Zone 3

Zone 3 : Maize

Region 4: Receives less than 650mm of rainfall on average annually, with uneven distribution Irrigated: SC 727, SC 719, SC 657, SC 649, SC 627, SC 643, SC 555 Dry Land: SC 657, SC 555, SC 513, SC 533, SC403, SC 419, SC 301

Varieties for Irrigated Land

SC 733

Yield potential of up to 14 tonnes per hectare at about 55,000 plants per hectare in a good season.
Reaches physiological maturity in about 150 – 155 days at 1,100 to 1,300 metres above sea level.
Commercially available in Zambia.
Highest yielding hybrid in Africa with some farmers hitting top yields of 21 MT/ha in the high potential/irrigated areas.
Late maturing white maize hybrid (155 - 160 days to reach physiological maturity).
Excellent heat and drought tolerance. Tolerant to common maize diseases. An elastic and widely adapted hybrid for both dryland and irrigated farming. Recommended for natural regions 1, 2 and 3 in Zimbabwe.
Farmers' first choice in the irrigated and high potential environments - yields up to 21 MT/ha under good management
Late maturing white maize hybrid (148 - 155 days to reach physiological maturity)
Top performer and a global hybrid, hardy and well adapted across environments and seasons
Has good tolerance to most maize diseases in Zimbabwe.

SC 657

White, hard dent grain textured hybrid.
Large cobs with very good shelling percentage of above 80%.
Medium to late maturing hybrid.
Plant and cob height of 2.7m and 1.1m respectively, giving an excellent stand ability of over 55,000 plants per hectare.
Good tolerance to leaf and cob rot diseases.
Good heat and drought tolerance.
Characteristic stay green trait.
Recommended for Seed Co Pan African zones 4, 5 and 6 (including SBU specific agro zones).
Medium maturing white maize hybrid (135 - 145 days to reach physiological maturity)
Highest yielder in Zimbabwe in the 600 series maturity group with up to 16 MT/ha yield potential.
Excellent disease tolerance
Heat and drought stress tolerance and wide adaptation.
Medium maturing white maize hybrid (135 - 148 days to reach physiological maturity)
Excellent farmers' choice variety for high potential and irrigated farming with yield potential of up to 16 MT/ha
Mild heat and drought stress tolerance.
Good tolerance to common maize diseases in Zimbabwe
Medium maturity white maize hybrid (135 - 144 days to reach physiological maturity)
Widely adapted and stable variety across diverse environments with yield potential of above 10 MT/ha under good management.
Excellent tolerance to major maize diseases in Zimbabwe
Recommended for regions I, II, III & IV
Quality protein maize variety - high levels of essential amino acids (lysine and tryptophan) which is needed by monogastric animals e.g. pigs
Medium maturing white maize hybrid (135 - 141 days to reach physiological maturity). Wide adaptation with excellent drought and heat stress tolerance.
Recommended for regions II, III & IV
High yield potential up to 12 MT/ha

Varieties for Dry Land

SC 301

An ultra-early (3 months to maturity), maize hybrid with high yield potential of up to 7 MT/ha.
It has early maturity superiority (<110 days to reach physiological maturity at 1300 metres above sea level).
Excellent heat and drought stress tolerance make it suitable for areas with short rainfall seasons such as regions 4 and 5.

SC 403

Farmers' choice for medium to low rainfall areas.
SC 403 is a very early maturing white grained hybrid.
Takes 119 - 127 days to reach physiological maturity at 1300 metres above sea level.
Stable across regions and seasons.
Heat and drought stress tolerant hybrid with a yield potential of up to 9 MT/ha

SC 419

Very early maturing white and hard dent grained maize hybrid.
Reaches physiological maturity in 128 days at 1300 meters above sea level.
Excellent global and regional adaptation. An all rounder variety from regions 2 to 4 of Zimbabwe.
Highest yielder in the 400 series category with potential yield of up to 12 MT/ha.
Can easily out-compete some hybrids in the 500 and 600 series maturity groups.

SC 513

Popular variety with farmers
An early maturing white grained maize hybrid. Reaches physiological maturity in 137 days at 1300 metres above sea level.
Pan-African early maturing hybrid that performs across diverse environments.
Excellent drought tolerance.
Elastic maize hybrid, good for both high and low potential environments with yield potential of up to 10 MT/ha.

SC 533

Exceptional heat and drought tolerance
Semi-flint grain type with good pounding quality
High yielding up to 10 MT/ha

SC 555

SC 555 is a white, hard dent maize variety which falls in the ‘early maturity’ category. Its thick ears make it an excellent choice for green mealies.
Summer grain, cattle stover, winter maize and winter silage
For grain production, SC 555 is recommended for regions II, III and IV
For green maize, SC 555 can be grown throughout the country

Growers Guide

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