UNILORIN, IITA researchers develop ILOMAZ-1 maize breed to boost production

By Onome Amuge

Researchers at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin,in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, have developed a new breed of maize, named ILOMAZ-1.

Gbolagade Adesiji, erstwhile dean of the UNILORIN agriculture faculty, disclosed the new development in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Adesiji also said the grain has been approved for release and cultivation by farmers in the southern Guinea Savanna and rain forest ecologies of the South-Western part of Nigeria.

Commenting on the development,GbadeboOlaoye, another former dean of the faculty, added that the faculty had, in 2007, constituted a maize team composed of soil scientists and economists in collaboration with IITA.

Olaoye said that all varieties of maize were treated for their yield potential, adaptation and quality.

He added that the research team for maize was subdivided into three zones in the country and that Unilorin handles the southern savanna and the rain forest.

The university don explained that the Unilorin research team tested for varieties in its allotted zone and the yellow grained maize variety was one of the nine maize varieties that were termed open-pollinated and hybrids.

He added that the maize varieties, through the National Committee of the Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds and Fisheries, have been approved for release and cultivation by farmers in different agro-ecologies of Nigeria by the National Variety Release Committee (NVRC).

According to Olaoye, the maize is an open-pollinated variety, well suited for farmers to harvest and plant for the next season.

He further assured farmers that the grains would be readily available to them during the 2021 growing season.