TCCIP

ARK V3.0 / Case Studies

Taiwan - Development of hard corn variety Tainan No. 29

Adaptation Framework : Promote implementation

Adaptation Option : Technological,Structural

Issue : High temperatures, insufficient irrigation water

Core Content : Genetic improvement, demonstration planting

Case Characteristics : practical operation

Scale : Transnational/National

Author : Liu Yuzhen

Slides

Keywords

Variety improvement Food crops Weather-resistant species

Issues and Objectives

The Council of Agriculture (COA) has been promoting the Fallow Land Revitalization Program since 2013 to safeguard domestic food security. To more effectively increase Taiwan's food self-sufficiency rate, the Agriculture and Food Agency and various District Agricultural Research and Extension Stations have planned suitable miscellaneous grain crops for regional rotation. Dent corn has been a key crop promoted by the COA in recent years. However, to align with the cropping system, dent corn cultivated during Taiwan's autumn cropping season is vulnerable to rainfall brought by typhoons or low-temperature cold damage during its growth period.

Improvement Measures Taken

Through the new strain Tainan 29 hard corn, bred by the Tainan Agricultural Research and Extension Station in 2016 (this strain was registered in 2017), the entire process from sowing, cultivation and hilling to harvesting can be mechanized, saving labor and time in the cultivation process. In addition, Tainan 29 hard corn (Figure 1) is a mid-early maturing type, which can be planted in the same season as rice. Combined with the rotation system of paddy fields and dry land, it can improve the soil, reduce weeds and pests, and increase farmers' willingness to plant and income.

Figure 1: Overview of Tainan No. 29 plants in the field (top) and proportion of fruit clusters (bottom) (Image source: reference website)

Results

The Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station promoted the technical services of Tainan 29, a hard corn variety, in the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan area, and held a trial planting observation meeting in the experimental fields:

Yizhu Township, Chiayi County: Sowing was carried out on September 15, 2015. The flowering period was reached 50 days later. Although the cultivation process was affected by rainy weather, the moisture content of the seeds could be reduced to 29% on the 134th day, which could advance the harvest by about 4 to 6 weeks. Although it was damaged by Typhoon Dujuan at the end of September, the damage was minor. The plants that passed through the cold wave in January of the following year reached the yellow ripening stage without lodging. The yields of the experimental fields in the two areas were 8,040 and 6,940 kg/ha, respectively, which were higher than Tainong No. 1 in the same period.
Beigang Township, Yunlin County: Sown on September 17, 2015, the grain moisture content reached 34% by day 26. Base fertilizer consisted of one bag of Taifur No. 1 compound fertilizer per 0.1 hectare. Topdressing was applied only once each during the flowering and silking stages and the milk stage, with one bag of ammonium sulfate per 0.1 hectare. Irrigation was carried out three times throughout the growing season. The yield was 10-20% higher than that of Tainong No. 1 during the same period. (Newly bred Tainan No. 29 hard maize trial planting demonstration meeting, February 2, 2016)
Taixi Township, Yunlin County: Contract farmers sowed seeds on September 27, 2015. Base fertilizer consisted of 1.5 bags of Taiwan Fertilizer No. 1 compound fertilizer per 0.1 hectare; top dressing was applied with 1 bag of Taiwan Fertilizer No. 1 compound fertilizer per 0.1 hectare. Irrigation was carried out twice throughout the growing season. This demonstrates that mechanized cultivation saves labor and time, and fertilizer and pesticide costs are significantly lower than for rice, making cultivation and management more convenient. (Newly bred Tainan 29 hard maize trial planting demonstration meeting, February 2, 2016)
In Houbi District and Yanshui District of Tainan City: Sowing was carried out on October 16th and October 25th, 2015, respectively. Flowering occurred 53 days later, and the grain moisture content dropped to 34% after 132 days. Despite being hit by a super cold wave and the northeast monsoon on January 22nd and 23rd, 2016, the leaves suffered only minor damage, and no rust disease occurred during the growing season. The crop also exhibited good lodging resistance, with yields increasing by 13% and 22% compared to Tainong No. 1 and Mingfeng No. 3, respectively. (Newly bred Tainan No. 29 hard maize trial planting demonstration meeting held on March 17th and 22nd, 2016).

Reference Websites