Variety Committee releases new varieties.

Variety Committee releases new varieties.                  

By Christopher Bendana,

Kawanda, Wakiso District.

There are new maize, cassava, and sweet potato varieties after the National Variety Releases Committee (NVRC) cleared a number of them for release recently, at National Agricultural Research Laboratories, Kawanda.

The principal breeder of each new variety first explained the breeding process, the reasons for the development of the new variety, and their National Performance trials at farmers’ gardens.

This was followed by Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability of the new variety report by an independent assessor. This was usually done by an official from the inspection department of the Agricultural Ministry. In one instance, it was done by National Agricultural Research Organization

The breeders were then asked questions by the members of the NVRC, usually about the efficiency, and ability of the new varieties to address the challenges of climate change. The committee has an eminent agricultural scientist as the chairperson, a member from the academia, the seed association, and the agriculture Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).

First for consideration, was sweet potatoes. Two varieties were released; NAROSPOT 6, and NAROSPOT 7O. Their report was presented by Benard Yada, a breeder from the National Crops Resources Research Institute – Namulonge (NaCRRI) a NARO crop research institute.

He said NAROSPOT 7O was bred with a regular shape and is intended to serve as a commercial crop. Its shape minimizes wastage during peeling. It is also moderately resistant to weevils and Sweet potatoes virus disease.

It is a hybrid developed by crossing a local landrace, new Kawogo with Beauregard, an American variety. There are high levels of Vitamin A deficiency in Ugandans especially among pregnant women. The breeders have been able to enhance the Vitamin A content in the newly released sweet potato varieties from about 0.9 parts per 1,000,000 to 24 parts per 1,000,000.

NaCRRI under its Cereals Programme also released a maize variety resistant to Striga, a virulent weed that feeds on the maize roots and can propagate through running water.

Godfrey Asea , a maize breeder at director, NaCRRI said the new varieties has natural resistance, and that parent lines were sourced from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Several lines were developed, and exposed to high Striga incidences leading to the selection of the candidate that was cleared for release yesterday.

NaCRRI also had its first yellow maize variety cleared for release.

The committee also cleared two maize varieties DT MAX 15 and TURBO 71. They have been developed by Nalweyo Seed Company (NASECO), a private company that has links with NARO in seed multiplication.

Francis Okot, a breeder with NASECO said TURBO 71 was more yielding than their current key brand Bazooka.

“We are in the process of producing more seed starting with the next growing season,” he said

A Zimbabwean company with extensive experience in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Kenya in seed development also had its three varieties cleared to bring in three varieties under the COMESA arrangement.

Nelson Masereka of the Uganda Seed Trade Association and a committee member said such technologies were the answers to our current major challenge of climate change.

Joseph Kikafunda, the chairperson of the NVRC called for a good system through which the new seeds would reach the farmers, or else the innovation remains academic. “Farmers should have the option of seed.  MAAIF should put up demonstration farms where farmers can learn about the new varieties,” he said.

Yada said farmers can get the vines from NaCCRI, though multiplication will soon start with the Busoga region.

NaCCRI also was cleared to release a new variety with aromatic brown rice and a grass lablab. –