Identification and performance of early maturing pro-vitamin A (PVA) maize under combined drought and heat stress.

Abstract

The impact of climate change on maize production and low maize yields highlights the crucial need to improve yield in drought prone zones in West and Central Africa (WCA). Climate change projections suggest higher temperatures within the areas. Therefore, there is need to identify and develop maize cultivars tolerant to combined drought and heat stress (CDHS). An increase in temperature above 30oC reduces yield by 1% under optimal (rain-fed) condition, 1.7% under drought stress (DS) and up to 40 % under CDHS. The objective of this study is to identify traits that contributed to better performance of maize yield under CDHS. Two hundred and six early maturing PVA hybrids and four commercial checks were used for evaluation inKadawa Nigeria for two years. Highly significant (p < 0.001) differences were found among hybrids for grain yield and other measured agronomic traits. Moderately high to low heritability values were detected for grain yield under CHDS (0.46) and under optimal condition (0.85). Hybrids TZEIOR 172 x TZEIOR 108 and TZEIOR 202 x TZEI 25 were tolerant to CDHS and were high-yielding and stable across environments having the potential for improving nutrition and maize yields in SSA. These hybrids could be further tested for possible release.