Maize

In 1994 – 1996 Gray Leaf Spot disease (GLS; caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis Tehon and Daniels) which affects maize spread to Zimbabwe from South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal. Maize is predominantly grown by small-scale farmers without fungicides; hence, there was need to develop GLS resistant hybrids. Seed Co became the first company to come up with SC 709, a single cross variety that was resistant to the GLS. There is limited information about the mode of inheritance for GLS resistance in regionally adapted germplasm.

Soya Beans

Soybean rust is potentially one of the most significant diseases of soybean. It can spread quickly and cause leaf spots and defoliation of soybean plants. Under favourable conditions, the pathogen can cause yield losses greater than 50%. Soybean rust was first found in the continental United States in the South in 2004. Since then, the disease spread and became a global outbreak. However, Seed Co was again the first to release varieties that are resistant e.g. SC Signal, SC Saxon, and SC Sentinel.