IITA’s new maize hybrid delivers on yield, resilience in Nigeria
SAMMAZ77 achieved 5–35% higher yields under combined stressors of fall armyworm infestation, Striga parasitism, and severe drought.
NIGERIA – The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in collaboration with Nigeria’s Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), has released a medium-maturing top-cross maize hybrid, SAMMAZ77, that combines tolerance to fall armyworm and drought, with resistance to Striga hermonthica.
Under several different conditions, SAMMAZ77 outperformed the previously released drought-tolerant and Striga-resistant hybrid (SAMMAZ50), a 3-way cross TEGO hybrid (SAMMAZ68), and farmers’ preferred maize varieties, all in Nigeria.
SAMMAZ77 achieved 5–35% higher yields under combined stressors of fall armyworm infestation, Striga parasitism, and severe drought.
It further outperformed SAMMAZ50 by 13–164% in seven out of nine testing locations under rainfed conditions, and showed 14–41% yield advantages over SAMMAZ68 in two of Nigeria’s four major maize-producing states.
In addition, SAMMAZ77 demonstrated 33–132% yield increases compared to farmers’ preferred maize varieties, during on-farm trials conducted across four states.
These results position SAMMAZ77 as a critical innovation for sustaining maize productivity in Nigerian savannas, where overlapping biotic and abiotic stresses threaten crop production.
Beyond boosting yields, innovations like SAMMAZ77 also play an important role in safeguarding food safety, an often overlooked but critical outcome of resilient agriculture.
How does this benefit food safety?
With these pest-tolerant and weed-resistant innovations, food safety concerns are not left behind. By reducing reliance on chemical pesticides and herbicides, this new variety contributes to better management of chemical contaminants in the food system.
Pests like fall armyworm cause significant damage to corn ears, creating wounds that invite fungal infections and increase the risk of mycotoxin contamination, posing significant health hazards.
Fall armyworm-tolerant varieties, therefore, help maintain healthier crops, lowering the risk of both contamination and pesticide residues. Their effectiveness is further enhanced when integrated with other pest-management strategies such as the use of biopesticides.
Striga hermonthica-resistant crops, meanwhile, reduce the need for herbicides, cutting down chemical use, and improving environmental and food safety.
IITA’s reach and impact
IITA is ensuring that improved varieties of crops like maize are reaching those who need them most, empowering farmers and improving food systems in Africa.
They are able to achieve this by working through strong partnerships with national research systems, CGIAR centers, the private sector, and farming communities.
As the major agricultural research organisation in Africa, IITA has research and administrative hubs and stations spread across the continent, divided into West, Central, East, and Southern regions, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa.
It is present in 26 African countries and uniquely positioned to meet the continent’s needs and deliver tailored research goals directly to communities.
This breakthrough, therefore, underscores IITA’s commitment to research-based solutions that address real-world challenges.
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