Development And Release Of Indigenous Maize Hybrids To Enhance Maize Yield In North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan

Abstract

Maize is the second most important summer cereal crop, after wheat, in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) occupying more than 27% of the total cropped area of the province. This crop is grown on about 0.530 million ha of land with grain production of 0.820 million t annually, having a very low average yield of 1.6 t ha^-1 compared to an achievable potential yield of 10 t ha^-1 in the NWFP. Such a low average yield is primarily due to a widespread use of low-yielding open-pollinated maize cultivars by farmers in the province. Hybrid-oriented maize breeding research work for the development of indigenous maize hybrids was initiated in the public sector at the Cereal Crops Research Institute (CCRI) Pirsabak Nowshera in the year 2000. The main objective was to evolve single-cross maize hybrids of high yield potential, white kernel and low to medium maturity for the environments of NWFP. A large number of replicated field experiments, both on-station and on-farm, were carried out in 2005 and 2006 to evaluate the experimental hybrids. Grain yield, Stover yield and maturity were among the important traits used in these investigations. A highest grain yield of 9.84 t ha^-1 and a Stover yield of 30.56 t ha^-1 with maturity earlier than other hybrids, including a leading maize hybrid of private sector (Pioneer-3025), were observed for one of the experimental hybrids, FRW-2 X FRW-8 with very few exceptions. This hybrid was invariably found higher yielding and early maturing compared to other hybrids included in the trials. Results of these investigations provided a sound basis for the approval of this experimental hybrid by the Provincial Seed Council and its registration by the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department for commercial cultivation in the NWFP in the name given Kiramat.

Key words: Maize hybrid, grain yield, member of the society of teachers of the Alexander technique (MSTAT).