Agriculture
Drought tolerant maize trait available commercially next year─── SABRINA DEAN 16:57 Mon, 22 Jun 2015
Bloemfontein - Commercial maize farmers will next year have access to a maize variant enhanced with a drought trait expected to make it up to 25% more drought tolerant.
This after the Executive Council for Cultivation in SA recently gave authorisation for cultivation of a new drought trait licensed from Monsanto as part of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (Wema) project.
The Agricultural Research Council’s Dr Kingstone Mashingaidze, who is country coordinator of the Wema project, says they received authorisation last month. He is hopeful that South Africa’s commercial maize farmers will be able to plant the new cultivar by the 2016/17 season:
'Kingstone Mashingaidze - 2016/17 season'
He says the Wema research focuses on two main areas, with the drought trait authorization relating to their work in transgenic or genetically modified technologies:
'Kingstone Mashingaidze - genetically modified'
He says the ARC has also developed two conventional drought tolerant maize hybrids, which were launched by Agriculture Minister Senzeni Zokwana in November last year.
Sabrina Dean/OFM News
'Kingstone Mashingaidze - 2016/17 season':
'Kingstone Mashingaidze - genetically modified':
