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, 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 which was resistant to the GLS. There is limited information about the mode of inheritance for GLS resistance in regionally adapted germplasm.
Soya Beans
Soyabean rust is potentially one of the most significant diseases of soyabean. It can spread quickly and cause leaf spots and defoliation of soyabean plants. Under favorable conditions, the pathogen can cause yield losses greater than 50%. Soyabean 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 such as SC Signal, SC Saxon and SC Sentinel.