Maize in Asia: Trends,

Challenges and Opportunities

BM Prasanna Director, Global Maize Program

CIMMYT, Int. Email: b.m.prasanna@cgiar.org

Maize in the Developing World

• About 73 per cent of 153 million ha of maize area worldwide in 2010 was located in the developing world.

• Together with rice and wheat, maize provides at least 30% of the food calories to more than 4.5 billion people in 94 developing countries.

• Preferred staple food to 900 million poor people (< 2 USD per day)

Maize in Asia

Country Area

(mha)

Production

(mmt)

Yield

(t/ha)

India 8.50 21.00 2.47

Indonesia 3.15 8.40 2.67

Philippines 2.65 6.80 2.57

Pakistan 1.05 3.00 2.86

Nepal 0.85 1.70 2.00

Bhutan 0.04 0.07 1.56

Afghanistan 0.15 0.30 2.00

Source: USDA (Dec 2010)

Country Area

(mha)

Production

(mmt)

Yield

(t/ha)

China 31.50 168.00 5.33

Vietnam 1.20 5.50 4.58

Thailand 0.97 3.90 4.02

Laos 0.31 1.55 5.00

Cambodia 0.18 0.70 3.89

Turkey 0.49 4.00 8.15

USA 32.89 318.52 9.69

Developing 111.70 405.93 3.63

World 152.51 765.47 5.02

Countries <3 t/ha Countries >3 t/ha

Eight major maize-producing countries in Asia – China, India, Indonesia,

Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam –together, now

produce 98% of Asia’s maize and 26% of global maize.

Each dot equals 50,000 ha

Maize becomes No.1 crop in China since 2007

Chinese maize belt

Source: National Bureau of Statistics, 2010

The ever increasing demand

• During 2003-08, maize production increased annually by 6.0% in Asia, as compared to 5.0% in Latin America, and 2.3% in sub-Saharan Africa.

Between now and 2050, the

demand for maize in the

developing world will double,

and by 2025 maize will have

become the crop with the highest

production in the developing

world (~490-500 mmt)!

Maize consumption in China

Drivers for maize demand in Asia

Maize use for feed in the seven major Asian countries (China,

India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam)

has more than tripled from 29 m t in 1980 to 109 m t in 2000!

Impressive progress in India, but not quite enough!

Source: Dr Sain Dass

Poultry production in India

2002 2009

(in millions)

Broiler 1250 2000

Layer 155 290

Broiler breeder 9.25 15.9

Layer breeder 1.6 3.2

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

2200

2400

2600

1995

2000

2005

2.65 m t 8.3 % growth

Egg production

1150

1350

1550

1750

1950

2150

2350

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Broiler production

2.4 m t 8.5 % growth

Volatility of Maize Prices

Maize imports for developing country

economies will increase 24% by 2050 –

equalling USD 30 billion.

In order to meet global demands,

we will need

60-70% more food

by 2050.

Food security is at risk due to climate change....

Drought => large annual yield fluctuations in both sub-Saharan Africa and Asia

Year

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Gra

in y

ield

(t

ha

-1)

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

Maize

Rice

Wheat

Alleviating the effects of drought alone could increase average maize

yields by 35% across “Asia-7” (excluding China), and by 28% in Southwest

China (Gerpacio and Pingali, 2007).

Heat stress is becoming an increasing reality, coupled with drought stress, in many maize growing regions in Asia…

• Episodes of intense rainfall, leading to flooding

• 20 million ha affected in South and Southeast Asia

Excess water – a recurring theme in some regions

Waterlogging-prone areas in South & SE Asia

An array of biotic stresses in the tropics and subtropics

TLB GLS

Ear rots Weevils

Special Issue: Climate Change and Plant Diseases

Stress seldom comes alone….

Reduced yields

Mycotoxins

Ear rots – low quality

Stressed plants

Drought & Heat Stress

Mycotoxin contamination

Kenya Malawi Nigeria Uganda Ghana Indonesia Nepal Mexico

Production (M tons)

2,367,237 3,444,655 7,525,000 1,266,000 1,100,00 17,659,067 1,878,648 24,320,100

Grain loss (%) 20-25 20-25 5-10 20-25 5-10 6-17 4-22 10-25

Mycotoxin incidence (%)

25-30% above 20 ppb

9% above 20 ppb aflatoxin

27% 30% above 20 ppb; 50%

up to 10 ppb aflatoxin

65-80%; 30-2000 ppb aflatoxin

47%; >50 ppb aflatoxin

50-83%; >50 ppb aflatoxin

20-89%; >20 ppb aflatoxin

A serious problem in many maize-growing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, affecting long-term health of humans and animals, trade and export markets.

Sustainability Concerns

• Water: Lowering water

tables and reduced

availability of water for

agricultural purposes

• Nutrient depletion:

Nepal, NE India,

Myanmar, NE

Thailand….

• Soil erosion: S China,

SE Asia

• Deforestation: SE Asia

• Increasing fertilizer

costs, fertilizer scarcity

An era of challenges will always be an era of uncommon opportunities!!

Abiotic stress tolerant germplasm being

developed through managed stress screening…

Drought

Waterlogging

Heat

Drought Tolerant Maize Varieties for Africa

53 Drought tolerant maize varieties developed under DTMA

by CIMMYT & IITA in partnership with 13 African countries,

occupying nearly 2 million hectares.

CIMMYT DT Maize Lines suitable for South & SE Asia

Elite DT lines from CIMMYT-Mexico,

Zimbabwe & Kenya evaluated for drought

tolerance

Lines from CIMMYT DT-populations,

adapted to the tropical Asian region:

• Early maturity – Yellow (Pool 18 Seq)

• Early maturity – white (Pool 16 BN Seq)

• Medium maturity – Yellow (DTPY c9)

• Medium maturity – white (DTPW c9)

• Late maturity – Yellow (Pool 26 Seq)

• Late maturity – White (LP C7& TS c5)

PH Zaidi & team, CIMMYT-India

Emphasis on heat tolerance of elite products

DTMA Pedigree GY (t ha-1)

91 CML311/MBR C3 Bc F12-2-2-2 0.63

238 DTPYC9-F46-1-2-1-2 0.59

. La Posta Seq C7-F64-2-6-2-2 0.55

62 CML435 0.49

231 DTPYC9-F143-5-4-1-2 0.46

44 CML442 0.19

Trial mean 0.24

Combined heat and drought donors

Drought tolerance ≠ heat tolerance ≠ Drought + heat tolerance

Philippines takes lead in approving / commercializing

Bt maize and Glyphosate tolerant maize

In Philippines, about 200,000 small farmers planted 350,000

hectares (ha) of Bt maize farms in 2008, as compared to the

10,769 ha in 2003, when the crop was approved for

commercialization. (ISAAA)

Disease Phenotyping

Improved maize germplasm from CIMMYT-Colombia, Mexico and

Zimbabwe helps hill maize farmers in Nepal and Bhutan…

Yellow QPM variety

Non-QPM Variety (ICAV305)

On-farm trials of two GLS-resistant maize varieties in the hills of Bhutan,

along with local check Yangtsipa

Gray Leaf Spot

Maize Streak Virus

Turcicum Leaf Blight

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

0e

+0

01

e-0

42

e-0

43

e-0

44

e-0

45

e-0

46

e-0

4

Sliding windows-chromosome 2

Marker

Va

r

Fine mapping and

developing breeder-

ready markers for some

major maize diseases

Nutritionally enriched maize in Asia

Poshilo Makai-1 Yunrui-1 (QPM + GLS resistance) Yunrui-8 (QPM + high oil)

QPM version of Vivek Hybrid-

9 (using CML as donors) HQPM-1 (parents derived using

CML161 and CML163)

MAS in breeding for Provitamin A enriched maize

+

+

MAS for LycE MAS for CrtRB1

Deep

orange

ears

Increase in β-carotene

from 1-2 ppm to >10 ppm

Science (20 Nov 2009)

Palomero genome about 22% (140 Mb) smaller than that of B73. Large number of unreported sequences => large pool of unexplored genetic diversity

Next-generation sequencing and HT genotyping

Solexa

454/FLX

AB SOLiDTM

Genotyping-by-Sequencing

• GBS developed at Cornell

– data for 500,000 SNPs

and indels for $30 per

sample at 96-plex

sequencing (low depth,

high coverage).

• Buckler lab is successfully

implementing 384-plex

sequencing, which should

reduce run costs to

<$15/sample.

• GBS cheaper than yield

testing at one location!

Genomic Selection

● Proposed by

Meuwissen et al.

(2001)

● Complete coverage

of genome with

markers – high

density genotyping

● All QTL in linkage

disequilibrium with at

least one marker

● No QTL size

thresholds needed

● No concerns of

missing heritability

and Beavis effect

Rapid-cycle genomic selection

DH technology for accelerated maize breeding

DH line development with in vivo

haploid induction approach

Induction of haploidy

Artificial chromosome doubling

Haploid

plants

Doubled

haploid

plants

Donor Inducer

Coupling DH development with MAS for key traits can greatly

enhance breeding efficiency.

Temperate inducer

Tropically adapted haploid inducers

New tropical Inducer lines

Induction rate ~10%

George Mahuku and Team at CIMMYT-Mexico, in collaboration with Univ. of Hohenheim

Phenotypic capabilities are evolving!

Development of a new

generation of

automated / semi-

automated technologies

to monitor plant

characteristics and

performance

Precision phenotyping

• Advances in phenotyping

should not be construed

only from the viewpoint of

instrumentation.

• Characterizing field sites,

experimental designs,

selection of appropriate

traits, and statistical

methodologies, all have an

equally important role to

play in phenotypic data

collection and utilization.

Seeds of Discovery (SeeD), a project funded by Mexico for the benefit of the World Maize Community

Cultivars

Breeding Programs Introgression

Pipeline

Gene Bank

Parental stocks Accessions Breeding materials

Web Portal

Information

Trait values

Environ-mental adaptation

Genetic makeup

Common backgrounds

Generating high quality phenotypic data of genetically heterogeneous populations

Genotyping/resequencing using next-generation sequencers Identifying favorable alleles/haplotypes for developing improved

germplasm with a broader genetic base

Conservation agriculture and enabling policies have to complement genetic enhancement

• Improving system productivity

• Nutrient cycling

• Site specific nutrient management

• Increased fertilizer, water and fuel use

efficiencies

SIMLESA

CSISA

Farmer in Gujarat accessing the web (IBM India, 2010)

Precision agriculture for smallholders possible….

Human Resources in Asia

“It is not the strongest of the species who

survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one

most responsive to change.”

Let us be the difference we want to make to the world!