Abebe Menkir, Ibnou Dieng, Melaku Gedil, Wende Mengesha, Muhyideen Oyekunle, Priscillia F Riberio, Gloria Boakyewaa Adu, Abdoul-Madjidou Yacoubou, Mmadou Coulibaly, Folusho A Bankole, John Derera, Bunmi Bossey, Nnanna Unachukwu, Yinka Ilesanmi, Silvestro Meseka
Drought represents a significant production challenge to maize farmers in West and Central Africa, causing substantial economic losses. Breeders at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture have therefore been developing drought-tolerant maize varieties to attain high grain yields in rainfed maize production zones. The present review provides a historical overview of the approaches used and progress made in developing drought-tolerant hybrids over the years. Breeders made a shift from a wide area testing approach, to the use of managed screening sites, to precisely control the intensity, and timing of drought stress for developing drought-tolerant maize varieties...
February 20, 2024: Plant Genome