Company creates maize seed variety resistant to virus

Anew maize seed variety that is resistant to a lethal virus has been developed.

Kenya Seed Company Managing Director Willy Bett said the breakthrough would be officially unveiled during a research field day expected to be attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta at Endebess Wednesday.

“We have developed a maize seed variety that is showing high resistance to the Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease, which has affected parts of the country,” Mr Bett told journalists at the company’s headquarters in Kitale on Tuesday.

The disease is caused by a combination of the sugarcane mosaic and the maize chlorotic mottle viruses, which are transmitted by aphids and thrips, respectively.
Mr Bett said the firm had also come up with another maize seed variety, known as Ua Kayongo, that is resistant to the striga weed common in western Kenya.

SOLUTION

“We now have a solution for most of the farmers in the former Western Province, who have been realising poor maize yields. We have begun with 52.9 metric tonnes,” the managing director said.
He dismissed claims by some farmers that poor yields had been due to low quality seed, saying the company supplies quality inputs.

“Farmers should know that good seed alone cannot guarantee high yields if proper crop management is not practised,” said Mr Bett.
The new varieties have not yet been given official names.

Agricultural experts have also attributed poor maize yields to the continued use of DAP fertiliser. The say the input has caused the soil to become acidic, making it less productive.

The company boss urged farmers to always buy maize seed from accredited stockists to avoid the fake ones manufactured by fraudsters.