Yield and agronomic characteristics

Table 1 shows the yield and agronomic characteristics in experiments from 1998 to 2012 in México’s Humid Tropics. The trilinear H-520 hybrid yielded 7.30 t ha-1 in average, in 27 environments, significantly higher in 9 % with regard to the simple cross hybrid H-513 (Control) and 15 % compared to the synthetic cultivar VS-536, of higher use in the southeast of México (^{Sierra Macías et al., 2008}).

Table 1 Yield of the H-520 hybrid from 1998 to 2012 in localities of the Humid Tropics in México, INIFAP. 

*(p≤0.05); ^†average from 27 experiments in the localities of Cotaxtla, Isla, Papantla, and San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz; Huimanguillo, Tabasco and Apatzingán, Michoacán.

Once the H-520 maize hybrid was defined as outstanding, validation plots were established in 14 environments in Veracruz and Tabasco during the years 1999 to 2010, in order to understand their behavior at the commercial or semi-commercial level, under the traditional knowledge of producers. In this phase of validation, the H-520 had an average grain yield of 7.07 t ha-1, 8 % higher in comparison to the H-513, the hybrid with highest yields in those years and 36 % more than the synthetic variety VS- 536, of greatest commercial use in the southeast of México (Table 2).

Table 2 Yield and agronomic characteristics of the H-520 in validation plots. Spring-Summer 1999-2010. Veracruz and Tabasco. INIFAP. 

^†Average grain yield in 14 environments in Veracruz and Tabasco; ’days until male flowering; ^§plant height; ^₤percentage of plants with “dwarfing”; ^Þseverity of damage from “dwarfing” in plant; ^¤percentage of corncobs with damage from “dwarf” disease; ^††percentage of lodged plants; ’’percentage of cobs with bad coverage; ^§§percentage of rotten cobs.

The H-520 maize hybrid presents a good adaptation to the Mexican Tropics because its yield both in its experimental phase and in the validation plots outperformed in 9 and 8 % the H-513 (Control), although the latter is a simple cross hybrid. This is due primarily to the fact that the LT156 line, male parent in the formation of H-520, is a line with good behavior per se and with good general combining ability with the lines that formed the simple cross LT154xLT155. However, the main advantage of the H-520 is with regard to the yield and profitability in the production of certified seed, which allows it to have a higher volume of seed and better access to farmers (^{Espinosa Calderón et al., 1998}; ^{Sierra Calderón et al., 2005}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2008}).

Regarding its agronomic characteristics, during the Spring-Summer cycle, under rainfed conditions, the H-520 hybrid showed an intermediate height of plant and cob of 228 and 139 cm for each variable. This characteristic allows the H-520 a higher tolerance to lodging caused by winds, which in the coastal region of the Gulf of México are quite frequent. During the rain cycle in Spring-Summer, male flowering was reached after 53 days and female flowering in 54 days; it reaches its physiological maturity at between 90 and 100 days, and the harvest can be performed at 110 to 120 days. It presents a good aspect and health of the plant and cob, and excellent cob coverage, which prevents damage from birds and the entry of moisture, reducing considerably the damage from cob rotting; it presents 14 rows and has semi-serrated white grain. Also, it is tolerant to “dwarfing”, condition that has taken on importance in maize areas of the center and south zones of the state of Veracruz, which confers a higher adaptation to the conditions that prevail in the Mexican Tropics (^{Sierra Macías et al., 2004}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2008}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2010}) (Figures 1 and 2).

Figures 1 and 2 The H-520 maize hybrid presents a good aspect and plant and corncob health. 

Certified seed production

For maize producers to adopt a new hybrid it is necessary for them to understand its advantages, but, in addition, for the seed to be available and accessible to their economic conditions. In this sense, the seed companies and producers’ organizations that participate in the multiplication and local or regional supply of this important input play an important role. The characteristics of the H-520 hybrid parents facilitate its multiplication process (^{Espinosa Calderón et al., 1998}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2004}). However, the greatest advantage is offered by the cross LT154xLT155 used as female parent, which shows an average experimental yield of 7.16 t ha^-1. Thus, under conditions of irrigation it yielded 8.69 t ha^-1, and under rainfed conditions 5.64 t ha^-1, representing economic advantages in the commercial production of certified seed for the companies that reproduce and distribute this hybrid (^{Gómez Montiel, 1986}; ^{Espinosa Calderón et al., 1998}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2005}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2008}).

The male parent, line LT156, with mean grain yield of 2.87 t ha^-1, produces enough pollen for the hybrid formation (Table 3) (^{Gómez Montiel, 1986}; ^{Vasal et al., 1992}; ^{Vasal et al., 1994}; ^{Espinosa Calderón et al., 1998}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2004}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2005}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2008}). Sowing the parents to obtain certified seed from the H-520 hybrid in the Spring-Summer cycle must be done by sowing first the male parent and three days later the female parent, while in the Fall-Winter cycle, the difference should be of five days between the female and the male, in a female:male rate of 6:2, or else 3:1, to obtain a good synchrony in the pollination (^{Sierra Macías et al., 2004}).

Table 3 Yield of simple cross and H-520 parent lines under irrigation and rainfed conditions. Cotaxtla Experimental Field. 

^†Average yield in the years 1997 and 1998 during the Fall-Winter cycle and under irrigation conditions; ’average yield in the years 2007 and 2008 during the Spring-Summer cycle under rainfed conditions.

Dissemination events for producers, agents of change, and seed companies

With the objective of divulging the advantages in yield and agronomic characteristics of the H-520, and the agronomic advantages and profitability of the parents in commercial seed production, to the farmers, agents of change and seed producers, training events and support activities for technology transfer were organized; among them, seven demonstrations with agricultural producers from five municipalities in the state of Veracruz, with an attendance of 410 producers. In the Cotaxtla Field, a massive event called Maize Producer Day 2007 took place, to which 483 producers, 113 technicians and 52 students attended. Among the attendees to the event, 45 municipalities and 10 states in the Mexican Tropic were represented: Veracruz, Tabasco, Oaxaca, Yucatán, Campeche, Tamaulipas, Hidalgo, México, Morelos and Chiapas. Technicians from seven seed companies and producer groups that multiply hybrids and cultivars from INIFAP attended and participated in the event. In these events the attendees were shown the advantages of the H-520 hybrid and the technology for grain and seed production. As a result of these activities, producer groups and companies showed interest and participation in the production of certified H-520 seed. The adoption by farmers has been satisfactory, by virtue of the fact that the demand for parents from the companies has been growing and the seed produced has been distributed and sown (^{Espinosa et al., 2003a}; ^{Espinosa et al., 2003b}) (Figure 3).

Figure 3 Demonstration of the H-520 maize hybrid to producers during the Maize Producer Day. Spring-Summer 2007. 

Adoption of the H-520 hybrid by seed companies and producer groups

The Cotaxtla Experimental Field has generated technology for the production of maize grains and seeds, and produces seed in the basic and certified categories for their multiplication by seed companies producers’ organizations. In the last six years the production and distribution of the H-520 maize hybrid has been promoted; therefore, from 2008 to 2013, and taking into consideration the sales records for certified seed of the hybrid’s parents, with 6106xkg of the LT154xLT155 cross (Female parent) and 2630 kg of the line LT156 (Male parent) of certified seed, 485.2 hectares of production of the H-520 hybrid were established, and a production of 1630 tons of certified seed were obtained, with which the commercial sowing of 84 940 hectares in the Mexican Tropics was achieved (Table 4).

Table 4 Sales record of certified seed, production and distribution of certified seed of the H-520 maize hybrid. Cotaxtla, Ver. 2008 to 2013. 

^†Fall-Winter; ’Spring-Summer; ^§female parent; ^₤male parent; ^Þcertified seed; ^¤surface of certified seed; ^††production of certified seed; ’’commercial surface.

It is observed that in the Fall-Winter 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 cycles, the demand for certified seed from companies was higher than in the Spring-Summer cycles. This indicates that the greatest surface impacted with certified seed was in the Spring-Summer cycles. However, during the Spring-Summer cycle 2010/10, an important increase in the demand for seed is observed, suggesting a tendency to increase its use in the Fall-Winter sowing, under conditions of residual moisture and low risk, particularly in compacted areas in the south of Veracruz and the Mexican Tropics.

The companies or organized groups that produce certified seed are an important link in the adoption and commercial use of improved genotypes; particularly, INIFAP produces seed with high records in its basic and certified categories from parents, which in turn is used by companies for the production of certified seed, which can be sown by maize producers in the Mexican Tropics. The yield and profitability in production allows the seed from this hybrid to be produced in small or large scale, by large or small companies, by producers or organized producers’ groups; a better adoption from farmers can be achieved to the extent that there is greater availability.

The seed companies or producers’ groups that participate in the production and commercialization of the H-520 maize hybrid are: TERRA SEMILLAS, Productores y Semillas Mejoradas SC de RL (Piedras Negras, Ver.), Consejo Veracruzano de Productores de Maíz (Isla, Ver.), Imperio del Campo (Veracruz), PROASE (Chiapas), AGRO Las Lolas (Sur de Tamaulipas), Reproducción Genética Avanzada (Estado de México), Ejido Blanca Flor (Campeche), Universidad Autónoma Chapingo-Centro Regional Universitario Sur (UACH CRUS) (Oaxaca, Oax), Fundación Produce Oaxaca (Oaxaca, Oax.), PROSESO (Colima), La Maicena SPR de RL (Colima), ACROCARPUS del Caribe SA de CV (Yucatán), Agrícola El Caudillo (Morelos), Semillas La Ejidal (Medellín de Bravo, Ver.), Agricultores de la Planicie Agrícola El Laurel (San Andrés Tuxtla, Ver.), Productores de Insumos Agropecuarios SA de CV (Cotaxtla, Ver.), Consorcio Agropecuario Velásquez SC de RS (Cotaxtla, Ver.), Productores de Grano del Sotavento SC de RL (Ignacio de la Llave, Ver.), Productores Asociados de Semillas SC de RL de CV, Organización Regional de los Tuxtlas, (San Andrés Tuxtla, Ver.), Agroproductores y Comercializadores El Sáuce SC de RL (Tlalixcoyan, Ver.), C. Oscar Hernández (Úrsulo Galván, Ver.), C. José Ramón Álvarez López (Omealca, Ver.), and C. Eddy Pulido Santos (Medellín de Bravo, Ver.) (Figure 4).

Figure 4 States where the certified seed of the H-520 maize hybrid is produced and distributed. 

Use of the H-520 maize hybrid by farmers

From a sample of 10 producers and 12 maize plots that sowed the H-520 hybrid during the Spring-Summer cycle of 2009, using certified seed from the groups, “Productores de grano del Sotavento”, Consorcio Agropecuario Velásquez”, “Semillas Terra” and “Semillas La Ejidal”, in the municipalities of Cotaxtla, Ignacio de la Llave and Omealca, Veracruz, on a surface of 59.5 hectares, an average density of 46_533 plants ha-1, and a mean yield of 6.71 t ha-1, was found, and a low average percentage of rotten cobs (0.71 %) was recorded, with good aspect and health of the cob. The yields obtained in commercial sowing with certified seed produced locally by producers’ groups, show the real yield potential; also, the H-520 hybrid adapts to the weather, soil and management conditions by farmers in the Mexican Tropics, but specifically the actual feasibility of the use of good quality seed (^{Sierra Macías et al., 2005}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2008}; ^{Espinosa Calderón et al., 1998}) (Table 5).

Table 5 Estimation of yield in commercial sowing of H-520 maize in the Central Zone of the state of Veracruz in the Spring- Summer cycle 2008B. 

^†Surface in hectares; ’population density; ^§corncobs per plant; ^₤percentage of rotten cobs; ^Þaspect of the cob (grading scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is the best and 5 is the worst); ^¤corncob health (grading scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is the best and 5 is the worst); ^††grain yield t ha^-1; ’’sowing performed with zeolite; ^§§sowing performed with conservation farming.

Profitability analysis

With the aim of analyzing the profitability of the maize seed and grain production, the production costs for each destination in the production lots and the economic recuperation at the moment of the product’s sale are recorded. Thus, for the production of the H-520 certified seed, a seed yield of 3.5 t ha-1 was considered, and the sales price that was taken as a base for the calculation was $700.00 per package of 20 kg of seed. The value of the production is $122 500.00 per hectare and an estimated production cost and seed profit of $48 662.00 per hectare, a net profit of $73 838.00 and a cost per ton of $13 903.43. The benefit/cost (B/C) relationship was 1:2.52, which means that for each peso invested, the peso is recovered and 1.52 additional pesos. That is, the production of the H-520 certified seed is economically profitable and presents an important opportunity for business. Likewise, it represents an excellent opportunity in the generation of direct and indirect jobs in the process of seed production, processing and commercialization, and in occupation for new generations of agronomists.

In the profitability analysis of the H-520 maize hybrid grain production, the grain yield obtained through the 12 commercial plots previously mentioned was considered, and with an average of 6.71 t ha-1. The estimated production cost was $9600.00 per hectare and the sales price during the agricultural cycle reported was $3000.00 per ton. From this information, it is derived that the production value is $20 130.00 per hectare, a net estimated profit of $10 530.00 and a cost per ton of $1430.00. With these bases, a B/C relationship of 1:2.09 was obtained, which means that for each peso invested, the peso and 1.09 additional pesos are recovered. That is, the H-520 hybrid is a viable alternative that can stimulate the commercial production of maize in the Mexican tropic.

Impact

Considering the 84 940 hectares sown at the time of this assessment with the H-520 hybrid, with an increase in yield of 1.87 t ha-1, compared to the cultivar VS-536, of greater use in the Mexican Tropics, an additional volume of 158 837.80 tons of grain is produced from using the hybrid, at a price per ton of $3000.00 representing an economic benefit of $476.51 million pesos. This activity generates occupation and family labor in the communities where this hybrid is sown. In particular, 30 workdays are used per hectares, which represents an occupation of 2 548 200 workdays in the 84 940 hectares sown with the H-520 hybrid (^{Vasal et al., 1994}; ^{Espinosa Calderón et al., 1998}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2004}).

For the seed industry, considering a net profit of $73 838 in the 485.2 hectares of certified seed production, there is a total economic benefit of 35.83 million pesos. Likewise, it represents an excellent opportunity in the generation of direct and indirect jobs in the process of production, processing and commercialization of the seed. In particular, 166 workdays per hectare are used in an H-520 seed production lot, representing 51.5 % of the production cost, and it means 80 543 workdays generated for the 485.20 hectares (^{Vasal et al., 1994}; ^{Espinosa Calderón et al., 1998}; ^{Sierra Macías et al., 2004}).

The impact of sowing the H-520 commercial seed is generating an important additional economic benefit for the farmers; however, the social benefit is more important, by virtue of the fact that an additional volume is generated in the maize production and it is an important source which generates employment and family and local labor in the communities where this hybrid is sown (^{Gómez Montiel, 1986}; ^{Vasal et al., 1992}).