India: Climate change is paving the way for shock-proof seeds
By G Seetharaman
In a village 70 km from Hyderabad, researchers of Kaveri Seeds are experimenting with new varieties — not just to find high-yielding seeds but seeds that will have high climate resilience. One can see columns of climate-controlled net houses in Kodakandla village in Telangana’s Jangaon district, where the new seeds are being tested to check if they can withstand climate shocks. Nearby lie the remains of a maize harvest. Elsewhere, hybrid varieties of chilli are being tested on over 10 acres.
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According to an estimate in the 2017-18 Economic Survey, when temperatures are 1° Celsius higher than normal, farm incomes fall by 6.2% during kharif season and 6% for rabi season in unirrigated districts. Similarly, when rainfall is 100 mm less than the average, farm incomes decline by 15% during kharif season and by 7% during rabi season.
Climate change can reduce wheat yields by 6-23% by 2050 and 15-25% by 2080, says a paper by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
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Hybrid seeds are produced by cross-pollinating two different but related plants to produce a variety with specific traits. But unlike non-hybrid varieties, these seeds from a hybrid plant cannot be used to grow the same variety, which means farmers have to buy new seeds every season.
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Besides tackling the likelihood of low water availability, extreme temperatures is another challenge for seed makers to overcome.
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