PAC 740: Orange maize hybrid

High yielding orange maize hybrid, medium maturity with high field tolerance to drought

The Orange Maize PAC 740 is a high-yielding maize variety designed to produce up to 11 metric tons per hectare, with a potential of 12 tons under optimal conditions. Maturing in just 115 days, it offers strong tolerance to maize leaf blight and thrives in drought-prone environments. Rich in protein, PAC 740 is ideal for both human consumption and poultry farming, providing farmers with a reliable solution for enhanced productivity even in challenging conditions across regions like India, Thailand, and several African countries.

This technology is pre-validated.

9•9

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 9/9; level of use 9/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive medium

Under 18: Positive medium

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Much less water used

Problem

Low Yields: Farmers face persistent challenges related to low yields, directly impacting their productivity and food security.
Moisture Stress Constraints: In regions prone to water stress, water scarcity poses a major obstacle to crop growth, limiting the viability of agricultural practices.
Need for a Dual-Purpose Maize Option: Farmers have a growing need for versatile maize varieties that can be used both for grain production and as a source of fodder for livestock.
Foliar Diseases, Especially Blight: Targets the problem of foliar diseases, particularly blight, which can significantly impact crop health and yield.
Low Returns on Investment: Aims to tackle the challenge of low returns on investment by offering a seed variety with double yield potential compared to conventional varieties, thereby enhancing profitability for farmers.

Solution

Tolerance to Foliar Diseases, Especially Blight: This variety exhibits a robust tolerance to foliar diseases, particularly blight, ensuring a higher level of crop health and reducing the impact of diseases on overall yields.
Drought Tolerance: Developed with a focus on resilience, this maize variety demonstrates significant drought tolerance, allowing it to thrive in conditions of limited water availability and mitigate the adverse effects of moisture stress.
High Yields: The variety is designed to deliver high yields, enhancing overall productivity and providing farmers with a substantial increase in crop output compared to conventional varieties.
Dual-Purpose Potential: By serving as both a grain producer and a source of fodder, this hybrid seed offers a dual-purpose solution, catering to the diverse needs of farmers engaged in both crop cultivation and livestock management.
Double Yield Potential Compared to OPV: In comparison to Open Pollinated Varieties (OPVs), this hybrid seed presents a remarkable double yield potential. This means farmers can expect significantly higher returns on their investment, making it a financially attractive option.

Key points to design your program

Orange Maize Hybrids improve food and nutritional security, increase climate resilience, and enhance farmer incomes through high-yielding, drought-tolerant, and nutritionally enriched maize varieties. The technology can be integrated into food security, nutrition, climate resilience, seed systems, and maize value chain development programs. Its adoption contributes to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

To integrate this technology into your project, plan and budget for the following activities and prerequisites:

Assess maize production constraints, nutritional challenges, disease pressure, and climate risks in target farming areas.
Facilitate access to quality orange maize hybrid seeds adapted to local agroecological conditions and farmer production systems.
Support training for farmers, cooperatives, extension agents, women’s groups, and youth agripreneurs on improved maize production practices, water management, fertilizer application, and integrated pest and disease management.
Invest in demonstration plots, seed distribution systems, extension services, and digital advisory tools to improve awareness and adoption of improved maize hybrids.
Promote the cultivation of drought-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties to improve productivity, reduce production risks, and strengthen resilience to climate variability.
Support the participation of women and youth in maize production, seed systems, and value addition activities to strengthen livelihoods and create agribusiness opportunities.
Establish partnerships with Advanta Seeds, seed companies, research institutes, extension services, cooperatives, and private sector actors to support scaling and sustainability.
Track key indicators such as adoption of orange maize hybrids, maize yields, crop losses from drought and diseases, household food security, and farmer incomes.

540 USD/ha

Total input costs

2000 USD/ha

Estimated average gross income

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology\’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology\’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 9 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: validated

Level of use 9 out of 9

Common use by intended users, in the real world

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Cameroon	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Sierra Leone	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid	–	–	–	–
Semiarid	–		–
Subhumid	–		–
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 3: good health and well-being

Goal 13: climate action

Soil Preparation: Ensure adequate soil preparation with proper drainage to optimize root development and nutrient absorption. Soil Type: Well-drained with clay content; Soil pH: 6.5 to 7.5.
Planting Time: Plant seeds during the recommended period for your region to maximize growth and reduce exposure to adverse weather conditions.
Planting Depth and Spacing: Optimal planting density is 62,000 to 65,000 plants per hectare, with spacing of 60 cm between rows and 25 cm between plants.
Water Management: Implement efficient water management practices, including irrigation scheduling and conservation techniques, to mitigate moisture stress and promote growth.
Fertilization: Apply 40:20:20 NPK (kg/ac) during planting, with additional basal and top dressing fertilization after 35-40 days.
Weed Control: Use pre-emergence herbicides within two days after planting on moist soil. Employ post-emergence selective herbicides for maize and conduct hand weeding as needed.
Disease and Pest Management: Regularly monitor crops for signs of diseases and pests, and apply appropriate control measures to minimize yield losses.
Harvesting: Harvest maize at the optimal stage of maturity to maximize yield and quality. Ensure proper post-harvest handling to preserve grain quality.

Last updated on 2 July 2026

Advanta Seeds
Ibrahim Shiundu

Commodities

Maize

Sustainable Development Goals Details ›

Subcategory

Yield improvement Quality improvement Drought tolerance

Value chain step

Production

Solution

Yield Improvement quality improvement heat and drought tolerance

Tested/adopted in Details ›

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Where it can be used Details ›

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones.

Target groups

Farmers Seed companies

PAC 740: Orange maize hybrid

Problem

Solution

Key points to design your program

540 USD/ha

2000 USD/ha

IP