CIMMYT provides a maize doubled haploid (DH) production service at cost to maize breeding programs in Africa, Latin America and Asia at its DH facilities in Kenya, Mexico, and India.

Use of DH lines in maize breeding offers several genetic, economic, and logistical advantages over use of conventional inbred lines. This service reduces the time required to develop homozygous maize lines to 8 to 14 months, instead of three to seven years using more traditional inbreeding methods. DH technology also results in 100% homozygous lines best suitable for selection and breeding, compared to traditional inbreeding with varying levels of heterozygosity.

Reduced time and increased precision in selection help breeders increase their rate of genetic gain, i.e., the rate at which the genetic potential of a crop increases in yield over time.

CIMMYT established centralized DH line production facilities for Africa at KALRO-Kiboko, Kenya. Similar facilities are also in operation for Latin America at CIMMYT’s experimental station in Agua Fría, Mexico and for Asia at Agricultural Research station, Kunigal in collaboration with University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS)-Bangalore. Public and private sector organizations involved in maize breeding can access the DH production service by signing a DH service agreement.