Hybrid maize brings massive yields

This article reported on the tremendous strides made in maize production in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the early 1970s.

The massive improvement in yields has been largely due to new hybrid maize varieties developed by scientists of the Ministry of Agriculture. They have evolved strains capable not only of resisting leaf blight and lodging, but also of returning grain yields comparable with those of the world’s major maize-producing countries.

At the Salisbury Research Station, the major breeding centre, no fewer than 1 400 new hybrid maize varieties have entered preliminary yield trials. Just over a year ago, Rhodesia achieved a spectacular maize yield of 220 bags/ha from experimental fields at the Henderson Research Station, and in the field, farmers have obtained yields of 175 bags/ha. The country’s national average yield per hectare last year was 36 bags. The world record is held by Canada with a national yield of 58 bags/ha, but it is possible that the current Rhodesian crop will break this record.

SR-52 HYBRID 

Top of the trial list in Rhodesia is the SR-52 single hybrid. Demand for this white dent variety is enormous, and its popularity is not confined to Rhodesian maize producers. It is also in great demand by growers in South Africa, where massive crops of this variety are now regularly produced. Interest in it has also extended to neighbouring territories and as far afield as Canada and the US.