University of Ilorin in Kwara State has announced the registration and release of its first drought-tolerant and striga-resistant hybrid, ILOMAZ 3 maize.
In a statement culled from the university’s weekly bulletin on Monday, it was stated that the hybrid maize is considered revolutionary.
The statement said that the proposal for the registration and release was presented by a senior lecturer in the Department of Agronomy, Dr. Folusho Bankole, at the 38th meeting of the Technical Sub-Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties at the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) recently.
Dr. Bankole said that ILOMAZ 3 was developed and tested in collaboration with scientists from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo state; the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria; and the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Moore Plantation, Ibadan.
“The previously released varieties (ILOMAZ 1 & 2) are already in high demand, which is a result of the seed drop and other promotional activities carried out by an agricultural extensionist, Dr. Kemi Omotesho, who is the Acting Head of the Department of Agricultural Extension & Rural Development; and Socio-economist, Dr. Grace Akinsola, on the Accelerating Genetic Gains (AGG) in Maize project.
“We are confident that when these varieties find their way into the hands of our farmers, they will change the agro-landscape, empower resource-limited farmers, and provide succour to end-users in the Guinea Savannah of Nigeria”, she said.
Reacting to the development, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Oluyemisi Fawole, expressed her excitement “to have the registration and release of the first hybrid (ILOMAZ 3) maize by a team of researchers from my Faculty”.
She also said that “maize consumers in the Guinea Savannah and Rain Forest of the South-West Nigeria have already embraced earlier released ILOMAZ 1 & 2 and are bound to enjoy ready availability of affordable, good quality maize in the nearest future with the release of this hybrid variety”.
While assuring the university community and other stakeholders of more groundbreaking and collaborative research outputs from the Faculty, Professor Fawole praised the research team led by Dr. Bankole, for their outstanding work.
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