Maize compromises a significant proportion of diets amongst people in Southern Africa. Annual consumption rates are in the order of 100 kg/person. Although maize is a good source of energy, it is deficient in two essential amino acids, lysine and tryptophan, and therefore has low quality protein. Thus, diets predominated by normal maize without supplementing with other protein sources may lead to protein malnutrition. Severe protein deficiency in children may cause kwashiorkor, a disease sometimes called “weaning disease” when infants are weaned onto maize-based diets without supplementation with high quality protein sources. Many rural and urban poor people cannot afford high quality protein diets and subsist mostly on maize and vegetables.
Quality Protein Maize (QPM), developed by normal maize breeding procedures, contains nearly twice the amount of lysine and tryptophan than normal maize. Therefore, QPM may help to reduce malnutrition, improve body immunity and overall health in people that are constrained by economic and environmental factors to access expensive sources of protein such as meat, fish, eggs, milk and legumes. QPM has nearly 90% the nutritional value of skim milk, and so the inclusion of QPM in daily food will contribute to improved health. It has been estimated by researchers that children consuming about 100 g of QPM per day would receive sufficient lysine for healthy growth.
Why QPM is right choice for your farm?
Quality Protein Maize also has promise in monogastric animal diets. Numerous studies have shown that poultry and pigs had greater growth rates when fed QPM than normal maize. Consequently, it is expected that rural small-holder pig and poultry producers would significantly benefit from the use of QPM, especially where access to high quality protein supplements is lacking. Commercial farmers, find this extremely remunerative.
In El Salvador, a farmer reported that his 14 pigs fed on grain of Hybrid HQ-61 (alysine/ tryptophan maize) weighed 18 kg more than pigs fed normal maize, after 60 days. In Guizou, one of China’s poorest provinces, farmers given credit to buy pigs and raise them on lysine/tryptophan maize earned enough to build houses and conduct community development activities.
CAP 9006 QPM
HIGHLY ADAPTABLE YELLOW HYBRID MAIZE
CAP 9006Q is a quality protein, yellow maize hybrid. It is used primarily as a silage hybrid, with deep yellow kernels.
To find out more about this variety click here: CAP 9006 QPM
NELSON'S CHOICE QPM
WHITE OPEN POLLINATED MAIZE
This variety has higher yields and up to twice as much usable protein. Consumption of QPM maize can lower risk for malnutrition disorders such as Kwashiorkor.
To find out more about this variety click here: NELSON'S CHOICE QPM
Comments