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Suggested Citation:"Experiences Around the World." National Research Council. 1988. Quality-Protein Maize: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development National Research Council, in Cooperation With the Board on Agriculture National Research Co. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18563.
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Page 64
Suggested Citation:"Experiences Around the World." National Research Council. 1988. Quality-Protein Maize: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development National Research Council, in Cooperation With the Board on Agriculture National Research Co. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18563.
×
Page 65
Suggested Citation:"Experiences Around the World." National Research Council. 1988. Quality-Protein Maize: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development National Research Council, in Cooperation With the Board on Agriculture National Research Co. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18563.
×
Page 66
Suggested Citation:"Experiences Around the World." National Research Council. 1988. Quality-Protein Maize: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development National Research Council, in Cooperation With the Board on Agriculture National Research Co. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18563.
×
Page 67
Suggested Citation:"Experiences Around the World." National Research Council. 1988. Quality-Protein Maize: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development National Research Council, in Cooperation With the Board on Agriculture National Research Co. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18563.
×
Page 68
Suggested Citation:"Experiences Around the World." National Research Council. 1988. Quality-Protein Maize: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development National Research Council, in Cooperation With the Board on Agriculture National Research Co. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18563.
×
Page 69
Suggested Citation:"Experiences Around the World." National Research Council. 1988. Quality-Protein Maize: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development National Research Council, in Cooperation With the Board on Agriculture National Research Co. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18563.
×
Page 70
Suggested Citation:"Experiences Around the World." National Research Council. 1988. Quality-Protein Maize: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development National Research Council, in Cooperation With the Board on Agriculture National Research Co. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18563.
×
Page 71

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8 Experiences Around the World Although quality-protein maize (QPM) is still new, experiences with it are beginning to accumulate in various parts of the world. A number of them are summarized here. LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Many countries of Latin America and a few of the Caribbean are now evaluating QPM at the farm level. The recent QPM entries have demonstrated yields comparable to those of normal maize (table 8.1). Mexico Numerous trials at Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT) have evaluated tropical, subtropical, and highland QPM materials in various parts of Mexico. A few varieties (most notably Composite I, Puebla opaque-2, and a highland modified opaque-2 composite) are now being grown on a small scale by farmers in the state of Michoacan. Other materials TABLE 8.1 Performance of QPM in Experimental Variety Trials, 1983. Entry Mean yield (kg per ha) Percent of normal check Trial 1 (25 locations) Across 8039 4,077 98 Poza Rica 8140 4,546 110 Across 8140 4,443 107 Across 7726 normal (check) 4,145 100 Trial 2 (8 locations) Tlaltizapan 8141 5,195 105 Across 8141 4,978 100 Across 7941 (check) 4,809 97 Antalaya (1) 8141 4,711 95 Across 7845 normal (check) 4,967 100 SOURCE: CIMMYT, 1985a. 64

EXPERIENCES AROUND THE WORLD 65 TABLE 8.2 Performance of Variety Nutricta in a Central American Regional Variety Trial, 1983. Yield (kg per ha) Percent of check QPM (Nutricta) 5,298 98 Normal maize (ICTA-B,) 5,235 98 CENTA H5 (check) 5,397 100 Los Diamantes 8043 5,248 97 Tocumen 7428 5,095 94 La Maquina 7727 4,780 88 ICTA HB-83 6,189 114 CENTA HE 20 6,008 111 SOURCE: CIMMYT, 1985a. (Tuxpeno-1 QPM and Poza Rica 8140) are being multiplied for pig- feeding trials. Also, Mexico's biggest breadmaking company is testing QPM in snack foods and other products with an eye to commercializing them. El Salvador In farm-field tests, QPM has shown slightly higher yields than the hybrid that is currently the most popular farm variety in El Salvador (grown on 40 percent of the maize land). In lowland tropical areas, one QPM (CENTA M5B) showed a per-hectare yield of 5,534 kg compared with the common-maize hybrid (H-3) yield of 5,460 kg. In other trials, the top experimental QPM variety (HE 20) outyielded (at 7,390 kg per hectare) the best experimental hybrid in the country. Guatemala Guatemala, one of the leaders in QPM research, has been growing QPM varieties since 1981. In 1983, it became the first country to release a variety for commercial production. Named Nutricta, it is an open-pollinated, hard-endosperm QPM (known to CIMMYT as Tux- peno-1 H.E.o2). It has demonstrated a yield potential of more than 4 tons per hectare at the farm level (table 8.2). In 1986, Guatemalan farmers planted 140 hectares of it. Efforts are under way to produce enough seed for planting this variety on more than 1,000 hectares. Building from the Nutricta source population, Guatemalan research- ers have developed new varieties that seem to be more uniform, have better husk cover,1 and have demonstrated even higher yields. Guatemala is a model example of how a country may adopt QPM. Two institutions—Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia Agricolas (ICTA), and Instituto de Nutrici6n de Centro America y Panama (INCAP)— 1 Having husks that cover the tip of the ear tightly is important for reducing ear rots and bird damage.

66 QUALITY-PROTEIN MAIZE FIGURE 8.1 A Guatemalan farmer shows to CIMMYT scientists ears of Nutricta, a QPM variety, harvested at a demonstration plot in the Salama area. (M. Castillo) are introducing the crop. They have set up a joint board to hasten its adoption. The board, now known as the Nutricta Commission, is composed of representatives of the seed industry, the food industry, the government, ICTA, and INCAP. From the beginning, there have been almost no problems in producing seed or in getting farmers to grow it. Indeed, there have been too many requests for seed. (As a result, in 1985, two Guatemalan farmers each produced 50 tons of QPM seed for sale to government agencies and other farmers.) There are high expectations that this spontaneous enthusiasm will remain and that QPM cultivation will continue to expand. The Nutricta Commission now forecasts that within five years some 10 percent of all Guatemala's maize will be QPM. Demonstration plots (average size 0.5 hectares) have been established in 89 rural locations (figure 8.1). Although Guatemala has many microclimates, 60 percent of the area devoted to maize is in the tropical lowlands where the Nutricta variety is adapted. There, Nutricta has far outproduced the local variety. It has yielded as much as many of the superior normal-maize varieties included in agronomic evaluation trials.

EXPERIENCES AROUND THE WORLD 67 Several pilot studies have tested QPM's acceptance in the poverty- stricken, maize-consuming populations who live on coffee plantations. In one, bags of QPM were distributed to more than 400 families, and the grain was accepted as well as, or better than, the varieties of maize usually available. In another, 636 tons of QPM were produced in various maize-growing areas of Guatemala over a period of three years. The producers included small landholders, landless laborers, and large-scale maize farmers. These experiences suggest that the varieties used posed no problems of lower yields or more sophisticated agricultural practices. This project also monitored QPM storage on the coffee plantations and in households, and was unable to detect any higher losses than with common maize. Other Central American Countries Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic are all evaluating inbred QPM lines with the goal of producing QPM hybrids. Costa Rica is a particularly promising target country because its government decrees that all tortillas must be nutritionally enriched. Currently, its tortilla flour is enriched with 8 percent soybean meal— a product that must be imported. QPM, by comparison, could be grown domestically. Honduras has one QPM variety (Tuxpeno-1 H.E.o2, locally called Nutridia) that is being multiplied on two hectares for on-farm trials. Colombia Colombia is testing progeny of QPM germplasm derived from CIMMYT QPM Populations 61, 62, and 63. Venezuela Venezuelan researchers are testing an experimental QPM variety (Across 7740). So far, yields have been good in the field and 40 tons of seed have been produced. The goal is to use QPM for arepas, a flat, unleavened, roasted maize product that Venezuelans eat at breakfast. Results show that food grits from QPM are 4-5 percent below normal in yield. Chances are good, however, that the latest QPM versions, with their more vitreous endosperms, will do better. Peru Peruvian researchers are working on experimental varieties derived from several QPM populations. Tuxpeno-1 QPM, Opaco Huascaran (Comp J), and experimental varieties from CIMMYT's population 40 have performed well and yielded more than 5 tons per hectare. Researchers are testing QPM as a part of a program to boost maize production in the coastal and forest areas of the country. Opaco Huascaran has been released to farmers.

68 QUALITY-PROTEIN MAIZE Bolivia Bolivia is growing about 15 hectares of two QPM varieties (Tuxpeno opaque-2 and Chuquisaca 7741) on a small scale in a subtropical area, primarily for pig production. Brazil Brazil ranks third in the world in maize production, with about 21 million tons produced annually. In addition, malnutrition in many of its urban slums and in the poverty-sticken Northeast is severe. So far, QPM has not been released for commercial use, but Brazilian maize breeders are testing CIMMYT QPM varieties extensively. Their goal is to create inbred lines from which hybrids adapted to local needs can be developed. Paraguay In 1985, Paraguayan researchers released one QPM variety, called Nutri Guarani V-241 (Population 66 from CIMMYT). Its yields are somewhat lower than normal maize, but it matures more quickly. Argentina Although extensive maize production does not necessarily make a country a candidate for QPM, Argentina produces more than 13 million tons of maize annually and it has a substantial swine industry. It is currently increasing some QPM materials for use in pig-feeding trials. EUROPE Europe is a significant maize-growing region. The Soviet Union's annual production averages about 14 million tons; Romania and Yugoslavia each average over 10 million tons; Italy (6.7 million tons) and Hungary (7.5 million tons) are also important producers. The crop is grown in France, West Germany, England, and other nations as well. There has been extensive work with the soft-endosperm opaque- 2 varieties and, more recently, with QPM as well. Given the level of human nutrition in these countries, QPM should principally benefit the animal feed industries. However, the potential exists for marketing QPM-based snack foods, breakfast foods, and other consumer products in which enhanced nutritional qualities could be selling points. AFRICA QPM has particular promise for Africa, notably for Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, and other countries

EXPERIENCES AROUND THE WORLD 69 that have large concentrations of often malnourished refugees. In addition, Africa's livestock industry is increasing and QPM also has potential there. In general, Africans prefer white maize, and it is noteworthy that some of the most promising QPM materials do indeed have white grain. Senegal In Senegal, seed of QPM materials (Obregon 7740 and Temperate White QPM) is being increased and evaluated in on-farm tests. It seems likely that they will be recommended for large-scale adoption. Ivory Coast Experiment stations at Serkessedougou and Bouake have been testing CIMMYT QPM materials. Population 66 (late, yellow-dent QPM) was the best entry in the first test. Its yield was measured at 7,128 kg per hectare. The best normal-maize check measured at 6,466 kg per hectare. South Africa2 In a research program conducted over a period of more than two decades, the South Africa Department of Agriculture has developed a commercial hybrid of opaque-2 maize. In 1987, the cultivar called "HL2" was released to seed companies. It is best adapted to Natal province, and trials conducted by the Summer Grain Centre demon- strate that it is agronomically comparable to many of the common- maize hybrids cultivated on a large scale in South Africa. Frequently, it even surpasses them in yield, resistance to disease, and other agronomical characteristics (table 8.3). Of 49 commercial maize hybrids tested in the Department of Agriculture national cultivar trials in the 1983/84 season, HL2 achieved the second highest average yield. The trials were conducted at five locations in Natal. At three of them, it achieved the highest yield. In cases where it gave lower yields, any disadvantage was reduced or even cancelled out by its extremely good resistance to ear rot. Serious ear-rot epidemics broke out in parts of the maize-growing area during 1986 and 1987, and HL2 yielded a higher percentage of first-grade maize than did the common-maize cultivars. In the 1984/85 season, this hybrid also showed the highest resistance to streak disease. In 1977 trials, the Animal and Dairy Science Research Institute substituted high-lysine maize for ordinary maize in standard diets for pigs. The results indicated a savings of 22 percent on the fish-meal component usually included in pig diets as a quality-protein source. 2 This section based on information from H.O. Gevers.

70 QUALITY-PROTEIN MAIZE TABLE 8.3 Performance of South African High-Lysine Maize. Cultivar Percent rotten cobs Grain yield Percent total lodging Percent sprouting Cobs per plant QPM HL2 5.45 5.20 9.05 17.59 1.12 Normal Maize PNR 6549 6.20 5.56 9.37 16.57 1.15 RO405 6.80 4.84 8.15 10.74 0.% SSM 2045 7.19 5.00 12.62 12.89 1.05 RS 5206 7.23 5.13 12.51 10.92 0.98 PNR 6514 7.35 5.26 6.89 14.27 1.09 SOURCE: South Africa Summer Grain Centre. The normal-maize figures are for the top five cultivars out of 49 tested in the Centre's national cultivar trials (1986/87 season). A feedstuff's amino-acid composition is less important to cattle, sheep, and other ruminants than it is to monogastric animals such as pigs. However, experiments at the Animal and Dairy Science Research Institute found that weanling calves fed HL2 in whole form increased their daily weight gain approximately 28 percent over those fed common maize. ASIA Asia is also promising for QPM. It has the largest population of swine in the world and has extensive maize-growing areas. China QPM materials have shown good prospects for cultivation in China, particularly in the southern regions. One (Tuxpeno-1 QPM) has already outyielded normal maize. From a small quantity of CIMMYT seed, breeders now have grown 15 hectares of this variety to produce seed for distribution to farmers. QPM has also been evaluated in pig-feeding trials, with favorable results. Chinese geneticists have, with CIMMYT help, set up their own populations of QPM. From these, they are selecting for modifiers. In northern China, with its temperate climate, inbred lines are being extracted from CIMMYTs tropical and subtropical QPM germplasm. One of these is already being used in an experimental hybrid. India India, too, is a promising target for QPM. It produces more than 7 million tons of maize each year, and the use of QPM could prove

EXPERIENCES AROUND THE WORLD 71 enormously beneficial. It may prove of particular local importance in the mountain and hill areas of the Punjab and the northwestern provinces where maize is a major food crop. Indian scientists are conducting trials using QPMs from CIMMYT, but so far none has been released for farm production. Vietnam Vietnam has recently released a QPM variety based on CIMMYT's Population 63.

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