Bulletin No. 028 deals with research on maize cultivation and the conservation of phytosanitary resources in Burundi. Corn is an allogamous crop. It is the most cultivated cereal in the world and ranks second after rice (Beyene et al., 2016). In sub-Saharan Africa, maize is the staple food for over 300 million people (Beyene et al., 2016). Between the years 2009 and 2011, maize was grown on over 25 million hectares in this part of Africa (Shiferaw et al. 2011).
In Burundi, maize was introduced in the 17th century (Rouanet, 1984) and the dissemination of improved varieties began in 1964 through research at ISABU (Delhove, 1991). Currently, maize is the first cereal cultivated in Burundi, both in terms of annual production and areas planted (ENAB, 2012). Maize is grown in all agro-ecological zones in Burundi; from swamps to hills.

The unit responsible for the conservation of plant genetic resources is under the Plant Production program of the Research Directorate of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Burundi (ISABU). Its financing is jointly provided by grants from the long-term Government and from a few short-term partners (Crop Trust) for a number of activities, in particular germplasm regeneration.
The unit works in close collaboration with Nordgen (Nordic Gene Bank based in Svalbard in the icy Nordic Ocean in Norway); which is an institute providing scientific and technical support for the conservation of germplasm in countries around the world.

On a daily basis, the unit manages a Burundian gene bank, which has more than 1800 locally preserved accessions grouped into 31 species, with 1112 accessions already duplicated in the global gene bank (Svalbard) and the CGIAR gene bank (IITA). Even if wild species are not sufficiently exploited for food, they exist in different areas. This neglect leads to their regression, which is also orchestrated by several factors, including the weakness of technical, financial and logistical capacities.
However, regeneration activities will lead to the enrichment of the number of conservation accessions in gene banks.
The geographic coordinates and identity of conserved accessions are easily accessible for a variety of scientific uses and for agricultural development purposes. They can be exchanged between other regional and international gene banks.