USE OF NATIVE SEED AND EAR CHARACTERS FOR THE SELECTION OF MAIZE SEED IN MÉXICO

Abstract

To determine the proportion of corn farmers using native or genetically improved seeds, and to know the physical ear characteristics which are used by farmer to selection and maintain their seeds a benchmark list survey was carried out where 543 farmers were randomly selected in 16 regions located in 15 states of México. 76.5 % of farmers use native seeds for seeding and only 23.5 % of them use improved seeds. To use of native seeds is associated with tape the type of agriculture. In the regions with traditional agriculture, farmers using native seed very between 80 to 100 %; in areas with transition agriculture 50 to 80 %, of farmer use native seed; the enterprise agriculture the use of seed in less them 50 %. 77.8 % of farmers prefer to select their seeds after harvest, 13.9 % before and after harvest. Regarding the ear characters, 81.2 % of farmers select their seed based on size seed, followed by seed sanity (69.2 %), thin obs (38 %), number of grain rows (36.9 %) and by other characteristics (12.4 %). When selecting seed, farmers consider one or more characters: 11.4 use only one character, 31.4 % two, 52.8 % three, and 4.4 % consider four characters.