Recognizing farmers’ contributions by registering traditional varieties in the National Register of Varieties of Cuba (I)

The national agricultural research institute Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas (INCA) has been involved in several participatory plant breeding (PPB) projects between 1999 and 2006. In 2005, the first corn variety developed through PPB in Cuba was included in the official list of varieties under the name `Felo´. This variety was developed based on a combination of local materials by a member of the Cooperativa de Producción Agropecuaria (CPA) Gilberto León, municipality of San Antonio de los Baños in the province of Artemisa, where the first participatory corn breeding fair was held in June 1999. A process of mass selection (five cycles) followed, considering traits such as plant height, good closure of the ear and absence of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). A nutritional analysis showed satisfactory protein (9.0 and 9.3%) and starch (71 and 73%) contents. Yields obtained were around 3.4t/ha without fertilizer application. This example demonstrates the importance of varieties conserved by farmers for breeding purposes; among them, varieties of corn with high nutritional quality were identified, which have been developed in low-input production systems and without using techniques such as genetic engineering.