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Abstract

Apart from the Sahara desert, maize is produced in all agroclimatic zones of sub-Saharan Africa. Rainfall and, to a lesser extent, temperature are the primary climatic factors affecting the cultivation of maize in the sub-region. Intensity, distribution, and duration of rainfall decrease from the coastal areas in the south to the northern areas. High altitudes are absent in WCA, but there is a relatively small portion of the land mass occupied by mid-altitudes. Climate change seems to be negatively impacting maize growth and production in the sub-region. This chapter focuses on the changes in the weather pattern of the agroclimatic zones and how development and deployment of early and extra-early maize varieties have been well justified.

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Badu-Apraku, B., Fakorede, M.A.B. (2017). Climatology of Maize in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Advances in Genetic Enhancement of Early and Extra-Early Maize for Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64852-1_2

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