Constitution of Composite Cross Maize (Zea mays L.) Populations Selected for the Semi-Arid Environment of South Madagascar

In many African countries, such as Madagascar, a large part of the population is currently estimated to be undernourished, and self-subsistence agriculture represents the primary source of food available for the family. Smallholder farmers cultivate crops with limited agricultural input and use old landraces or obsolete hybrid varieties, with a total country-wide production that is far from being able to sustain the national food demand. In this...