Research Priorities in Indian Agriculture

Dr. P. Balasubramanian Professor, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore

Water the most precious commodity in India

Indiapronetodroughtspells

Warmer Nights Threaten India's Rice Production

y After 25 years, Kenneth Cassman, a professor of

agronomy at the University of Nebraska and a co-author in the IRRI project, concluded that "Every 1 oC increase in nighttime temperature led a 10 percent reduction in yield." y This is alarming because experts project an increase of 4 oC at nighttime. In this situation, the plants would find it hard to respire, reproduce, and would need more energy in their processes. y http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2010/05/05/1/.

Importance of cereals and starchy foods

Struggling to keep up

Not much of land is left

y Fixation of heterosis through apomixis y Improving nutritional status of major crops

y rice, wheat and potato

Need for more efficiency

Cheap protein

Need for furthering biotechnology research

Impending challenges necessitating increased food production y burgeoning population y shrinking land and water resources Biotechnology - Viable option y Increasing yield by reducing the losses due to biotic and abiotic stresses y Gene Revolution

Agricultural priorities-Strategies and Tools

y y y y y

Improving yield and quality QTL identification and Marker assisted breeding Genomics structural and functional genomics Bioinformatics and Functional validation Transgenics when necessary

Major Indian Institutes involved in agri research

y NRCPB IARI, New Delhi y Delhi University (South y y y y y y MKU, Madurai y UAS, Bangalore y UAS, Dharwad y University of Hyderabad y PAU, Ludhiana y DRR, Hyderabad y GB Pant Univ, Pant Nagar y MS Univ., Baroda

campus) NCPGR, New Delhi JNU, New Delhi ICGEB, New Delhi TNAU, Coimbatore MSSRF, Chennai

Major problems of priority crops

y Quality improvement wheat y Hybrid seed production mustard y Transgenics for biotic stress resistance cotton,

mung bean and tomato y Abiotic stress resistance rice

Status of transgenic research in India

y Transgenic insect resistant cotton 2002 y Three more events were approved including one

indigenously isolated gene. y Research on other crops is in advanced stages of product development y cauliflower, cabbage, potato, brinjal, tomato, rice, mustard and bhendi

Entry of private sector in Agriculture research

y When products are expected to be accompanied by a

strong IPR regime y Technology-intensive and investment-oriented y Major investment attractants y Cotton and vegetables y Not all private companies have adequate R&D facilities y Concerns about human and animal health y Often orchestrated

Slow progress of agbiotech research in India

y Transition from Green Revolution to Gene Revolution
y Misquoted to be against the nature y Biodiversity concerns often expressed

y ICAR/DBT/SAUs
y as always, exercise caution before adopting newer

technologies y Spurious seeds-their presence in the market y Lacking in moral restraint y No legislation to contain

Future of agriculture research in India y Intensification of genomics research for increasing yield and stability y Completion of genetic mapping in rice and wheat y Initiation of genetic mapping in grain legumes y Molecular dissection of abiotic stress tolerance

Future thrusts in Indian Agricultural Scenario y Improving the iron content in rice grains y Nutritionally enhanced Indian varieties of potato y Approaches to senescence retardation in fruits y Work on plant-microbe and virus interactions y Gene silencing and recombination with a special reference to containing crop viral diseases

Think-tank vs. Do-Tank

Role of MSMEs in taking the fruits of this collaboration need to be clearly defined

Leapfrogging
y Leapfrogging is a theory of

development in which developing countries skip inferior, less efficient, more expensive or more polluting technologies and industries and move directly to more advanced ones.
leapfrogging is ?????

y The best-known example of

Leapfrog technology!
y World's first solar powered stadium: Taiwan in 2009

finished construction on a 50,000-seat solar-powered stadium that will generate 100% of its electricity from photovoltaic technology designed by the Japanese architect, Toyo Ito

The best-known Indian example of leapfrogging is ?????

Leapfrog technologies
y Mobile phone use already

exceeds land line use in India, and by 2007, 150 million out of the 200 million phone lines there will be cellular. y I am hopeful the next leapfrog technology will emerge from this collaboration.

Oliver Goldsmith in Deserted Village

y 55: But a bold peasantry, their country's pride, y 56: When once destroy'd, can never be supplied.