Impact of climate change and IP regime on the production and availability of quality seed

Abstract

Timely availability of high quality seeds of improved varieties, suitable to perform well in different growing environment, is a key component of agricultural production system. Hence, an effective seed production plan not only needs to take into account the overall commercial value of crop varieties, but also their potential to perform satisfactorily in respective agro-climatic regions, both under optimum and sub optimum conditions. In the present scenario of changing and fluctuating climate, this means that the seed plan should meet the demand of improved varieties having high commercial value and also be prepared to fulfil the contingent demands in fluctuating / unfavourable weather conditions. In India, drought and flood are of common occurrence in some part of the country or other. In the recent years, the rise in temperatures, particularly at flowering and grain filling stages, have also been experienced frequently. Intensive cropping schedules, growing industrialisation and poor soil management practices are affecting the soil status. Focussed and extensive crop improvement programmes, particularly in the post-New Seed Policy, 1988 period, resulted in a greater choice to the farmers with respect to new varieties and hybrids’ availability. This, on one hand increased the profitability of the farmers, and on the other hand, also helped in increasing the Seed Replacement Rate (SRR), which is still much lower than the desired levels in different crops. The SRR has shown significant rise in the crops where suitable hybrids have been introduced, but in OPVs, specially in high volume, low profit crops, which are crucial for national food security, viz., cereals and pulses, more is desired. The seed production programmes must, at all times, ensure availability of seeds of such varieties, which can be taken up in the event of uncertain weather / constraints. For instance, when a timely sown crop fails due to early moisture stress situation, the farmer may go for resowing with a late sown, short duration variety or if the crop fails due to unfavourable weather in one season, the farmer may go for a substitute second crop, provided seeds of suitable varieties are available and the farmers are well informed and guided. The second aspect of seed production in the changing climate concerns the yield and quality of the seed produced under unfavourable weather conditions. Of various climatic factors, it has been observed that high temperature and moisture stress to the seed crop not only reduces the seed yield, but also affects the seed quality and performance of the resultant crop. In general, delayed maturity, caused by one or more environmental factors, reduces seed quality to a significant level. However, elevated CO2 levels do not adversely affect the seed quality or yield. Given the assumption, that in post-PPVandFR regime the focus of the private sector would be to develop hybrids / varieties for favourable growing environments, developing varieties for unfavourable / uncertain environments and making available seeds of the same, following an advanced and timely planning will be the primary objectives of the public sector research and seed production organisations. To encourage this, a policy to provide certain incentives for the latter may be considered.