Abstract

High protein beans are cultivated by almost every farmer in Burundi as well as by farmers in surrounding areas of Africa. Maize is also an important crop, helping to meet some of the food needs of a dense and expanding population. There exists a need for yield improvement in both crops, especially varieties grown at higher altitudes, as much of the countryside is at a high altitude. The objective of this project is to develop a program for the improvement of the bean and maize crops that will be of wide application in the region.

Post-Project Summary

At the research station at Kisozi, this project studied 51 lines of maize, most of them new introductions, and compared them with the recommended local varieties: GPS-5, Bambou, Mutwenzi, Kisozi, and Kitale. The preliminary results indicated that at low altitudes, some of the new introductions from Mexico and Côto d'Ivoire were superior to GPS-5. However, most of the material was susceptible to maize streak disease. At medium altitudes some of the introduced varieties gave yields of approximately seven t/ha. At the high altitude of Kisozi (2 150 m), the Kenyan hybrid H-7701 gave over ten t/ha; Kitale and Ukiruguru composites also performed well. Because pea research was ongoing at Kisozi, the project shifted its focus away from beans and concentrated on maize and pea production. The pea trials carried out at Kisozi, Munanira (2 200 m), and Nyakararo (2 228 m) reported low yields ranging from one t/ha for the local Kyondo variety, down to 600 kg/ha for some imported varieties. Further trials introduced varieties from similar agro-ecological regions in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Latin America. The project was continued in a second phase.

Recipient Institution(s)