Nigeria’s first multiple-stress resilient maize hybrid combining tolerance to fall armyworm and drought, with resistance to Striga hermonthica

In collaboration with Nigeria's Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) released a medium-maturing top-cross maize hybrid that combines tolerance to fall armyworm and drought with resistance to Striga hermonthica as SAMMAZ77. Compared to the previously released drought-tolerant and Striga-resistant hybrid commercialized in Nigeria (SAMMAZ50), SAMMAZ77 achieved 5-35% higher yields under combined stressors of fall armyworm infestation, Striga parasitism, and severe drought. This hybrid outperformed SAMMAZ50 by 13-164% in seven out of nine testing locations under rainfed conditions. Additionally, SAMMAZ77 showed 14-41% yield advantages over SAMMAZ68 (a 3-way cross TEGO hybrid released in Nigeria) in two of the Nigeria's four major maize-producing states. On-farm trials conducted across four states further demonstrated 33-132% yield increases for SAMMAZ77 compared to farmers' preferred maize varieties. These results position SAMMAZ77 as a critical innovation for sustaining maize productivity in Nigerian savannas, where overlapping biotic and abiotic stresses threaten crop production.

This breakthrough underscores IITA's commitment to research-based solutions that address real-world challenges.

Working through strong partnerships with national research systems, CGIAR centers, the private sector, and farming communities, IITA is ensuring that improved varieties of crops like maize, cassava, cowpea, yam, soybean, plantain, and banana are reaching those who need them most, empowering farmers and improving food systems in Africa.