A new single-cross, quality protein maize (QPM) hybrid called “NutriPeru” and designated INIA 611 was released at the Donoso research station, 80 km north of Lima, Peru, on 09 February 2007. Its parents are two CIMMYT maize lines—CMLs 161 and 165—and it yields an average 12 tons per hectare in winter season in Peru’s coastal maize zone, with top yields there of more than 14 tons per hectare. Its intense yellow color is highly valued by the region’s poultry producers, who are the chief consumers of yellow maize in the country. It is also resistant to gray leaf spot (Cercospora zeae-maydis).
Presiding over the release ceremony was Augusto Sayan Gianella, Director General of Promoción Agropecuaria del Ministerio de Agricultura. Daniel Reynosos Tantalean, head of Peru’s Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Extensión Agraria (INIA), formally delivered the new hybrid to some 300 farmers who attended. This achievement occurs in the framework of the current research pact between the government of Peru and CIMMYT.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the same hybrid has been released and is being commercialized in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and probably also India.
Nutrition, health and food security