Seven varieties of maize removed from NMRP recommendation list

Chitwan – The National Maize Research Programme (NMRP), Rampur in Chitwan has withdrawn seven varieties of maize from a list of its recommendation for the cultivation. 

Those removed from the recommendation list are Hetauda Composite; Sarlahi Seto; Janaki Makai; Kakani Pahelo; Rampur-1; Makalu-2; and Rampur Pahelo. These varieties of maize recommended in the (previous) list of NMRP were withdrawn with the development of new high yielding sorts of maize. As stated by NMRP chief Dr Keshab Babu Koirala, so far 37 varieties of maize have been recommended by it. 

The cultivation of old varieties of maize was giving relatively low production and turning vulnerable to diseases. Of the varieties of corn developed in Rampur, only 30 types have been used so far. Of them, seven are of hybrid categories.

They are Rampur- 2; Rmapur-4; Rampur-6; Rampur-8; Rampur-10; and Khumal-2. In case of the cultivation of hybrid maize, its seeds can be used for once whereas the seeds of open pollinated varieties (OPV) cannot be used for two to three years. It takes eight to ten years to develop a variety of maize. 

This year, the NMRP has planned to recommend two new varieties of maize- one hybrid and another is of the type of open pollinated. 

According to NMRP office senior scientist Chitra Bahadur Kunwar, the varieties with the brand name 'Rampur' have been recommended for the Terai, inner Madhesh and flat-topped hill areas whereas Manakamana is for mid-hilly region and Ganesh is for high-hilly areas. The even number coming together with the names of varieties of maize stands for yellow corn and odd number denotes white corn. ---