Seed Co develops new maize, sorghum varieties as t...

Seed Co develops new maize, sorghum varieties as they respond to climate change

Oscar J Jeke

Crop seed production company, Seed Co has introduced new maize and sorghum varieties that are better suited for the ever-changing climatic conditions characterised by prolonged drought in the African region.

The development of the two new varieties comes as the seed company has seen a fall in sales by at least 28% during the last three months of 2023 as farmers bought less of the seed due to the El Nino drought.

The new varieties were developed to respond to the worsening drought, with the first variety offering reduced days of maturity, including the ultra-early maturity varieties and the very early maturity varieties, while the second drought tolerant varieties having the ability to withstand long periods of moisture stress or adverse weather conditions.

“We have released varieties that have tremendous adaptation. Climate smart adaptation can be in the form of, a reduction in the days to maturity of the new varieties which include the ultra-early maturing varieties SC 301 & SC 303 and Very early maturing varieties SC419 and SC 437 these varieties can mature before the onset of mid-season dry spells and be established late in the summer seasons they require 90 to 120 days to reach maturity (reduced time to accumulate biomass and yield).

“The second being drought tolerant varieties, these varieties have the ability to withstand long periods of moisture stress (adverse weather conditions) that include mid-season dry spells this trait is found in different varieties that include SC555, SC659, SC657, SC 719 & SC 727,” Seed Co wrote on their website.

The company also noted that the development of seeds, especially maize as the staple for Zimbabwe, is an on-going process aimed at availing and adopting new innovative seed technologies that are aligned to the farmers’ needs even in the face of adverse weather conditions.