A new technique to develop hybrid rice varieties could boost the country’s rice production. For increasing the country’s rice production through faster development of hybrid rice varieties, agricultural scientists have reduced the time gap for breeding new rice varieties through a new method called double haploid breeding technique.
The haploid breeding technique shortens the time required for breeding a new variety from the usual 10 years to 6 years, thus saving on time, labour and financial resources.
According to GJN Rao, head plant improvement at Cuttack-based Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), in a conventional method two varieties, each having some of the desired characters are crossed and plants derived from the hybrid are followed scientifically for 6-7 generations for identification of the right plant, while in the case of the haploid breeding method, the male gametes collected from the hybrid plants are cultured and plants are generated.
The double haploid breeding programme was initiated back in 2001 by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) for development of new technologies for genetic improvement in popular rice varieties to boost rice production in the country.
ICAR has been working on technologies on a system mode of operation for direct-seeded rice, mechanical transplantation of rice crops and experiment on cultivating rice on rice beds under the All-India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP).
“The double haploid method launched under the AICRIP has performed well in the multi location trails conducted across India,” Rao of CRRI, an ICAR institute, told FE.
He also said that some of the pre-release lines were evaluated extensively in various parts of Orissa during 2004-07 and have been recommended for the release in both irrigated and shallow low lands. CR Dhan 10 is a rice hybrid variety developed through the haploid breeding method. At present, rice is cultivated on 43 million hectares in the country. During 2007-08, India’s rice production stood at 96.43 million tonne, out of which, domestic consumption is more than 95% of the total production.
ICAR and Philipines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have entered into an agreement to support and facilitate the country’s rice research over the next three years aimed at boosting to rice production. Meanwhile, IRRI and ICAR have announced the details of the new ICAR work-plan agreement (2009-2012), which would ensure India’s continued access to advanced rice research from around the globe and the technologies subsequently developed.
According to the ministry of agriculture, while area under cultivation in rice remained static around 43 million hectares since 1997-98, the production has gone up from 82.53 million tonne during 1997-98 to 96.43 million tonne during 2007-08.