Innovations and interventions in enhancing the maize production systems in Nepal

Paper presented in International Conference held at Yak and Yeti Hotel

1. WEL-COME TO ALL
Rajendra Darai, PhD, Coordinator / Principal Scientist(S-5), National Maize Research Program
Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal
Innovations and interventions in enhancing the maize production systems in Nepal
International Conference on Strengthening Maize
Value Chain in Nepal held at Hotel Yak & Yeti,
Kathmandu from 3-4 April 2024

2. • Maize is grown in diverse agro-ecology (Geography: Terai, mid & high hills; Season: winter,
spring & summer), higher water use efficiency, availability of early-full season, hybrids-OPVs,
normal-QPM/biofortified varieties, have diverse uses (food, feed, fodder & fuel)
Maize as crop of opportunities
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2500000
3000000
3500000
1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021
ProductionArea Productivity
Area= 0.98 million ha
Production = 3.10 million tons
Productivity = 3.15 t/ha
• Crop can fit well in diverse crop
rotations and intercropping
options, climate resilient, and highest
yield potential
• Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki
province contributes about 70% of the
total maize production in Nepal
• Mid-hills dominated by OPVs and
hybrids in the Terai, inner Terai and
river basins/foot hills
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
•Area increased by 1.3 times, production 2.5 folds and productivity almost doubled
from 1990 to 2022. Productivity increased by almost 50% after 2010 because of hybrid
intervention (25-30% area covered by hybrids)

3. •Changes in cropping system dynamics: Rice-
Maize, Rice-Mustard-Maize, Rice-Potato-Maize
•Changes in corn utilization pattern: feed,
silage, green cobs & industrial products
•Increasing demand for new products: sweet
corn, & pop corn
•Yellow maize used for feed and white for food
•86% of the maize produced in the hills used for
household consumption and around 80% of
Terai production used for feed industries
•Roughly 3/4
th
of grain maize for feed industries
fulfilledbyimports
•Nearly 4% of hybrid maize seed fulfilled by
domestic production
Others (Brazil, USA,
Turkey, Canada, Thailand,
China, Colombia)
India, 91
Argentina, 6.65 South Africa,
1.11
Others,
1.24
Nepal imported
Rs16.5 billion
maize
https://trendeconomy.com/data/h2/Nepal/1005
Current dynamics, consumption & trade

4. •Rampur Hybrid-8 (2017) and Rampur Hybrid-10 (2017) are the registered heat
resilient maize hybrids.
•Rampur Hybrid-12, Rampur Hybrid-14, and Rampur Hybrid-16 (2022) are the
recently released single cross hybrids.
•Rampur Hybrid-8, Rampur Hybrid-10 and Rampur Hybrid-12 are heat resilient
hybrids whereas Rampur Hybrid-14 and Rampur Hybrid-16 are released for both
Hills and Terai.
•CAH1511 is the pipeline and PVAEQH27 is the promising hybrid
Gaurav Hybrid
RH-2
KH-2
RH-4
RH-6
RH-8
RH-10
RH-12
RH-14
RH-16
2003 2012 2014 2016 2016 2017 2017 2022 2022 2022
RH10
RH-12
RH-14
RH16
Achievements and innovation in maize breeding

5. Achievements in maize breeding..
•Development of single cross full season
hybrids, Heat resilient hybrids, Drought
tolerant hybrids, Water logging tolerant
hybrids, PVA enriched hybrids, QPM
hybrids, and Zn bio-fortified OPVs
•Introduction, evaluation and release of
NLB and GLS tolerance early and full
season OPVs,
•Introduction and testing of pop corn,
sweet corn and silage corn
•Introduction and development of maize
inbred lines, molecular characterization
of maize lines, development of joint
hybrids and digital data capturing
CAH1511 PVAEQH27
CAH1817
CAH193
Water logging tolerant hybrids
Drought tolerant hybrids
Drought tolerant hybrids
PVA enriched hybrids

6. Promising OPVs/High Value Maize
•Early Maize : SO3TEY/SEBAFAUT,
SO3TEY- LN and ZM / POOL17
•POP Corn : Yield: POP 45/POOL 17,
Popcorn Madhaya Pahad Rato and
popcorn 2 and popping quality: popcorn
Jumli (95%), Bhimnagar local (92%)
and popcorn 1 (87%)
•Sweet corn : Yield: Sweet corn-1, ID-
8004 Y (W) and ID- 7991 Y Sweetness:
ID 8007 YRR (20 Brix) and 8007
YRW (19.8 Brix)
•ALFATOXIN Resistant lines: SYN
YF2, PVA SYN-B and ALFATOXIN SYN
YF2-2

Promising OPV FS : KSYNF10Promising OPV FS : O5SADVI
Promising OPV: TLBRSO7F6 Promising OPV: BGBYPOP

7. ALFATOXIN Resistant lines…
SYN YF2(5.7 t ha
-1
)
ALFATOXIN SYN YF2-2 (4.3 t ha
-1
) PVA SYN-B (4.7 t ha-1)

8. Hybrid seed (MT)
4.4
31.4
82.2
112.9
142.5
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
(Target)
Note: Rampur Hybrid-10, Rampur Hybrid-12 and Rampur Hybrid-16 are the commercially used hybrids in seed production.
Scaling out and partnership in hybrid seed production
A joint effort by NMRP/NARC,
HTMA/CIMMYT & Private partners
1.Namuna Kheti Cooperatives, Jhapa
2.Lumbini Seed Company, Rupandehi
3.Krishi Farm, Chandradangi, Jhapa
4.Jute Research Station, Sunsari
5.Bimal Agro-seed Company, Chitwan
6.Dawadi Agro-Farm, Chitwan
7.Agro-9, Madi, Chitwan
8.Gorkha Seed Company, Dang
9.Nasic Seed Company, Dang
10.Gate Nepal, Banke
11.Pancha Shakti Seed Company, Kailali
12.Unique Seed Company, Kailali
13.SEAN Seed Company, Kathmandu

9. Seed production of OPVs in 2022
DistrictsVarieties Seed sold
(2023-24)
Standing
crop, 2024
(ha)
Gorkha
RC - 1
Arun-2 3900 4
Gulmi RC 2200 5
Arghakhachi
Manakamana-7 1280 -
Manakamana-9 - 5
Pyuthan RC 600 5
Rolpa Manakamana-3 200
Deuti - 5
Surkhet RC 4200 5
Maize Sub Total12,380 30
SNCommodities Production
(ton)
BS FS
1 Maize
1.1OPVs (Rampur
Composite, Arun-2, Arun-
4, Mankamana-3,
Mankamana -7,Deuti,
Poshilo Makai-1
20.9059.560
1,2Hybrids (RH-2, RH-4,
RH-8, RH-10, RH-12,
RH-14, RH-16)
1.442
1.3 Inbred lines(RML-150,
RML-18, RML-17, RML-
4, RML-96, RML-95,
RML-86, RML-145, CAL
14137, RML-146)
0.837
A. Source seed production at NMRP B. Seed Production with CBSP

10. Agronomical innovation
•Row planting, plant population management along
with maize hybrids, time of planting for maize
•Weed management: pre-emergence and post-
emergence by herbicide application
•Use of machine for planting, harvesting and weed
management

11. Agronomic …..
▪LCC
30(<4) reading based application of N
saved 30 kg N/ha in maize

▪RH 12 performed best yield (9340 kg/ha)
at 180:60:40 NPK kg/ha with 60 cm x 20
cm spacing (83333 plants/ha)
▪CAH1511 performed higher yield (10148
kg/ha) at 220:60:40 NPK kg/ha with 60 cm
x 20 cm spacing

12. Soil and fertilizer management
•Site specific fertilizer recommendation for Terai and mid-hills based on soil
fertility status
•Application of nitrogen (180 kg/ha) through nano-urea in splits provided the
higher grain yield (NSAF)
• Application of K in split dose in hybrid seed production found effective
A. Terai B. Mid hills

13. 1. Massrearingofeggparasitoids
▪Regulareggmass collection ofFAWfrom
thefieldtoidentifythenatural enemies
▪Identifiedeggparasitoid are Telenomusremus,
Trichogramma chilonis
FAW Larvae rearing for egg collectionCorcyyraeggsforT. remus
Plant protection measures
2. Pheromone lure and light trap
3. Mass rearing of Entmopathogenic fungus
against maize stem borer and FAW

14. Major maize diseases for summer season
Hilly areas above 1200 masl:
•Turcicum Leaf Blight (TLB) and Gray Leaf Spot
(GLS)
River Basin and valleys
•Stalk rot, Maydis leaf blight, Banded leaf and sheath
blight (BLSB)
Terai region below 500 masl
•Stalk rot, ear rot, maydis leaf blight, BLSB and
Stenocarpella leaf blight
BLSB GLS
STALK Rot COMPLEX
BLSB management: SAAF@3 g/l during knee high
and subsequent spray after 15 days interval
Stalk rot management: Seed coating with 5 g
trichoderma+ 5 ml pseudomonas+50 g molasses+ 1 liter
water
Foliar blight management:
•Seed treatment: Carbendazim 50% WP @ 2.5 g/kg of
seed
•Protective spray: Mancozeb 50% WP @ 2.5 g/liter of
water
•Curative spray: Propiconazole (Tilt) 25% EC @ 1.5
ml/liter of water

15. Maize diseases for winter season
Turcicum leaf blight
Stenocarpella
leaf blight
Southern leaf
blight
Location specific and occasional maize diseases
Maize rust
GLS in Chitwan
STALK ROT RESISTANCE:
RL-94/RML-17, RML-139/RML-17, RML97-2/RL-
105, RL-280/RML-96, and RML-981/RML-17
TLB RESISTANCE:
RL_204, RL_257, RL_286, RML_108, RML_109,
RML_136, RML_4, RL_269, RL_272, RL_288,
RML_135, RML_150, RML_172, RML_189, RML_28
SLB RESISTANCE:
RML_98, RL_151, RL_186, RL_204, RL_257,
RL_269, RL_272, RL_279, RL_286, RL_29, RL_290,
RML _145, RML_108, RML_109, RML_135,
RML_149, RML_150
BLSB RESISTANCE: RML _145, RML_191, RL_143,
RL_166, RL_204, RL_97, RML_150 ,RML_17 ,
RML_2, RL_114, RL_12, RL_151, RL_182, RL_203,
RL_269, RL_273, RL_279, RL_285

16. Farm Mechanization innovation

17. Collaboration and Linkages
DoARs

18. Market interventions model
•Seed minikits
•Joint field visits/exposure
•NARC day/Farmer Field days
•Seed and varietal
demonstration
•Seed fairs
•NARC Technology
Village(NTV)
•Market Segmentation Meeting
•Multimedia Campaigns
•Product Branding
•Boards and Signage

19. 19