THE OPV
ECOSYSTEM BREEDING PROJECT
PERIOD: 1
JANUARY – 30 APRIL 2006
The objective
of the project is to stabilize household food security through the
following:
-
Developing
and disseminating ecologically adapted open pollinated maize
varieties
-
Involvement
of farmers in maize technology generation and dissemination
-
Avoiding the
dependence of farmers on commercial seed producers through educating
smallholder
resource
poor farmers on seed multiplication and varietal maintenance
techniques.
Release of the two
synthetics, March 2002: ZM421 and ZM521 were
the first two open pollinated varieties to be approved for commercial
production in Zimbabwe after the Government ban of open pollinated
varieties production in the country in the 1970s. One-year data of the
ecosystem evaluation was used in supporting the release of these two
varieties.
Regional workshops, August
2002: Three regional workshops on open
pollinated maize varieties and OPV seed productions were held with
farmers, NGOs, seed companies and extension personnel. The workshops
organized in Harare, Masvingo and Bulawayo were attended by more than
200 stakeholders. A discussion paper entitled ‘An Insight into Open
Pollinated Varieties’ was presented by the breeder. These workshops
mapped out the way forward in OPV promotion and production in the
country.
Trial Management Training
Workshop, November 2002: Ten host farmers,
one Farming System Research Unit officer, six Agritex Extension
officers and six ZIRRCON (NGO) staff were trained in Masvingo
Province, to coordinate trials and demonstrations in their respective
districts.
Release of Matuba OPV by a
local seed company, February 2003: An input
of the national research evaluation was requested and supporting data
for the release of this OPV by a private seed company was obtained
from the OPV Ecosystem Trials Data, which was obtained from on-farm
evaluations across the country over the past two seasons.
Pilot home gardens, March
2003: The gardens for the OPV Seed Growing
Program were established in Chivi Communal at Gomana Village. The
village with 125 households will embark on winter seed production of
four open pollinated varieties namely ZM421, ZM521, NTS88 and Matuba.
Pedigree Inbred
Development Program: The segregating
populations were initiated in 2000/01 with the intentions of feeding
into the national hybrid and ecosystem breeding development program.
The segregating populations are being evaluated under managed drought
stress, and artificial inoculation of Maize Streak Virus and Grey
Leaf Spot diseases. Three hundred and sixty three segregating
populations have also been sent to Kakamega (Kenya) for Turcicum
evaluation.
