Seeds for growth: How technology can boost Indian agriculture
New seed technologies supported by scientific validation and enabling regulatory mechanisms offer significant advantages for sustainable agriculture at little additional cost
Agriculture and allied sectors are central to the Indian economy. Keeping this and a sustainable future in mind, the Indian government, quite rightly, is promoting technology-enabled sustainable farming, including natural, regenerative and organic systems, during its G20 presidency.
Though India has achieved food security with the production of food grains reaching 330 MT, the demand for coarse cereals, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables is not fully met. In addition, they are not affordable for a large part of the population, leading to a high proportion of the under/malnourished population, with a sizable percentage of child wasting (19.3 per cent).
Alongside fulfilling its goal of increasing profitability in agriculture and its share of export in the world market, India needs to close the gap between potential and achievable productivity in most grain crops and vegetables, reduce the cost of production, promote cultivation and consumption of nutritionally-rich crops like millets, and focus on the quality of the agricultural produce. Therefore, it’s imperative that focus be given to ensuring the availability of quality seeds and maximising the performance value of every seed — the most critical input in agriculture.
The Indian seed industry was built on a strong foundation in the 1960s with the establishment of the National Seeds Corporation and further boosted with several enabling policies and regulatory support from the late ’80s. The introduction of the Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers Rights Act, 2001, and the release of Bt cotton hybrids for commercial cultivation in 2002 were important milestones towards the era of a technology-driven seed sector, which boosted the industry and helped Indian farmers with better productivity. As a result, the size of the Indian seed market has reached an estimated $ <4.0 to >6.0 billion (ISC, 2023; IMARC, 2023), with untapped potential to be the seed hub for G20 countries. The focus of the seed industry should be to promote varieties and technologies to combat the serious threats posed by climate change.
Depleting natural resources, a burgeoning population, extreme weather conditions and natural disasters because of climate change pose bigger challenges to Indian and regional agriculture, dominated by smallholder farmers. India’s performance in achieving the SDGs, especially goals one, two and three, ones linked to agriculture, are yet to reach desired levels. To ensure that we meet the targets for food and nutrition security, and the population’s well-being in a sustainable manner, it’s crucial to effectively utilise every available technology including traditional knowledge in agriculture.
Being nutrient-rich, hardy and grown in a short cycle, millets are recognised as well-suited for sustainable agriculture. India is the global leader in millet production. By producing quality-assured seeds of improved varieties of millets, especially minor millets, it has the potential to capture the global seed market. The advancements made in seed technology can maximise the availability and quality of seeds and help them perform well under a wide range of conditions. While crop variety development will become faster and more precise in the coming years by using molecular technologies, speed breeding and gene-editing tools, applied seed technologies would ensure good performance even under less favourable, unpredictable, and harsh environments. Hence, seed technology today must combine genetic advancement with applied technologies to provide quality-enhanced seeds of improved varieties having higher productivity, high input use efficiency and the ability to withstand a range of biotic and abiotic stressors.
The costs of inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides, besides land, labour and water, are the major determinants of profitability in agriculture. The cost of seed is typically ~3 to 6 per cent of the total cost of production, though it can contribute up to 15-20 per cent yield advantage over and above the genetic potential under different cultivation conditions. The use of farm-saved seed, which was estimated to be >60 per cent even a decade ago, is reducing considerably as farmers realise the advantages of using quality-assured seeds of improved varieties and are willing to invest in them for better returns. An encouraging trend of public-private partnership (through licensing agreements) has emerged in the last 10 to 15 years, which helped popularise many open-pollinated (OP) and hybrid varieties bred by public research institutions, viz. ICAR-IARI, ICAR-IIHR, ICAR-IIVR, SAUs, and marketed by both public and private seed companies. This has improved both Variety Replacement Rates (VRR) and Seed Replacement Rates (SRR) in field crops and vegetables (ISC, 2023). In this scenario, sustainable seed technologies, available with the private sector can further boost the planting value of seeds. Hence, the R&D efforts of the public and private sectors can complement each other in developing environment-friendly, better-performing seeds at affordable costs.
These technologies would comprise: Genetic manipulation in variety development, subject to regulatory compliances; priming or physiological advancement protocols; film coating, pelleting with or without active formulations; seed treatments with biologicals, or chemical pesticides having contact or systemic mode of action; bio-stimulants and nutrients for higher germination and faster seedling establishment; incorporation of AI responsive sensors/substances in seed to help modulate plant responses to external stimuli; and production of “clean and green” planting materials in horticultural crops.
Priming and enhancement technologies are emerging as an essential package of practices to ensure that seeds perform well under a wide range of growing conditions. These are especially beneficial in agro-eco-regions that frequently experience moisture, temperature, and other abiotic stressors, or are prone to diseases and pest damages. Such treatments can work independently or complement the genotype of the seed in a manner that enhances its overall performance. Incorporation of pesticidal formulations through film coating on seed can reduce the amount and cost substantially and provide better protection during germination and vegetative growth stages.
Most of these technologies are in commercial use globally, and some have been introduced in India. The most common of these is priming and film coating technology, which can be applied both under organic and inorganic cultivation to improve seed handling, precision planting and use as carriers of pesticides, nutrients, growth promoters and microbial inoculum. Many more are being assessed. A robust regulatory mechanism covering quality seedlings and planting materials is needed under the newly proposed “Clean Green Mission” by the Government of India as part of its G20 commitment to “Green Development”. “Next Gen” technologies may also introduce AI-based responses from seeds under specific external conditions (for example, moisture, temperature); or incorporate such molecules or metabolites that act as metabolic cues in biological pathways, which will require appropriate guidelines for application.
As in the case of any technology, supportive regulatory guidelines will go a long way in the adoption and popularisation of seed technologies. The Fertiliser (Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) (Control Order, 1985, has been amended to Fertiliser (Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) (Control) Amendment Order, 2021 now includes bio-stimulants, which is an important component in seed-enhancement technology. Necessary guidelines are being formulated by concerned departments with extensive consultations with stakeholders for registration and use of bio-stimulants. Similarly, modifications are needed to include coated/pelleted seed under the Certified Seed (CS) category, as at present coated seeds can be sold only as Truthfully labelled (TL) seed. It is well established that besides being farmer-friendly, film coating can reduce the pesticide load by up to 1/10th while cutting down the pesticide dust-off. This significantly reduces pesticide use. Thus, new seed technologies supported by scientific validation and enabling regulatory mechanisms offer significant advantages for sustainable agriculture at little additional cost.
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