CP-Tania 5, white maize variety horse’s tooth (Claviceps gigantea) resistant for Mexican highlands

Abstract

Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo, has developed a new white endosperm synthetic maize variety with good agronomic characters and resistance to the “horse´s tooth” disease for highlands and transition zones of México. The “horse´s tooth” disease has only been reported in Mexico where it has distributed to several maize producing areas with high humidity and cool climate. The variety was developed by recombining 10 S1 lines generated from a genetically broad based white endosperm maize population improved following a S1 recurrent selection program. The lines obtained were selected for desirable agronomic characters after inoculating with macroconidia of the fungus and recombined. F1 seed of the experimental synthetic varieties was advanced to F2 and were planted in experimental agronomic trials from which the experimental synthetic variety CP-Tania 5 was selected. This synthetic variety offers grain yield that compites with the commercial hybrids, its seed is cheaper, can be panted for several cycles in stress conditions and can be distributed between farmers.