Improving the maize productivity in India: Progress, challenges and opportunities

R. Sai Kumar DMR, INDIA

Status of Maize

Maize ranks as 3rd most important cereal in India

Maize area has slowly expanded over the past few years from 6.6 mha to 8.6 mha (2002-2011)

During the same period the productivity is also increasing gradually (1.6 t/ha to 2.6 t/ha)

Maize demand will continue to increase in view of increasing demand in poultry and livestock sectors in the country

Maize is a promising option for diversifying agriculture due to its resilience to changing climate

Utilization Pattern of Maize in India

INDIA Brewery 1 %

Starch 11 %

Food 24 %

Cattle Feed 11 %

Seed 1 %

Poultyr Feed 52 %

Growth Rate- Maize Vs other cereals (1995 to 2010)

0.71.2

4.7

-3.5

3.2

-0.3

0.2

2.4

-2.7

-0.4

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Rice Wheat Maize Sorghum Bajra

Gro

wth

Ra

te %

Area

Production

Adoption of Single Cross Hybrid Technology

The low yield during the one and half decades back was mainly due to the cultivation of OPV’s and F2 seed, where the farmers were unable to purchase the F1 seed

The increase in maize area during last one and a half decades could be due to assured realization of crop yields, low pest and disease incidence and an assured price to the farmers

The increase in production is due to the spread of the maize in non-traditional areas

The productivity increase can be ascertained due to cultivation of promising single cross hybrids under assured irrigation particularly during winter

The fluctuations and low production and productivity in certain years during last one decade was mainly due to drought and erratic rainfall where the crop suffered during flowering and post flowering stages

Factors for Increased Maize Production

7

2.6

Avg. Yield

(Mt/Ha)

Insect&

Disease

Protection SCH

Weed

Control

Drought

Tolerance

50-75%

? %

Developed

Countries

(Mt/Ha)

Integration of Irrigation, nutrient and post harvest

management practices to sustain the productivity

20%

5.00

9.0

Developing

Countries

(Mt/Ha)

Closing Gap Ideas

15%

China

USA

India

Technologies for Improving Productivity

Development of long, medium and short duration single cross hybrids

Development of high yielding QPM single cross hybrids

Development of super sweet corn (sh-2) single cross hybrids

Development of popcorn single cross hybrids with high popping quality

Development of single cross hybrids with high oil content (>6.0%)

Development of single cross baby corn hybrids

Strategies to Further Increase Maize Production and Productivity

Short Term Strategy

Facilitate immediate disposal of SCH to target environments

Screening of available elite germplasms for different traits

Testing in high density planting

Classifying male and female parents

Making cross combination

Developing Single Cross Hybrid suitable to particular region

Grouping them based on Extra early, Early, Medium and Late duration

Long Term Strategy Development of hybrid oriented germplasm

Long term screening for abiotic stress tolerant

germplasm

Developing Base materials which are tolerant to

stress like drought, water logging, temperature,

salinity

Grouping of Germplasm based on genetic potentials

Broadening Genetic Bases of source materials in long term vision

Identification of suitable material subject to particular location specific stress

Making cross combinations and production of ideal hybrids

Target sustainable production and productivity of maize

Biotechnological tools for Maize Improvements

Marker Aided Selection (MAS)

Screening for Disease resistance

Drought tolerance, High Yield

Conversion of normal maize to QPM, β Carotene

Transgenic technology

Pest and Disease resistance

Improved drought tolerance

Herbicide Tolerance

Low Phytase maize

Doubled Haploid Production through Haploid Inducers

Rapid production of inbred lines

High success rate of Induction

Development of Inbreds as vigor as Hybrids

Potential for Crop Diversification

Andhra Pradesh Winter Rice

Karnataka

Maharashtra

Cotton, Rice

Sorghum, Cotton

Targeting the Non-traditional Areas

Expanding area under SCH in

Eastern, North Eastern states.

Result demonstration of SCH

in tradition land race growing

areas of Jammu and Kashmir

region

High productivity of SCH Maize

during Rabi season (9-10t/ha)

Potential for further enhance of

Maize

Dissemination of quality SCH

seeds through PPP mode is a

strong link for increasing the

maize production

New Conservation Practices

Maize on Permanent Beds after Wheat Zero till Maize after Rice

Higher yield and profit

15 to 20 % low Cost

Save fuel and water

Improve soil health

Resource Conservation Technology (RCT)

Promotion of Mechanization

Andhra Pradesh & West Bengal farmers get benefited in different ways:

1. Exposure to modern agronomic practices

2. It imparts safety consciousness to seed farmers

3. Agriculture is weaned away from traditional to streamlined enterprise

4. Guaranteed buy back of produce by seed companies

5. Ancillary enterprise development like transport operators, godown and container facility services etc

6. Good infrastructure development like road, transportation, power availability etc

7. Employment Opportunity

8. Improve social facilities like school, Hospitals etc

Seed Village Concept

Eastern India: West Bengal-Midnapur, KrishnaNagar; Bihar-Muzafurpur, Begusarai

Western India: Gujarat-Himatnagar; Rajasthan- Udaipur

Central India: Madhya Pradesh-Chindwada, Indore, Ratlam ; Maharashtra-Aurangabad, Ahmednagar

Southern India: Karnataka-Bellary, Raichur, Shimoga; TN-Salem; AP-Guntur

Northern India: Punjab-Haryana-Eastern UP in Rabi, Uttarakhand in spring

Alternate Sites for SCH Seed Production

Production and Distribution of Quality Seeds

Area under SCH is keep on Increasing, there is a need to produce quality seeds of SCH

Involvement of KVKs for Parental Seed Production by Imparting training to KVKs for SCH seed Production

Public Private Partnership(PPP) - Public sector hybrids are easily disseminated by entering Memorandum Of Understanding(MOU) with Private seed industries

Example:

Green Gold Seed Ltd. of Aurangabad signed MoU with CCS HAU for seed production of HQPM 1 and HM 4

Vikky Agro. Tech., Sampurna Seeds & AB Seeds Ltd, Hyderabad entered MoU with ANGRAU for seed production and marketing of DHM 117

India is 3rd largest egg producer and 5th largest poultry

meat producer in the world

Maize accounts for most of the energy in the feed and

poultry feed provides the link between maize and

poultry sectors

8-10mt of maize is required for poultry feed every year

and it is over 50% of total annual production

Poultry industry have buy back mechanism with

maize farmers

Maize farmers have assured market and reasonably

reliable income

Poultry industry is more concentrated in Peninsular

India and employs about two million people

Private sector controls roughly 80% of total poultry

production in the country

Maize in Poultry Industries

Promotion of Quality Protein Maize

Solution to Food

&

Nutritional Security

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

QPM Normal maize Wheat Rice

Bio

log

ical v

alu

e (

%)

Cereals

Biological value of different cereals

Low cost quality protein compared to milk

Meet the energy and protein needs of infants and children

Improve growth rates in young children

Protein requirements of adults

Prevent and cure protein deficiency diseases, Kwashierkor, in young children

Impact of QPM on Human Being

Impact of QPM on Poultry and Piggery

• Gains in body weight • Feed efficiency Improved • Low cost feed • Less feed required

QPM -- 3.5 : 1 Normal -- 8.2 : 1

Piglets grew 3.5 times faster on opaque-2 than on normal maize

Piggery Poultry

High yielding hybrids of specialty corn increase output and thereby Income levels

Increased income levels provide economic surplus for increased standard of living

Economic sufficiency paves the way for appreciating and implementing newer farm technologies/ agronomic practices hereby starting a profitable corn cropping trend

This trend has a multiplicative effect in that other neighboring farmers too follow suit

All in all it ends up in a win-win situation for farmers and seed industry

Role of maize in furthering farmer’s livelihood

Specialty Corn – for Livelihood Security

Grown round the year

Check rural-urban migration

Employment generation-work to every hand

More income in shortest possible time

Quality fodder for livestock promotion

No additional land for green fodder

Export potential due to Low cost Production

Value addition & intercropping - increase profitability

Prospects & Potential of Baby corn

20 high value crops

Pea, Potato, Colecrops, Fenugreek, Coriander, Beetroot, Spinach, Gladiolus etc. intercropped with BC.

Rs6750-78750/ha Additional income

Recommended Fertilizer of both the crops

Maize yield was not affected

Maize Intercropping-System

Maize + Pigeon Pea Maize + Cotton

Maize + Radish Maize + Cauliflower

Profitability (Rs/ha)

BC + Pea

BC + Potato

BC + Knolkhol

BC + Radish

BC + Fenugreek

BC Sole

Profitability of Baby Corn Intercropping Systems

Potential for Increasing the Profitability of Peri Urban Agriculture

SWEET CORN & POP CORN

Internal and External Consumptions

High Profitability

Transfer of Technology Imparting trainings to KVKs for Parental Seed Production Training To Farmers for Single Cross Hybrids Seed Production Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) Result Demonstration of SCH in non traditional areas like J&K, Tribal belts of Gujarat, MP,CG Adoption of Model Villages e.g. Baby corn Village of Atterna, Haryana Promotion of Value added Products of QPM Promotion of Sweet corn, Pop corn cultivation for high income Development of Community Village for Seed marketing and Buy back arrangements

For marketing and Procurement of maize seed

Generation of income by procuring maize

Ensuring minimum support price

The women got kudos from the World Bank for their

bold endeavor in agri-marketing

Procured 8.62 lakh Quintal (Rs 46.5 crores) through

90 Procurement centre in Three months

Earned Rs 45 Lakhs Commission by selling maize to

Andhra Pradesh Market Federation in Telangana

Region (Deccan Chronicle, dt: 13-3-06)

Creation of Self Help Groups (SHG’s)

Success Story of Women Self Help Group (SHG)

(Deccan Chronicle, dt: 13-3-06)

Legacy of New Single Cross Hybrid – Late Maturity

PMH 1

Medium Maturity Single Cross Hybrid

HM 9

Single Cross Hybrids - Quality Protein Maize

HQPM 5 HQPM 1

HQPM 7

To realize genetic potential yield of maize the single cross

hybrid technology is the solution

It is an appropriate technology for sustainable agriculture

and deserves to be promoted on large scale by both public

and private sector

Identification of productive seed parent as female to

minimize cost of seed production

Identification of suitable male parent with dense tassel with

longevity of pollen shedding

Development of stress tolerant germplsam

Early maturing single cross hybrids for drought/ excess water

Conclusion

Seed technology research for new products

Agronomic packages for rain fed situations

Strengthen research on hybrid technology for unfavorable

environments

More emphasis for seed production under marginal areas

Total yield increased resulting from genetic and non genetic

causes