Effects of Population Density on Yield of Maize

Abstract

The name "Katumbili" is used for white seeded maize grown over wide areas of East Africa. In its crude form, as grown largely in native cultivation, the stock contains a very great mixture of characters: dent- and flint seeded types, tall, intermediate and dwarf plants, variations of ear number and row number on the ear, a range of growth periods, other colored seeds, etc. Attempts have been made in many areas, particularly on experimental farms, to "clean up" this mixture by mass-selection and other simple techniques, in order to standardize strains which conform to local necessities (length of season, etc.), and preferences (dent or flint, "sugary" or "starchy" seed, etc.). As a consequence of these attempts a number of fairly distinct strains have been named, and these are in use in breeding programmes and in the East African co-operative maize variety trials currently being run on a number of experimental farms. Examples of such strains are "Katumbili wanza", "Katumbili Namulonge", "Katumbili Kilosa" and "Katumbili Nachingwea".