Variety Testing, Release, and Registration in West Africa

Abstract

Regional trials involving extra-early (80–85 days) and early (90–95 days) cultivars have been organized annually by IITA and the NARS partners of WCA during the last two decades. The trials serve as the vehicle for dissemination of germplasm and cultivars among the NARS. The trials offer NARS partners the opportunity to select promising and stable cultivars for on-farm testing and release. Usually, a national variety release committee ensures that varieties with outstanding performance are released. Therefore, before a variety is released, it has to be tested in multi-location trials over a number of years on-station and on-farm to verify superior performance and expose the new technologies to farmers. The difficulties with existing variety release systems have resulted in delayed access by farmers to new maize varieties. A protocol on seed signed by the Heads of States of ECOWAS member countries in 2009 and the West African Catalogue of Plant Species and Varieties (COAFEV) have been published. The seed catalogue offers unique opportunity for movement of good quality seed of improved maize varieties and hybrids across borders of WCA countries for production and marketing. As a result, the mega-environments and core testing locations in WCA have been re-assessed for efficient and successful development of maize cultivars with high-yield potential adapted to various agroecologies for increased adoption by farmers. Support is presently provided by DTMA/STMA Project to seed companies to produce seed of available varieties, in order to increase dissemination of seed of improved drought-tolerant maize varieties in WCA.