Abstract

Afghanistan grows maize in about 0.15 m ha with an annual production hovering around 300,000 tonnes. The country does not have any officially released commercial maize hybrid and relies only on open pollinated varieties for cultivating maize. The countries in region enjoy much higher productivity levels ranging from 3.5 to 5.00 tonnes per ha compared to 2.2 tonnes per ha of Afghanistan. Several maize hybrids were introduced from CIMMYT to test them for adaptation and yielding ability in Afghanistan for the purpose of releasing them in the country. The three public sector maize hybrids described in this communication were tested at several locations viz., Nangarhar province, Kabul, Baghlan and Helmand in Afghanistan during 2012 to 2014 crop seasons. The hybrids/inbreds bred by CIMMYT were tested against the currently grown open pollinated (OP) varieties and they yielded on an average 31 to 38% higher than the currently popular open pollinated maize varieties. The hybrids were released for commercial cultivation in 2014.

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