Guinea-race Sorghum Hybrids: Bringing the benefits of hybrid technology to a staple crop in Africa

Abstract

In 1999, researchers from ICRISAT, the Malian Institut d’Economie Rural (IER), and the Institut National de l’Environment et des Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso, were faced with the question, “How would you go about improving the productivity of sorghum in West Africa so as to improve food security and increase farmer’s incomes, and do so by building on several thousand years of farmers’ selection for adaptation and quality of grain?” Their answer, “lets work together to find ways of unlocking the genetic potential of the predominant sorghums of West Africa.” These sorghums, an indigenous staple crop of West Africa belonging to the Guinea-race, combine excellent adaptation for these environments with high grain quality. Although having exceptional yield stability, their yield levels rarely exceed 2 tons/ha in farmer’s fields