Tropical maize cannot be introduced in France because “the sunshine is not enough”, according to Colin Guillaume, maize breeding manager at MAS Seeds. stevanovic igor/Bits and Splits – stock.adobe.com
DECRYPTION – Research on cereals and legumes is advancing to find solutions to weather vagaries.
The burned fields last summer and the crying lack of water at the start of the year acted like an electric shock. “Farmers want the best results whatever the conditions. However, the species that are the most resistant to water and heat stress may not have the best yield over a year, but over a longer period, yes. It is better to plant several varieties on the same farm., advises Colin Guillaume, maize breeding manager at MAS Seeds. Like the new Waterlock and Green+ varieties, launched in 2018 and 2019 by this subsidiary of the Maïsadour agricultural cooperative (1.4 billion euros in turnover) and selected to withstand hot and dry conditions.
At the seed company Limagrain (2.8 billion euros in turnover), we are also studying potential new varieties obtained by crossing, which number in the hundreds of thousands in the world just for cereals and legumes…
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