INOVATION AND SPECIALTY MAIZE BREEDING FOR MARKET NICHES IN THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO

Maize is one of the most harvested cereals on the planet. In Brazil, it is the country’s second largest grain production after soybean, with a large portion of production destined for animal feed. During the 2019/2020 harvest, 35% of total maize production was exported, 9.5% was destined for industrial processing and only 1.1% for human consumption. Specialty maize are those grains that are not destined for the dry grain commodities market, but have various other uses and are destined exclusively for human consumption. Specialty maize are also considered as an alternative profit source for farmers. From a plant breeding standpoint, maize is greatest example of success when it comes to the exploitation of heterosis and therefore most of the investment in genetic breeding done by private companies is in the development of simple GMO single-cross hybrids. In today’s market, there are rarely any specialty maize cultivars available, creating a niche for public funded research and development centers to exploit with their conventional type cultivars. This article discusses the relevance of the specialty maize market niches and the role of the Maize Genetic Breeding Program of Instituto Agronomico (IAC) in the development of innovations in São Paulo through the launch of conventional cultivars aimed at small and medium producers and niches of specialty maize.