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Published on
16.04.25
A group of production managers from Rwandan seed companies recently embarked on a transformative journey to Nigeria, seeking to revolutionize seed production in their home country. With the pressing need for high-quality, climate-resilient maize seeds, IITA–CGIAR, in collaboration with Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resource Board (RAB) and the National Seed Consortium, facilitated an immersive training program to bridge the gap between research outputs and their application by stakeholders.
This program aimed to provide valuable insights into hybrid maize development and seed production, equipping participants with the expertise needed to improve seed production efforts in Rwanda.
Over a two-week period, from 24 February to 9 March 2025, participants gained practical experience in advanced seed production techniques at the IITA breeding unit in Ibadan, ensuring that Rwandan farmers will soon benefit from the availability of hybrid maize seed with improved quality.
The IITA maize breeders, Dr Menkir Abebe, Dr Sam Ajala, and Benjamin O. Olumide, hosted the team and shared their technical expertise with them. Through theoretical and hands-on training, they learned about the purification and maintenance of parent lines. Additionally, they were exposed to different processes involved in evaluating the performance of hybrid maize seeds under different biotic and abiotic stress conditions, such as fall armyworm and drought, before subjecting them to regional and international trials.