HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT AND MARKET OF MAIZE CULTIVARS WITH LOW SEED COST IN BRAZIL

– Maize is one of the cereal crops most produced globally. It constitutes one species of most economic interest and provides multiple products with applications in diverse sectors, from animal feed to industrial products and even human food. More and more companies that represent this segment release genetically modified maize hybrids to ensure return on investment, decreasing the supply of conventional (non-transgenic) cultivars available on the market. Seed is one of the main components of the cost of maize production. Thus, farmers that obtain lower yields cannot afford to pay the relatively high costs of the high technology hybrid seeds or improve their production system, but it is possible to obtain satisfactory results through lower seed investments. Therefore, intervarietal hybrids may represent an alternative for meeting the needs of small and medium-sized farmers, with fewer resources for investments in inputs and seeds, and for supplying varieties that meet the needs of the small maize grower. This review presents a history of conventional maize breeding in Brazil and describes the main maize cultivars with low-cost seeds developed by public R&D companies, mainly focusing on the Instituto Agronômico (IAC) as an option for small and medium-sized maize growers in Brazil.