very low (less than two tonnes per hectare), mainly because of the erratic distribution pattern of
monsoon rains. Inadequate distribution of monsoon rains,
especially in the higher-rainfall areas of Eastern India and
parts of Southeast Asia, can cause severe drought and waterlogging in a single crop season and is one of the major
causes of low productivity in rainfed maize. To be able to
withstand extremely uncertain moisture regimes, the development of stress-resilient maize varieties is urgently needed.
Our approach
c) Asian regional rainfed maize testing and the germplasm
exchange network will evaluate new products in stressprone locations. Tests will be carried out by a network of
national programmes and commercial partners in Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Viet Nam in at least three
locations in each country.
Project name
Abiotic stress tolerant maize for increasing income
and food security among the poor in South and
Southeast Asia
Commissioned Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenby
arbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Project region
South and Southeast Asia
Lead executing agency
International Maize and Wheat Improvement
Center
Contact person: P.H. Zaidi
[email protected]
German
cooperation
University of Hohenheim
Duration
05.2011 – 04.2014
The project has four main components:
a) The continued development of new maize hybrids and
open-pollinated varieties (OPV) with higher levels of
drought and/or waterlogging tolerance.
b) Mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting waterlogging tolerance to facilitate marker-assisted selection.
d) Biophysical and socio-economic analysis to support
product targeting by addressing two main research issues:
i. the socio-economic and cultural determinants of the
adoption and impacts of risk-mitigating technologies in
rainfed maize production;
L. to r.: Farmers are forced to
ahrvest immature maize crop
due to flash flood in Komila
district of Bangaldesh, Damage
in maize crop due to flash flood
in Komila district of Bangaldesh,
Water-stress resilient hybrids
after waterlogging stress
Photos: © CIMMYT
Contact person
Marlis Lindecke
[email protected]
ii. spatial analysis for enhanced product targeting and scaling up.
The socio-economic study clearly indicated that the lack of
awareness and mechanisms to access new varieties constitute a major constraint.
The benefits
Expected impact
Among existing hybrids and OPVs, the top two hybrids
(TNAU-CO6 and BIO-9544) have been identified as waterstress-resilient hybrids in several locations. These hybrids
are recommended by the Indian maize programme for
release throughout India’s stress-prone rainfed target environments.
The project is seeking to enhance food security and raise
the incomes of resource-poor farming families living in
stress-prone rainfed ecologies in Bangladesh, India and
similar agro-ecologies in Southeast Asia. This will be
achieved by providing smallholders with stress-resilient
maize varieties adapted to cope with the erratic pattern of
monsoon rains in rainfed production systems. These stressresilient varieties are expected to produce respectable
yields under a range of moisture regimes and are useful for
diversifying and intensifying crops. In addition, the maize
research programmes in partner countries will be equipped
with a rich germplasm base and product pipeline, as well as
the technical know-how to develop climate-resilient maize
varieties. This is expected to bring sustainable supplies of
stress-resilient maize varieties in the long term.
New lines derived from either drought or waterlogging
tolerant populations, including 85 from backcross (BC)
populations, and 144 from biparental populations were
prepared and brought forward for testing in new hybrid
combinations in locations with stress-prone ecologies in
South and Southeast Asia.
In genomic selection studies, the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) were estimated and the best fraction
were then intermated to produce the Cycle-1 population
The population was then ready for marker-only selection
and the fast-track development of stress-resilient maize
germplasm.
The Advisory Service on Agricultural Research for De-
Based on multiple criteria, a set of 18 large-effect genomic
regions for waterlogging tolerance in maize have been
identified, which are strong candidates for marker-assisted
introgression in the Asia-based breeding programmes.
velopment (BEAF) manages Germany’s contribution to international agricultural research. Instruments for implementation are project funding, small grants and liaising
between German and international researchers. BEAF is
Breeder-ready marker assays (KASP assays) have been developed for the 18 genomic regions, which can facilitate the
identification of BC progenies carrying the target genomic
fragments in heterozygous conditions.
Published by
Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Registered offices
Bonn and Eschborn, Germany
Advisory Service on Agricultural Research for
Development
Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1-5
65760 Eschborn, Germany
T +49 61 96 79-2149
F +49 61 96 79-11 15
[email protected]
www.giz.de
Author(s)
P.H. Zaidi
Layout
Nizar Omrani
As at
June 2014
GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication.
part of GIZ and acts on behalf of the Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
In cooperation with
Directorate of Maize Research, New Delhi, M.P. Agriculture
University, Udaipur, A.N.G.R. Agriculture University, Hyderabad
India; Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur,
Bangladesh; National Maize Research Institute, Hanoi, Vietnam;
Institute of Plant Breeding, Univ. of Philippines, Los Banos,
On behalf of
Philippines
Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Division
Special Unit “One World - No Hunger”
Addresses of
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BMZ Berlin
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F +49 (0)30 18 535-2501