Luanar GMO maize trials to combat fall army worms

Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) has embarked on genetically modified (GMO) maize trials whose outcome is expected to combat fall armyworms.

Speaking on Thursday at Luanar’s Confined Field Trials in Lilongwe, trial manager Kingdom Kwapata said besides the fall armyworms, the trials also aim to develop GMO maize that is tolerant to herbicides.

“At the moment, it is evident that those plants that have trans-genes have their foliage intact in the environment where they are vulnerable to fall army worms than those that don’t have,” he said.

Kwapata said the trial is in its first year and it can take up to seven years to complete.

On his part, National Commission for Science and Technology chief research officer Lyson Kampira hailed the move, saying many countries in the region have adopted the genetically modified crops.

Open Forum Agriculture Biotechnology project manager Vitumbiko Chinoko said it was high time Malawi adopted the use of genetically modified crops to combat some of the challenges the country is facing in agriculture.

“Currently, we are not doing well in modern technology adoption such as biotechnology. These technologies are good and are helping farmers in the countries they have been embraced,” he said.

Chinoko also allayed fears that people have over biotechnology, saying most of them are unfounded and cannot be proven scientifically.

The trials have been financed by Bayer Malawi to the tune of $40 000