More bang for your buck: potential gains through optimizing maize breeding schemes in sub-Saharan Africa

Increasing the rate of genetic gain in breeding programs is a critical component of crop genetic improvement strategies to increase yields in smallholder farmers’ fields. While a growing array of technologies and tools are being deployed within breeding programs, optimizing resource allocation could provide a simple yet effective way to increase genetic gain, particularly within resource-constrained breeding programs. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that an easy-to-use deterministic model and a breeding costing tool could identify key modifications to improve the efficiency of breeding within the Zimbabwean national maize breeding program. The current program uses pedigree inbreeding, with a 4–1–1 tester scheme, and relatively low selection intensity. The method of inbreeding, test-crossing schemes, and selection intensity were modified within the current program budget. A combination of using doubled haploid lines, a 2–2–1 tester plan, and increased selection intensity improved gain per cycle by 42.8%, gain per year by 161.8%, gain per dollar by 43.1%, and decreased cost of one unit of genetic gain by 28.5% without a change in budget. Our results highlight how a simple deterministic model can identify steps to greatly improve breeding efficiency within resource-constrained breeding programs

Genetic trends in the Kenya Highland Maize Breeding Program between 1999 and 2020

Optimization of a breeding program requires assessing and quantifying empirical genetic trends made through past efforts relative to the current breeding strategies, germplasm, technologies, and policy. To establish the genetic trends in the Kenyan Highland Maize Breeding Program (KHMP), a two-decade (1999–2020) historical dataset from the Preliminary Variety Trials (PVT) and Advanced Variety Trials (AVT) was analyzed. A mixed model analysis was used to compute the genetic gains for traits based on the best linear unbiased estimates in the PVT and AVT evaluation stages. A positive significant genetic gain estimate for grain yield of 88 kg ha−1 year−1 (1.94% year−1) and 26 kg ha−1 year−1 (0.42% year−1) was recorded for PVT and AVT, respectively. Root lodging, an important agronomic trait in the Kenya highlands, had a desired genetic gain of −2.65% year−1 for AVT. Results showed improvement in resistance to Turcicum Leaf Blight (TLB) with −1.19% and −0.27% year−1 for the PVT and AVT, respectively. Similarly, a significant genetic trend of −0.81% was noted for resistance to Gray Leaf Spot (GLS) in AVT. These findings highlight the good progress made by KHMP in developing adapted maize hybrids for Kenya’s highland agroecology. Nevertheless, the study identified significant opportunities for the KHMP to make even greater genetic gains for key traits with introgression of favorable alleles for various traits, implementing a continuous improvement plan including marker-assisted forward breeding, sparse testing, and genomic selection, and doubled haploid technology for line development