This book "Maize Research in India: Retrospect & Prospect" focuses on 60 years of maize research in India's through first All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) of the country. The book chapters compiled from different part of the country having contemporary and historical importance of maize research for development in the country. Theses state-wise chapters offering a comprehensive overview and provides a detailed information about trend of the major growing areas, maize based industries, cropping systems, agricultural practices, AICRP achievements, constraints in maize production, package of practices, yield gaps, climatic patterns and key R4D challenges and their probable solutions. Overall, it demonstrates the options for future progress and thrust of maize with special reference to nutritional and industrial quality improvement, hybrid seed production, cultivation of specialty corn, value addition, biotic and abiotic stress management, etc. The book also has a chapter on the recent worldwide R4D in maize molecular breeding and frontier technologies in maize improvement like genomic selection, transgenic, phonemics, doubled haploid (DH) technology etc for making plausible future strategy of maize R4D

On production technologies of maize crop in India using single cross hybrid technology.

Since long, need had been felt for a book which described details on maize and the basic research concepts. This book is compiled as a text book with this aim and is divided in to 18 chapters.

Maize is a globally important crop mainly utilized as feed, food and raw material for diverse industrial applications. Among cereals, it occupies third place after rice and wheat and is a staple food for a large segment of population worldwide particularly in the Asian as well as African countries. This monogram discusses various aspects of nutritional quality of maize such as quality protein maize which has been considered as most significant discovery in enhancing nutritional quality of cereals in terms of increasing the concentration of essential amino acids. The biochemistry of starch which is an important industrial product of maize has been discussed in detail. Further, the role of maize oil which is highly regarded for human consumption as it reduces the blood cholesterol concentration has also been elaborated. Naturally, maize is a rich source of carotenoids such as beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, cryptoxanthin which have highly diverse health benefits ranging from maintaining normal vision to lowering of oxidative stress. The need for biofortification of maize for provitamin A carotenoids and their role in alleviating vision impairments have also been discussed. The effect of various biotic and abiotic stresses particularly carbon dioxide and temperature on quality has been discussed thoroughly. Many value-added products as well as fermented foods that have been produced from maize which is consumed in different forms worldwide are also discussed. The aspects related to the maize application as fodder and as a source of malting have also been covered concisely. Overall, the book provides complete information about various quality aspects of maize. The various stakeholders such as maize researchers, extension specialists, students, teachers as well as farmers will be immensely benefitted from this monogram.

Maize is a promising substitute crop allowing diversification from the rice-wheat system in the upland areas of India. The crop has high production potential, pr ovided the available improved hybrids and composites reach the farming community. This study found that major biotic production constraints were Echinocloa, Cynodon dactylon, rats, and termites, which reduced maize production levels by more than 50%. Other important abiotic and biotic stresses listed in descending order of importance were: caterpillars, water stress, stem borers, weevils, zinc deficiency, rust, seed/seedling blight, cutworm, and leaf blight. Non-availability of improved seeds, inadequate input markets, inef fective technology dissemination, and lack of collective action were the principal socio-economic constraints.