The Zimbabwe maize breeding program
1986
Olver, R.C. (Crop Breeding Institute, Harare (Zimbabwe))
Much of the credit for the success of Zimbabwe's maize breeding program must go to the early farmers, who as amateur plant breeders mass selected early open-pollinated varieties until they were elite, high-yielding, well-adapted populations. The fact that these early open-pollinated varieties gave excellent inbred lines that are still in use today is a strong argument in favor of population improvement as a long-term source of germplasm in any breeding program. Since population improvement is such a long-term process, any breeding program should also have short-term sources of improved germplasm. Recycling existing elite inbreds and selfing good, introduced hybrids can yield promising new inbreds in a relatively short time. Research is well directed and meaningful only if the research worker has a direct link with the farmer. Researchers should involve themselves in on-farm trials as a way to experience the real constraints of crop production. Small-scale production could be increased by establishing optimum plant stands, returning organic matter to the soil, and improving the moisture-holding capacity of the soils. For the high-altitude areas of southern Africa, US Corn Belt germplasm can be useful when it is recycled with adapted local germplasm.
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