101 International Journal of Research in Biological Sciences 2014; 4(4): 101-105 ISSN 2249–9687 Review Article AGRONOMICAL, GENETICAL AND PLANT BREEDING STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING WATER USE EFFICIENCY IN MAIZE PRODUCTION Pritee Awasthy, Pooja Sahu, *Parmeshwar Ku. Sahu, Bhumika Patel and Deepika Devdas *Email: parmeshwarsahu1210@gmail.com Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur- 492012 (Chhattisgarh) Received 03 August 2014; accepted 03 November 2014 Abstract Enhancing water use efficiencies of rain-fed maize is a requirement for sustainable maize production, particularly in areas prone to low/drought and erratic rainfall patterns. Maize is grown in a range of environments, and is a basic food grain in many areas and several cultures. In breeding for improved water use and WUE, it specifically examines modification of plant morphology, the use of drought- adaptive secondary traits in breeding, and drought-adaptive improvement through conventional breeding and biotechnology. A successful program in conventional breeding should involve the integration of several criteria into one selection index; and also successful breeding programs for improved tolerance to drought stress frequently combine two or more of the breeding strategies. Combining physiological and genetic information can provide a more complete model of gene-to-phenotype relationships and genotype-by-environment interactions. From an agronomic viewpoint, it examines planting date and planting geometry, tillage and residue retention, weed control, fertilizer use and modified irrigation practices as strategies to improve WUE, and includes comment on use of plastic mulch as means of improving WUE in maize. © 2014 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved Keywords-:-WUE, drought, breeding, biotechnology, tillage, irrigation 1. Introduction Globally, agriculture accounts for 80–90% of all freshwater used by humans, and most of that is in crop production. In many areas, this water use is unsustainable; water supplies are also under pressure from other users and are being affected by climate change. Much effort is being made to reduce water use by crops and produce ‘more crop per drop’. The concept of crop water use efficiency (WUE), determined by the ratio between the marketable yield and the seasonal values of actual evapo-transpiration, has become a suitable tool for analyzing the strategies that allow attaining the best use of water in agriculture. Crop WUE is easy to quantify from field measurements, but it is a complex indicator because wide differences can be observed for the WUE values of the same species cultivated under the same site. To reduce agricultural water use and make water resources more sustainable is an increasingly urgent question. It is a question that requires combined agronomic, physiological, biotechnological/ genetic and engineering approaches which may be collectively described as ‘water saving agriculture’. We need to use appropriate agronomy to grow crops best suited to the environment, with least use of water, whether in irrigated or rain fed production. We need to develop crops that require less water to produce sufficient yield, through understanding the physiological mechanisms that determine growth and water loss, and plant response to reduced water availability. We need to consider fully the returns on irrigation, as part of making real improvements in sustainable water management (Parry et al. 2005). Ideally, as many commentators have pointed out, we need to reduce the use of irrigation in hot, dry environments, as it is in these environments that irrigation is most wasteful, in that it produces least yield per unit of water, owing to the high evaporation rates. Similarly, some techniques are less efficient than others (Tao et al., 2006). Maize is one of the three most important cereal crop species (after wheat and rice), and is grown throughout a wide range of climates. A major shift in global cereal demand is underway, and by 2020, demand for maize in developing countries is expected to exceed demand for both wheat and rice (Pingali and Pandey, 2001). Maize is desired for its multiple purposes as human food, animal feed, and pharmaceutical and industrial manufacturing. It is the basic food for the majority of people in Mexico and Latin American Available online at http://www.urpjournals.com International Journal of Research in Biological Sciences Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved