QUALITY PROTEIN MAIZE A Guide to the Technology (QPM) and Its Promotion in Ethiopia Adefris Teklewold, Dagne Wegary, Abraham Tadesse, Birhanu Tadesse, Kassahun Bantte, Dennis Friesen and B.M. Prasanna CIMMYT – the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center – is the global leader in publicly-funded maize and wheat research-for-development. Headquartered near Mexico City, CIMMYT works with hundreds of partners worldwide to sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat cropping systems, thus improving global food security and reducing poverty. CIMMYT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium and leads the CGIAR Research Programs on MAIZE and WHEAT. The Center receives support from national governments, foundations, development banks and other public and private agencies. © 2015. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). All rights reserved. The designations employed in the presentation of materials in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of CIMMYT or its contributory organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. CIMMYT encourages fair use of this material. Proper citation is requested. Correct citation: Adefris Teklewold, Dagne Wegary, Abraham Tadesse, Birhanu Tadesse, Kassahun Bantte, Dennis Friesen and B.M. Prasanna, 2015. Quality Protein Maize (QPM): A Guide to the Technology and Its Promotion in Ethiopia. CIMMYT: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Abstract: This guide book introduces the nutritional benefits of QPM over conventional maize varieties and presents a brief overview of its historical development. It also provides information on QPM varieties available for commercial production in different agro-ecologies of Ethiopia and the agronomic management practices required for seed and grain production. It further presents a general guide on how to establish field demonstration plots and conduct field days on QPM varieties. It is meant to serve as a reference for extension experts, farmers and other stakeholders who are involved in the production, demonstration, and extension of QPM in Ethiopia. To some extent, it would be a useful source of information to health professionals who are involved in health extension, and to students and teachers in agricultural training centers such as Agricultural, Technical and Vocational Educational Training (ATVET) colleges. QUALITY PROTEIN MAIZE A Guide to the Technology (QPM) and Its Promotion in Ethiopia Adefris Teklewold, Dagne Wegary, Abraham Tadesse, Birhanu Tadesse, Kassahun Bantte, Dennis Friesen and B.M. Prasanna Nutritious Maize for Ethiopia (NuME) Project CIMMYT, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Table of contents List of tables .......................................................................................................................................... iii List of figures ......................................................................................................................................... iii Definitions ............................................................................................................................................. iv List of abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... v Acknowlegments .................................................................................................................................... vi 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Purpose of this guidebook ................................................................................................... 1 2. What is QPM? ............................................................................................................................. 2 2.1. Genetic background ............................................................................................................. 2 2.2. History of QPM development ............................................................................................... 4 2.3. Nutritional Benefits of QPM .................................................................................................. 5 2.4. QPM Germplasm Development in Ethiopia .......................................................................... 7 3. QPM varieties, their characteristics and adaptation .............................................................. 8 3.1. Open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) .......................................................................................... 8 3.2. Hybrid QPM varieties ........................................................................................................... 9 4. QPM variety maintenance ....................................................................................................... 13 4.1. Preventing QPM Grain Contamination in farmers’ fields .................................................... 13 4.2. Recycling of QPM seeds .................................................................................................... 14 5. QPM field management/agronomy ........................................................................................ 15 5.1. Spacing and plant population density ................................................................................ 15 5.2. Soil nutrition ....................................................................................................................... 16 5.3. Pest management .............................................................................................................. 16 5.3.1 Weeds and weed management ................................................................................. 16 5.3.2 Major maize diseases and their management ........................................................... 17 5.3.3 Major insect pests of maize and their management .................................................. 19 6. Post-harvest management ...................................................................................................... 20 6.1. Grain storage ...................................................................................................................... 20 7. Conducting QPM Field demonstrations ................................................................................. 22 7.1. Selecting demonstration plots ........................................................................................... 22 7.2. Selecting farmer cooperators ............................................................................................. 22 7.3. Demonstration plot layout .................................................................................................. 23 7.4. Choice of QPM and control varieties ................................................................................. 23 7.5. Planting and thinning .......................................................................................................... 24 7.6. Fertilization ......................................................................................................................... 24 7.7. Pest management .............................................................................................................. 25 7.8. Monitoring and yield data collection .................................................................................. 26 8. Organizing field days ............................................................................................................... 27 8.1 Preparing the demonstration plots ..................................................................................... 27 8.2 Promoting the field day ...................................................................................................... 27 8.2.1 Announcements and invitations ................................................................................ 27 8.2.2 Encouraging women’s participation .......................................................................... 28 8.2.3 Conducting the field days ......................................................................................... 28 8.3 QPM utilization demonstration ........................................................................................... 29 8.3.1 Food preparation and demonstration ........................................................................ 29 8.3.2 Food sensory evaluation (triangle test) ...................................................................... 29 8.3.3 Procedures for conducting the triangle sensory test in a field day setting ............... 30 8.4 Information messages ........................................................................................................ 30 9. References and further reading .............................................................................................. 32 ii List of tables Table 1. Lysine and tryptophan levels as percentages of total protein in whole grain flour of conventional and QPM (o2o2) genotypes . ....................................................... 2 Table 2. QPM varieties released in Ethiopia and their agro-ecological adaptations, disease reactions, and agronomic characteristics ................................................................. 8 Table 3. Recommended plant density and spacing of different QPM varieties in different agro-ecologies