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Background and Rationale |
For sustainable agriculture, priority should be given to the
sustainable conservation of the resources of agrobiodiversity on which
agriculture depends. However, the intended method of future utilization of the
resources will largely determine the range of resources to be conserved, and even
the conservation technology adopted. However, there is a general consensus now
that the sustainable utilization of resources is the best way of demonstrating
the value of biodiversity and thereby ensuring its conservation.
There is increasing recognition that the diverse needs of resource-poor farmers
cannot be addressed by the breeding of a restricted range of high-yielding,
high-input varieties. Yields of improved varieties in favorable conditions have
reached a plateau, or even subsequently declined. It is being suggested that a
range of varieties are needed to fulfill specific socio-economic as well as
agro-ecological needs in the small farm system and that breeding methods need to
be reassessed to increase the ability of formal sector agricultural research to
produce varieties useful to small farmers. In a broad global review of plant
improvement for sustainable agriculture, it has been noted that plant breeders
must adopt an overall strategy that differs from present strategies in national
and international breeding programmes. Requirements include concerted efforts on
PGR management, evaluation under farmer conditions,
adaptation to unfavorable conditions, and examining the role of diversity (mixed
cropping and genetic variability within crops) to achieve production stability.
Over the years, there has been a constant increase in the number of germplasm
accessions held in the National Genebank at ICAR-NBPGR. Indeed, more germplasm is now
available to breeders and other users with limited gaps in collections,
particularly for major crops. The National Genebank at ICAR-NBPGR presently
holds more than four lakh accessions but the use of germplasm collections by breeders is
inadequate. Large-scale systematic evaluation generally falls outside the domain
of germplasm workers; rather, it is undertaken by a variety of biologists,
including plant breeders. Characterization and evaluation is, however, a
pre-requisite for the use of conserved germplasm and is essential to utilizing
the genetic diversity of germplasm collections. A national network project on
germplasm characterization and evaluation is, therefore, proposed so that
germplasm conservation at ICAR-NBPGR could be effectively linked with enhanced use of
germplasm in crop improvement in NARS. Beside, basic PGR management covering all
crops, six prioritized crops are to be taken up for detailed evaluation and use
in XII Plan.
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