Faith Bankole and colleagues set out to find maize cultivars that could resist multiple diseases, which would benefit smallholder farmers and increase the production of quality maize for food and feed. Using rapid, efficient, and cost-effective laboratory methods, they screened over 100 maize genotypes for resistance to foliar diseases and aflatoxin contamination—finding seven early-maturing (EM) and six extra-early (EEM) maize inbred lines with superior resistance to three major pathogens, plus ten inbreds with resistance that also had significantly reduced aflatoxin accumulation.
The EM and EEM inbreds with multiple disease resistance (MDR) discovered in this study are being tested extensively in hybrid combinations. Hybrids with good agronomic attributes, high yield, and MDR will be released for commercialization. Smallholder farmers that implement the use of these maize hybrids can reliably produce greater, safer yields.
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American Phytopathological Society
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Inbred to well-fed: Maize breeding efforts to improve food security and safety in Africa (2022, November 16)
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