Muscled Maize

　　Disease-resistant hybrid set to bolster Kenyan farmers

　　A crop disease that almost decimated the maize stocks of East Africa four years ago is now being fought back with painstaking research by Kenyan scientists. A new maize hybrid， known as Wei 101， promises to prevent maize lethal necrosis (MLN) by up to 96 percent， saving farmers from devastating financial losses. The hybrid has undergone field trials and will be available to farmers in the next few months.

　　The new maize variety was developed indigenously by scientists from the Nairobi-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (known by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT)， Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)， and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.

　　“There are other hybrid seeds being developed all over East Africa in research stages，” Dr. Stephen Mugo， a scientist with CIMMYT， told ChinAfrica. “Scientists from the region are trying to develop other varieties that are resistant to MLN and more than 40 varieties are being experimented with. This new variety will help stem the spread of MLN.”

　　MLN is a viral maize disease caused by a combined attack of the maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and the sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). First reported in the Americas in the early 1970s， the disease resurfaced four years ago in Kenya as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo， Tanzania， Rwanda， South Sudan， Uganda and Ethiopia.

　　It does not harm humans but can be passed on from plant to plant through cross-border travel， said Dr. Anne Wangai， chief scientist at the KALRO and one of the first scientists to discover the disease in Kenya in 2011. One of the main symptoms is premature drying of cobs with stunted growth.

　　“There is little quarantine along borders [for MLN] as it is difficult to detect in humans. [But] it can destroy almost the entire maize yield within a very short time，” Wangai added.

　　According to Mugo， new strains of MLN， which are highly virulent， have emerged， posing a challenge to scientists. The phenomenon has triggered efforts to develop maize hybrids that are resistant to the strains.

　　Mugo said a major cause of MLN is continuous maize cultivation in different regions， which allows it to spread and build up in farms. “Based on studies we did here in Kenya， avoiding continuous [cultivation] can eliminate the disease 100 percent，” he said. However， as maize is a staple crop， it has to be grown on a continuous basis， exacerbating the problem. Other causes of the disease are polluted irrigation water and infected soil.

　　A major initiative that has helped reduce the disease is the education of farmers， who have been made aware of the need to use certified seeds when cultivating crops.

　　George Ngundo， a laboratory technician at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service， said the disease is partly due to farmers being sold tainted seeds by dealers pretending to be state agricultural inspectors. Punitive measures taken against such fraudulent dealers in Kenya and across the region are working， he said.

　　In the research for seed treatments to prevent MLN， more than 1，000 maize seedlings tested for the disease since December were found to be disease-free， said Ngundo. Kenya has 19 registered seed companies that produce over 33，000 tons of maize each year.

　　The prices of maize and its products are high as Kenya is spending more on imports. According to a report by BMI Research， the London-based agency providing financial information services， in 2014-2015 Kenya’s maize production is expected to be around 2.9 million tons， while consumption is expected to be 3.8 million tons. Consequently， the expected demand for imports is 900，000 tons. The local consumption volume is compounded by the fact that as of early May 2015， Kenya was also hosting about 590，000 refugees and asylum seekers， according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Maize prices have， consequently， risen at an alarming rate. According to the University of Nairobi’s Department of Agricultural Economics， they are now 48 percent higher than the prices in 2011， when MLN first struck Kenya.

　　Kenyan farmers are being urged to diversify their crops， switching to other products with better export prices in the international market.

　　“If the initiative succeeds， we can reduce the high dependence on maize， fight [MLN] and improve food security，” Wangai said.

　　(Reporting from Kenya)

　　By Gitonga Njeru