Corn Varieties (Zea Mays L.)
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® VALIDATION OF IMPROVED OPEN-POLLINATED CORN VARIETIES (ZEA MAYS L.) IN 28 SITES OF THE CHOLUTECA AND SOUTHERN PARADISE, DEPARTMENTS OF HONDURAS - FEBRUARY 2016 2 Table of contents 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5 2. SUMMARY 7 3. INTRODUCTION 9 4. GENERAL OBJECTIVE 11 VALIDATION OF IMPROVED VALIDATION OPEN-POLLINATED OPEN-POLLINATED CORN VARIETIES CORN 4.1 Specific Objectives 11 L.) (ZEA MAYS IN 28 SITES OF THE CHOLUTECA AND OF THE CHOLUTECA SITES IN 28 DEPARTMENTS PARADISE, SOUTHERN 2016 - FEBRUARY OF HONDURAS 5. MATERIALS AND METHODS 13 5.1 Training and dissemination activities 13 5.1.1 Training phase 13 5.1.2 Diffusion Phase 13 5.2 Cultivars evaluated 14 5.3. Participating organizations and location of plots 14 5.4 Statistics analysis and calculations done 16 5.4.1 Environmental Indices 16 5.4.2 Adaptability analysis (AA) 16 5.4.3 Descriptive Statistics 16 5.4.4 Risk analysis technology 17 5.4.5 Economic analysis 17 5.4.6 Data Reporting 17 6. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 19 6.1 Training and promotion events 19 6.2 Environmental indices 20 6.3 Grain yield 22 6.4 Yield components 24 6.5 Environmental adaptation 25 6.6 Economic analysis 28 6.7 Risk Analysis 28 7. CONCLUSIONS 31 8. RECOMMENDATIONS 33 9. BIBLIOGRAPHY 35 10. ANNEXES 36 2 3 VALIDATION OF IMPROVED OPEN-POLLINATED CORN VARIETIES (ZEA MAYS L.) IN 28 SITES OF THE CHOLUTECA AND SOUTHERN PARADISE, DEPARTMENTS OF HONDURAS - FEBRUARY 2016 4 VALIDATION OF IMPROVED OPEN-POLLINATED CORN VARIETIES (ZEA MAYS L.) IN 28 SITES OF THE CHOLUTECA AND SOUTHERN PARADISE, DEPARTMENTS OF HONDURAS - FEBRUARY 2016 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This validation document of improved varieties of We express a deep gratitude to male and female corn was made possible bythe financial support farmers of the Local Agricultural Research of GlobalAffairs Canada. CARE-PROSADE wants to Committees whowere meaningfully involved express its gratitude to all the technicians of the in the processes of establishing and managing organizations involved as co-implementingpartners, the validation plots as well as the participatory in this case SUR en ACCION, the Triunfeña processes of analysis for decision-making in Development Association(ADETRIUNF) and the the identification of theOlanchano QPM-03 PerspirenseDevelopment Association (ADEPES) who improved corn variety. supported the organization of Local Agricultural Research Committees (CIAL´s) as well as the Special attention marks are expressed to establishment and monitoring of validation test plots the manager of the PROSADE project, Serge as part of theirtechnical assistance to this project’s Lantagne for his successful and innovative component. vision by including agricultural research as an axis of work in the agricultural production Thanks also to the Directorate of Agricultural Science component of the project. His positive and Technology (DICTA) of the Ministry of Agriculture leadership, strategic guidance and human 1 and Livestock (SAG) for providing improved seeds for quality always motivated the successful the establishment of the validation test plots as well development of the work. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS as the farm plot within the La Lujosa experimental station used as the test and production site for We express our deep gratitude to the guaranteed corn seeds. technical team of Agricultural Production component of CARE-PROSADE project: Special thanks to the Master in ScienceRoger OlmanGaleas, Nancy Raudales, JairoArtola and UrbinaAlgabas who served as technical adviser JhalmarMaradiaga for their dedication and on behalf of the International Center for Tropical commitment to the process of participatory Agriculture (CIAT) for CARE-PROSADE. His knowledge, agricultural research, which was implemented technical qualifications and professional ethics according to the technical and methodological contributed significantly to the results obtained in establishedguidelines. the agricultural research axis implemented by the PROSADE project. 4 5 VALIDATION OF IMPROVED OPEN-POLLINATED CORN VARIETIES (ZEA MAYS L.) IN 28 SITES OF THE CHOLUTECA AND SOUTHERN PARADISE, DEPARTMENTS OF HONDURAS - FEBRUARY 2016 6 VALIDATION OF IMPROVED OPEN-POLLINATED CORN VARIETIES (ZEA MAYS L.) IN 28 SITES OF THE CHOLUTECA AND SOUTHERN PARADISE, DEPARTMENTS OF HONDURAS - FEBRUARY 2016 2 SUMMARY VALIDATION OF IMPROVED OPEN-POLLINATED CORN VARIETIES (ZEA MAYS L.) IN 28 SITES OF THE CHOLUTECA AND SOUTHERN PARADISE, DEPARTMENTS OF HONDURAS – FEBRUARY 2016. Jhalmar E. Maradiaga O.1 Roger Urbina Algabas2 OlmanGaleas3 Nancy Raudales4 Starting with the second season planting cycle of 2012, the Promoting Food Security and Economic Development in the basins of the Choluteca and Negro rivers (PROSADE) project, financed with funds from Global Affairs Canada and implemented by CARE International in Honduras, through the Agricultural Production component, started participatory agricultural research with improved corn varieties, in comparisonwithlocal varieties used by project male and female beneficiary farmers. The participatory process was implemented using the Local Agricultural Research Committees (CIAL´s) methodology. At the field level, three stages were implemented: two of which 1 Watershed and Sustainable were research oriented aimed to identify the improved variety Agriculture Coordinator, of the PROSADE Project of CARE which is best adapted to local agro-ecological conditions (tests International in Honduras; in strips and validation plots) and a thirdstage aiming to raising 2 Plant Gene Engineer and 2 Consultant of the International awareness about thebest identifiedseed varietyamongst tested Centre for Tropical Agriculture for ones. The validation stage of the evaluated cultivars described CARE-PROSADE; 3 Technical Watersheds and in this paper was implemented during the second season sowing SUMMARY Sustainable Agriculture Technician cycle of 2013. of the PROSADE Project, CARE International in Honduras. 4 Technical Watersheds and The work objective was to identify improved varieties of corn Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator, PROSADE Project, CARE adapted to the environmental conditions of the Departments of International in Honduras. Choluteca and of the South of El Paraiso. 6 7 Validation plots were established for the For each cultivar and farmers’varieties, variables purpose of generating information on the and descriptive statistics were calculated as well production, agronomic and vegetative health as variable grain yield.Also, environmental indices performance (adaptability) of the improved were calculated and an adaptability analysis was maize varieties (Zea mays L) open-pollinated, applied(Simple linear regression). Economic analysis DICTA Sequía and Olanchano QPM - 03, was also done with the partial budget method of compared to local varieties used by farmers in CIMMYT and risk analysis of the technology. 28 sites in the municipalities of El Corpus (9) in the Department of Choluteca and in Liure The results showed that in both favourable (10) and Soledad (9) of the Department of and unfavourable environments and even with El Paraíso. Both Departments are located in different handling by male and female farmers, the Region 13 of the Gulf of Fonseca, in the dry average productivity of the Olanchano QPM - 03 corridor of Southern Honduras. Through the variety washigherthan the DICTA Sequía variety CIAL´s participatory process,producershave and the varieties used by farmers. The average participated in the identification and performanceacross all test sites were: Olanchano development of the best corn seed variety to QPM - 03 1,980 kg / ha, DICTA Sequía 1,880 kg / be disseminatedin their areas. ha and farmers’ varieties 1,824 kg / ha. In terms of percentage, Olanchano QPM-03 exceeded the DICTA Agricultural technicians and farmers were Sequía by 5% and by 8% the farmers’ varieties (1,824 trained in the methodology of the Local kg / ha); the outcome of the economic analysis shows Agricultural Research Committees (CIAL´s), a marginal return rate (TRM) of 206%, therefore we for planting, farm monitoring, data collection can infer that in most cases the farmers’ varieties can analysis and interpretation of results in the be replaced by the improved Olanchano QPM - 03 areas of technology validation (AVT). variety. The TRM indicates that for every dollar spent when using the Olanchano QPM - 03 seed variety, the In total 58 events were held, distributed farmer can expect to recover their dollar invested in between training sessions on participatory the purchase of seed plus an additional USD $ 2.06 agricultural research, validation of for each kg of grain produced. technological options, feedback meetings and field days. Attendance was of a total of Another interesting result observed was the 714 people, distributed among agricultural behaviour of local varieties used by farmers in technicians and farmers (374 men and 340 unfavourable environments; even if they did not women). It is very important to highlight the outperform Olanchano QPM - 03, they showed participatory process applied to this process, a tendency to improve productivity when soil since male and female farmers involved in conservation practices and appropriate agronomic the CIAL´s had the equal opportunity to and health management are used; in these cases the appreciate on their own plots the benefits performance matched and in some cases surpassed and shortcomings of tested varieties. the DICTA Sequía improved variety. 8 VALIDATION OF IMPROVED OPEN-POLLINATED CORN VARIETIES (ZEA MAYS L.) IN 28 SITES OF THE CHOLUTECA AND SOUTHERN PARADISE,