CGIAR-International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) | India
Pervez H. Zaidi (Ph.D., DEGM) is Principal Scientist and Product Pipeline Lead for Heat & Drought-Tolerant Maize for Asia at the International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). With a doctorate in crop physiology and an Executive General Management Diploma from IIM Bangalore, he brings over 29 years of research-for-development experience across ICAR and CGIAR/CIMMYT institutions. He has played a major role in donor engagement and has helped raise USD 16.45 million in competitive funding over the past decade. Zaidi has led multi-disciplinary, multi-country collaborative projects that strengthened maize research capacity across South and Southeast Asia. His work has resulted in the release of 22 climate-adaptive maize hybrids cultivated on more than 150,000 hectares, along with 12 elite stress-resilient inbred lines shared globally as international public goods. He has also developed and disseminated over 400 stress-resilient germplasm materials for national programs and seed-sector partners. His research focuses on maize breeding for heat, drought and waterlogging tolerance, precision phenotyping, climate-smart cultivar pipelines and partnerships for seed system strengthening. A recipient of multiple recognitions including CIMMYT’s Best Employee of the Year (2009), he continues to contribute significantly to resilient maize systems in Asia.
Featured Publications
Patil, A., Gowda, K., Lakshman, S. T., Kuchanur, P. H., Saykhedkar, G., Nair, S. K., Jadhav, K. B., Yeri, S., Sunkad, G., Nidagundi, J. M., et al. (2025). Transfer of cytoplasmic male sterility to the female parents of heat- and drought-resilient maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids. Agronomy.
Zaidi, P. H., Vinayan, M. T., Nair, S. K., Kuchanur, P. H., Kumar, R., Singh, S. B., Tripathi, M. P., Patil, A., Ahmed, S., Hussain, A., et al. (2023). Heat-tolerant maize for rainfed hot, dry environments in the lowland tropics: From breeding to improved seed delivery. The Crop Journal.
Mukaro, R., Kamutando, C. N., Magorokosho, C., Mutari, B., Zaidi, P. H., Kutywayo, D., & Sibiya, J. (2023). Genetic potential of tropically adapted exotic maize (Zea mays L.) heat-tolerant donor lines in sub-tropical breeding programs. Agronomy, 13(8), Article 2050.
Prasanna, B. M., Cairns, J. E., Zaidi, P. H., Beyene, Y., Makumbi, D., Gowda, M., Magorokosho, C., Zaman-Allah, M., Olsen, M., Das, A., et al. (2021). Beat the stress: Breeding for climate resilience in maize for the tropical rainfed environments. Theoretical and Applied Genetics,