Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Maize, Volume 1: From Improved Varieties to Local Applications

by Dave Watson (Editor)

Maize is one of the most important and widely grown cereal crops in the world and is a staple food for almost a billion people, particularly in the developing world. It has been estimated that maize yields need to increase by 60% by 2050. There is an urgent need to increase yields in the face of such challenges as climate change, threats from pests and diseases and the need to make cultivation more resource-efficient and sustainable.

Drawing on an international range of expertise, this collection focuses on ways of improving the cultivation of maize at each step in the value chain, from breeding to post-harvest storage. Volume 1 reviews research on breeding and its use in improving nutritional quality and agronomic performance. It then goes on to discuss the challenges in translating these advances into effective outcomes for smallholders in the developing world.

Achieving sustainable cultivation of maize Volume 1: From improved varieties to local applications will be a standard reference for cereal scientists in universities, government and other research centres and companies involved in maize cultivation. It is accompanied by Volume 2 which reviews improvements in cultivation techniques as well as the management of pests and diseases.

348 pages, Hardcover

Published June 9, 2017

About the author

Dr Dave Watson is a leading authority on sustainable development and optimising value chains in agriculture. He has taught courses on sustainable development for the University of Hull (UK), as well as managing research and development programmes for the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico.