Tropical Parasitology

Abstract

Maize is the most-produced cereal worldwide. In Africa alone, more than 300 million people depend on maize as their main food crop. In addition, maize is also very important as feed for farm animals. Currently, approximately 1 billion tons of maize are grown in more than 170 countries on about 180 million hectares of land. 90% of the world’s production is yellow maize, but in Africa, 90% of the total maize production is white maize. Maize production in Africa is very low: while the average yield worldwide is approximately 5.5 tons/hectare/year, production in Africa stagnates at around 2 tons/hectare/year. In Africa, maize production is continuously and severely affected by a number of threats, such as weeds, insects, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, fungi, low quality seed, low levels of mechanization, suboptimal post-harvest management, drought and climate change. Currently, damage caused by stem borers, grain borers, fall armyworms and Striga can completely destroy the maize yield, and drought also has an enormous impact on yield. Erratic rain patterns, inadequate farming methods and drought stress can lead to 70-100% crop loss, which is dramatic for both farmers and consumers, as the whole food chain is affected. To continue to guarantee maize food and feed security in Africa, good agricultural practices, intercropping, new hybrids obtained by conventional and marker-assisted breeding, and genetically modified (GM) plants are valuable tools to develop varieties with increased yield and resistance to pests, weeds, diseases and drought. Many maize kernel components such as starch and proteins are very nutritious. However, (white) maize lacks provitamin A and the important amino acids lysine and tryptophan. Therefore, several breeding programs develop new maize varieties with enhanced lysine and tryptophan levels. Children consuming this maize variety showed a clear increase in growth rate and weight. Vitamin A-enriched maize varieties have already been developed and commercially released.