INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2026  SEEDWORLD.COM /  25
ON A BRIGHT afternoon in an Illinois corn field, members 
of the local African diaspora community got a taste of home, 
while organic corn farmers got a glimpse at future innovation. 
Chris Mujjabi, a graduate student and research assistant in the 
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Department of 
Crop Sciences, hosted the unique “Kasooli Party,” named after 
the Luganda word for white maize.
“Chris connected the white corn and new hybrids with the 
African community here in the Midwest,” UIUC crop sciences 
professor says. “They came to the field day and were able to eat 
the corn. That’s a cultural connection that we want to nourish.” 
Designing a Corn System That Works for Everyone
That bridge between crop production and consumers is 
reflected in the model used by the Illinois Organic team, with 
UIUC assistant professor of natural resources and environmental 
sciences Carmen Ugarte at the helm.
“We want to create a cropping system that’s very integrated,” 
she says. 
Ugarte collaboratively works with the breeding team to iden­
tify traits that can strengthen and support crop production while 
balancing environmental concerns. This approach highlights the 
connection between crop genetic diversity and soil health. 
“In my role as a soil ecologist, I investigate how cultural prac­
tices influence the diversity functions and services provided by 
soils,” Ugarte says.
In turn, a healthy and diverse soil agroecosystem can help 
support important soil functions, including water and nutri­
ent use efficiency, accrual of soil organic matter and biological 
control. 
“Genetic diversity also gives different plants different rooting 
characteristics and from the perspective of the soil, we hope to 
achieve a point where the crop might take from the soil only as 
much as it contributes in return,” Ugarte says.
The Illinois Organic Team group also includes the farmers in 
the participatory model. Farmers provide feedback to the team, 
creating a loop that ultimately includes consumers as well.
“All of the work we do is important, but it wouldn’t be impor­
tant if no one is using the grains produced in this region. From the 
beginning of our collaborative efforts, we sought to connect the 
breeding component all the way to the consumers. That is why we 
continue researching; to understand how a change in the develop­
ment of a hybrid along with soil management conditions could 
influence the overall quality of the produced grain,” Ugarte says.
Banking on Diversity – Literally 
Mujjabi’s Kasooli party success was made possible by a chance 
discovery in a seed bank. Kitale Synthetic II is just one example 
of the genetic treasures stored in seed banks worldwide. In 2019, 
Mujjabi was digging through decades of preserved germplasm 
with the hopes of finding something special.
“Our project was really looking to expand the genetic base 
of organic maize in the Midwest and in general, using lines from 
different parts of the world. We had planned to include a section 
of the exotic materials in our nursery as part of a demonstration 
and observation block for farmers during our annual field day” 
Mujjabi says. 
In addition to Kitale, Mujjabi selected various OP varie­
ties such as Hickory River, Smiley Silage, Misener OPV, Bloody 
Butcher, Rainbow, Mandan White Flint, Silver King, Mandan Red 
Flour, White Waxy 4x, Highland Horsetooth, Boone County 
White, Hopi Blue Corn, Rainbow Flint, Mandan Red, Hickory King 
and others. 
Kitale Synthetic II was a key open-pollinated variety (OPV) 
developed in Kenya in the 1950s and then later crossed with a 
different line in Ecuador to create the first high-yielding hybrid 
in Kenya, providing a near 40% increase compared to the other 
OPVs they were growing at that time in the area.
“I hadn’t known about Kitale Synthetic II beforehand, only 
that the name sounded Ugandan or African, which immediately 
caught my attention,” Mujjabi says. “After doing some research, 
I realized it had played a significant role in the history of maize 
breeding and production across Africa. That discovery moti­
vated me to continue working with it, with hopes of introgress­
ing some of the traits that made it so impactful into our current 
maize improvement efforts.”
Chris Mujjabi, UIUC 
graduate student and 
research assistant.
Carmen Ugarte, UIUC 
assistant professor of 
natural resources and 
environmental 
sciences.

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.