Germplasm evaluation for climate adaptation and drought tolerance: The cases of local varieties of maize in Zambia and cowpea in Botswana

Abstract

Water shortages as a result of changes in rainfall patterns and increases in temperatures are associated with climate change. Rising temperatures and evaporation rates exacerbate water scarcity problems primarily aff ecting dry-land crop production systems in southern Africa. Thus, the search for drought-tolerant crop varieties becomes necessary to mitigate climate change and to achieve food security in the region. Fifty maize germplasm accessions obtained from the Zambian gene bank were characterized at Mount Makulu Research Station in Zambia to identify suitable varieties for on-farm evaluation. In that regard, data was collected on days to 50% tasselling, days to silking, plant height, ear height, number of leaves above leaf ear, tillering index, tassel type, number of kernel rows, kernel type, and kernel colour. Furthermore, we carried out on-farm participatory evaluation of 20 local varieties of maize at two representative sites. Farmers selected six crop varieties on the basis of their early maturity, high yielding ability, drought tolerance, and tolerance to fi eld pests and diseases. The selected maize varieties are suitable for large-scale production or variety development for the targeted sites or areas with similar agro-ecological conditions.