The three varieties of soybean, which were developed by national research institutes in coordination with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), outperformed standard and local varieties of soybean in both Malawi and Nigeria.
21 January 2011: Malawi and Nigeria have released three new soybean varieties developed by national research institutes in coordination with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
The varieties outperformed standard and local varieties of soybean in both Malawi and Nigeria. The Nigerian varieties were resistant to rust, blight and leaf spot, while the Malawian variety had extremely high productivity. IITA also noted that the new soybean variety in Malawi is able to interact effectively with soil Rhizobia and thus help to improve soil fertility. IITA is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [IITA Press Release]