Maize is the third most important cereal in Pakistan, after wheat and rice. It is grown on 0.98 Mha with a total production of 2.80 million tonnes and average yield of 2849 kg/ha. Sorghum and millet are also important coarse grain crops in dry land ecologies of Pakistan. Sorghum is grown on about 0.31 Mha with a production of 0.19 milion tonnes and average yield of 606 kg/ha, and millet on 0.30 Mha with production of 0.20 millions tonnes and average yield of 610 kg/ha. Sorghum and millet need early maturing and drought tolerant germplasm due to moisture scarcity for rainfed agrculture. A large area in Sind and Balochistan is very dry where sorghum and millet can be grown successfully.
The Maize, Sorghum and Millet scientists at NARC have developed the following varieties:
Impact
Maize varieties cover 30% of the rainfed crop areas in Punjab and 20% in AJK. These varieties have improved the crop yields by about 20-25%, and are droughts tolerant and early maturing with stay-green character. Sorghum and Millet varieties cover about 30% of the area under these crops in the districts of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, and Bahawalpur in Punjab; Umarkot and Dadu in Sindh; D.I. Khan in NWFP; and Mirpur and Bhimber in AJK. Average yield level of both crops has enhanced by about 50% in these areas.
Key References
Shakoor A., M. Naeem, J. Fateh, M. H. Munawwar and S. R. Chughtai. (2006). Proposal for approval of a high yielding stay green sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) variety “Johar”. Variety Evaluation Committee of PARC and FSCRD.
Shakoor A., M. Naeemi, J. Fateh, M. H. Munawwar, and S. R. Chughtai. (2006). Proposal for approval of a high yielding stay green Pearl Millet variety “Bajra Super-1”. Variety Evaluation Committee of PARC and FSCRD.
