Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Participatory selection of a maize (Zea mays L.) variety for the control of stem borers in a southeastern Nigeria location

Author(s):

G. Olaoye ^1*, S.O. Ajala ², S.A. Adedeji ³

Recieved Date: 2009-05-19, Accepted Date: 2009-09-30

Abstract:

Participatory varietal selection is premised on the basis that only a small percentage of varieties developed by breeders are eventually utilized because farmers are left out of the selection process. Consequently a total of 275 farmers were engaged in the promotion of stem borer resistant maize varieties in the stem borer endemic maize growing ecologies of southeastern Nigeria over a three-year period. Results obtained revealed the superiority of the two tested stem borer resistant varieties over the local check with one of them, Ama-TZBR-W, being more preferred by farmers. The preferred variety had better overall appeal, increased number of ears harvested and almost a four-fold increase in the number of marketable cobs when compared with the local check under the predominantly intercropping pattern practiced in the region, especially in the late cropping season, a season with high incidence of borer infestation. Furthermore, cost-benefit analysis of the introduced technology showed a return of N35 for every Naira invested by the farmer on cultivation of resistant maize variety in the study area. Nonetheless, an acceptable maize variety for cultivation in the area should in addition to having borer resistance to ensure yield stability, must also have well filled cobs and good storability, two essential attributes for food security.

Keywords:

Zea mays L., stem borer infestation, resistant variety, participatory selection, pairwise comparison

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2009
Volume: 7
Issue: 3&4
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 508-512

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :