Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-5g6vh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T03:59:20.069Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Synergy of storage management with varietal productivity improvement: the case of maize in Timor-Leste

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2014

A. GUTERRES ,
F. SOARES ,
A. FATIMA ,
L. PEREIRA ,
J. B. BELO ,
R. L. WILLIAMS ,
H. NESBITT  and
W. ERSKINE
A. GUTERRES
Affiliation:
Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Timor Lorosae (UNTL), Avenida Cidade de Lisboa, Dili, Timor-Leste
F. SOARES
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Comoro, Dili, Timor-Leste
A. FATIMA
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Comoro, Dili, Timor-Leste
L. PEREIRA
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Comoro, Dili, Timor-Leste
J. B. BELO
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Comoro, Dili, Timor-Leste
R. L. WILLIAMS
Affiliation:
Seeds of Life, PO Box 221, Dili, Timor-Leste Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
H. NESBITT
Affiliation:
Seeds of Life, PO Box 221, Dili, Timor-Leste Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
W. ERSKINE*
Affiliation:
Seeds of Life, PO Box 221, Dili, Timor-Leste Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: william.erskine@uwa.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the major staple crop in Timor-Leste, but yields are low, averaging 1·0–1·7 t/ha, and losses during storage are high from maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) damage. The current research, assessing both weevil damage and management options, studied household storage of traditional and introduced maize varieties in 18 farmer groups for 33 weeks, and then evaluated the weevil damage in cobs stored for 9 months of 19 populations from different multi-location yield trials in 2007 and 2010. Storage of shelled grain in airtight containers for 33 weeks had no weevil damage on-farm. In contrast, storing shelled maize in a woven sack was the worst storage method with an average of 0·96 of grain attacked by weevils by Week 33, with local and introduced varieties damaged similarly. Shelled grain stored in a woven sack were infested significantly more than in traditional storage methods husked on the cob – above a fireplace, in a tree or an elevated house. Importantly, modern varieties were damaged more extensively by weevils than local maize types when the husked maize was stored using traditional methods. In the yield trials, grain weevil damage averaged 0·39 in both years after storage in the husk for 9 months. Varietal and location effects were significant for proportion of weevil damage, but the interaction effect was not significant in either year. The broadsense heritabilities were intermediate/high for proportion of weevil-damaged grain (H2=0·81 in 2007 and 0·59 in 2010), and there is potential that populations can be found combining a substantial yield increase with no increase in weevil susceptibility for households using traditional storage methods. For those households with access to airtight storage systems, the results emphasize the need to exploit the interaction of variety with storage method to benefit from the yield advantage of introduced varieties through the concurrent dissemination of improved seed with subsidized, airtight storage drums.

Type
Crops and Soils Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 153 , Issue 7 , September 2015 , pp. 1208 - 1217
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Arnason, J. T., Baum, B., Gale, J., Lambert, J. D. H., Bergvinson, D., Philogene, B. J. R., Serratos, J. A., Mihm, J. & Jewell, D. C. (1994). Variation in resistance of Mexican landraces of maize to maize-weevil Sitophilus zeamais, in relation to taxonomic and biochemical parameters. Euphytica 74, 227–236.Google Scholar
Arpapet (Agricultural and Regional Planning Assistance Program East Timor), (1996). Agro-Climatic Zones of East Timor (Lindsay Evans, April, 1996). Timor Timur, Indonesia: Indonesia–Australia Development Cooperation, Agricultural and Regional Planning Assistance Program East Timor, Kantor Wilayah Departmen Pertanian Propinsi Timor Timur, Jalan Estrada de Balide, Dili.Google Scholar
Brewbaker, J. L. & Kim, S. K. (1979). Inheritance of husk numbers and ear insect damage in maize. Crop Science 19, 32–36.Google Scholar
De Lima, C. P. F. (1987). Insect pests and post harvest problems in the tropics. Insect Science and its Application 8, 673–676.Google Scholar
Derera, J., Pixley, K. V. & Giga, D. P. (1999). Inheritance of maize weevil resistance in maize hybrids among lines from Southern Africa, Mexico, and CIMMYT–Zimbabwe. In Maize Production Technology for the future: Challenges and Opportunities; Proceedings of the Sixth Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Maize Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 21–25 September 1998 (Eds CIMMYT & EARO), pp. 19–23. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Ethiopian Agriculture Research Organization (EARO).Google Scholar
Dhliwayo, T. & Pixley, K. V. (2003). Divergent selection for resistance to maize weevil in six maize populations. Crop Science 43, 2043–2049.Google Scholar
Dobie, P. (1974). The laboratory assessment of the inherent susceptibility of maize varieties to post-harvest infestation by Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. (Coleoptera, Curculionidae). Journal of Stored Products Research 10, 183–197.Google Scholar
Eden, W. G. (1952 a). Effect of kernel characteristics and components of husk cover on rice weevil damage to corn. Journal of Economic Entomology 45, 1084–1085.Google Scholar
Eden, W. G. (1952 b). Effect of husk cover of corn on rice weevil damage in Alabama. Journal of Economic Entomology 45, 543–544.Google Scholar
Falconer, D. S. & Mackay, T. F. C. (1996). An Introduction to Quantitative Genetics, 4th edn. London: Longman.Google Scholar
FAO (2013). FAOSTAT. Statistical Database of the FAO. Rome: FAO. Available online from: http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/default.aspx#ancor (verified 4 November 2013).Google Scholar
García-Lara, S., Bergvinson, D. J., Burt, A. J., Ramputh, A. I., Díaz-Pontones, D. M. & Arnason, J. T. (2004). The role of pericarp cell wall components in maize weevil resistance. Crop Science 44, 1546–1552.Google Scholar
García-Lara, S., Khairallah, M. M., Vargas, M. & Bergvinson, D. J. (2009). Mapping of QTL associated with maize weevil resistance in tropical maize. Crop Science 49, 139–149.Google Scholar
García-Lara, S., Burt, A. J., Arnason, J. T. & Bergvinson, D. J. (2010). QTL Mapping of tropical maize grain components associated with maize weevil resistance. Crop Science 50, 815–825.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giga, D. P., Mutemererwa, S., Moyo, G. & Neeley, D. (1991). Assessment and control of losses caused by insect pests in small farmers’ stores in Zimbabwe. Crop Protection 10, 287–292.Google Scholar
Gitonga, Z. M., De Groote, H., Kassie, M., Tefera, T. (2013). Impact of metal silos on households’ maize storage, storage losses and food security: an application of a propensity score matching. Food Policy 43, 44–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gonzalez Ceniceros, F., Palmer, B., Piggin, C., San Valentin, G., Tilman De Sa Benevides, F. & De Oliveira, A. (2003). Challenges and opportunities for maize research in East Timor – results of variety identification during the 2000 and 2001 cropping seasons. In Agriculture: New Directions for a New Nation–East Timor (Timor-Leste). Proceedings of a Workshop, 1–3 October 2002, Dili, East Timor, ACIAR (Eds da Costa, Y., Piggin, C., Fox, J. & da Cruz, C. J.), pp. 72–78. No. 113. Canberra: ACIAR.Google Scholar
Guterres, A. & Williams, R. (2006). Maize Production and Storage in Timor-Leste: A Report on Research Conducted by the Department of Agronomy, National University of East Timor. Dili, East Timor: UNTL/Oxfam.Google Scholar
Kim, S. K. & Kossou, D. K. (2003). Responses and genetics of maize germplasm resistant to the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky in West Africa. Journal of Stored Product Research 39, 489–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, S. K., Brewbaker, J. L. & Hallauer, A. R. (1988). Insect and disease resistance from tropical maize for use in temperate zone hybrids. In Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Corn and Sorghum Research Conference, 8–9 December 1988, Chicago, IL. pp. 194–226. Washington, DC: American Seed Trade Association.Google Scholar
Kossou, D. K., Mareck, J. H. & Bosque-Pérez, N. A. (1993). Comparison of improved and local maize varieties in the Republic of Benin with emphasis on susceptibility to Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky. Journal of Stored Product Research 29, 333–343.Google Scholar
Mboya, R. M. (2013). An investigation of the extent of infestation of stored maize by insect pests in Rungwe District, Tanzania. Food Security 5, 525–531.Google Scholar
Mutiro, C. F., Giga, D. P. & Chetsanga, P. (1992). Post-harvest damage to maize in small farmers’ stores. Zimbabwe Journal of Agricultural Research 30, 49–59.Google Scholar
Snedecor, G. W. & Cochran, W. G. (1967). Statistical Methods. 6th edn. Ames, IA: Iowa State University.Google Scholar
SoL (Seeds of Life) (2006). Annual Research Report 2006. Dili, East Timor: East Timor (Timor-Leste) Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).Google Scholar
SoL (Seeds of Life) (2007). Annual Research Report 2007. Dili, East Timor: East Timor (Timor-Leste) Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF).Google Scholar
SoL (Seeds of Life) (2009). Annual Research Report 2009. Dili, East Timor: East Timor (Timor-Leste) Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF).Google Scholar
SoL (Seeds of Life) (2012 a). Seeds of Life 3 Baseline Survey. Main Report. Dili, Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF).Google Scholar
SoL (Seeds of Life) (2012 b). Annual Research Report 2012. Dili, East Timor: East Timor (Timor-Leste) Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF).Google Scholar
Tipping, P. W., Legg, D. E., Rodriguez, J. G. & Poneleit, C. G. (1988). Influence of maize pericarp surface relief on resistance to the maize weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 61, 237–241.Google Scholar
Williams, R., Borges, L. F., Lacoste, M., Andersen, R., Nesbitt, H. & Johansen, C. (2012). On-farm evaluation of introduced maize varieties and their yield determining factors in East Timor. Field Crops Research 137, 170–177.Google Scholar
Young, P. (2013). Benefits of Targeted vs. Non-Targeted Seed Distribution. Commissioned Study to Inform and Guide National Policies on Food and Seed Security for the Seeds of Life Program, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dili, Timor-Leste. Dili, Timor-Leste: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.Google Scholar