Climate change not only pushes farmers in Brahmaputra basin to adopt new varieties of crops that can resist vageries of weather but also compels agro-scientists to merge into research works to invent modified better varieties, espicially rice. Recently the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) of Assam Agricultural University at Titabor has developed a submergence resistent gene in rice variety of Ranjit which will bring good harvest to flood-hit farmers offering great relief to them. RARS is a research institute of Assam Agriculture University in Jorhat and has been devoting for better scientific cultivation and production for years.

Since flooding is one of the major hazards of rice cultivation in Brahmaputra basin areas, tolerant varieties are urgently needed to help protect the farmers from submergence. So as a result of this urgency, the research works to develop new better varieties became a compulsion for the scientists from Assam, a highly climate change effected state of India. Ultimately they have developed the new variety of the rice last year after a three years research. Though the variety has not been released to farmers yet, it will come out of experimental complex soon, said Dr. Tomijuddin Ahmed , the Chief Scientist of the RARS. Scientists of RARS had started their work during 2010 for the introgression of submergence tolerance gene in the rice variety Ranjit and finally the project was completed last year.

RARS April-May experimentally. The variety will be drown into water in different stages to test its tolerance, said Dr. Ahmed.

According to Dr. Sanjay Kumar Chetia who is involed with the project said submergence was a constraint to rice production in the areas of high rainfall. Intermittent flooding is common in 10-15 million hectares of rain fed lowland rice in south and southeast Asia.

Dr. Chetia said, “Biotechnology has been instrumental in the development of new and improved crop varieties at a faster pace than conventional breeding. Conventional breeding requires 10-12 years for the development of a new variety.” Chetia said that the recognition of the specific genes responsible for desirable crop qualities has led to the development of varities in a time framer of as little as 3-5 years, using a biotechnology called ‘Marker Assisted Selection’.

Early, breeding programmes for further improvement of submergence tolerence in rice was going on for over three decades. ‘The breakthrough came in the form of Swarn Sub1, a submergence tolerant variety in the background of a mega variety Swarna at International Rice Research Institute, Philippines, with the help of Marker Assisted Backcrossing. At this institute the submergence gene, the ‘SUB1′, already been introduced in several mega varieties, including Swarna, Samba Mahsuri, IR64, BR11, CR1009, TDK1 through Marker Assisted Backcrossing during 2007, Dr. T Ahmed said. Ahmed said- “The submergence tolerant varieties survive by inhibiting elongation growth during submergence, thereby conserving carbohydrate reserves. This allows them to survive for a longer period of time under water and resume growth when de-submerged. We are hopeful that another year or two, seeds will be available to the farmers for commercial cultivation.”

It is to be noted that Assam have already completed a new variety rice production circulation experimentally. Flood-hit farmers have successfully harvested from the submergence-resistant Swarna Sub-1 variety paddy in last December (2013). In 2009 for the first time farmers of the state had harvested from the water-resistant variety SS-1 in the flood prone areas. Impressed with the experimentation with Swarna Sub-1, the Agriculture Department promoting it on a wider scale since that year. It produces upto 3-3.5 tonnes per hectare when submerged, which can go upto 6 tonnes in normal conditions. “SS-1 is very shorter than other rice varities cultivated in India. Farmers get difficulties during harvesting this variety. But Ranjit is a taller one and suitable for manual harvesting. So we are optimistic with this taller variety and will be prefered by farmers”, Dr. Ahmed said.

The first variety developed in India through marker aided selection is the improved Pusa Basmati during 2008, a bacterial leaf bright resistant introgressed variety developed from Pusa Basmati. It is to be noted that Assam have already completed a new variety rice production circulation experimentally. Scientists from RARS completed the research work of the four flood-fighter varities. The new variety will be a higher version of existing ‘Suvarna Sub-1′ with more aided features.

Flood-hit farmers have successfully harvested from the submergence-resistant Suvarna Sub-1(SS-1) variety paddy in last December (2013). In 2009 for the first time farmers of the state had harvested from the water-resistant variety SS-1 in the flood prone areas. Impressed with the experimentation with SS-1, the Agriculture Department promoting it on a wider scale since that year. Scientists are working with drought and water submergence resistant properties will also be instilled in other popular rice varities in India like Sambha masuri, IR-64 etc. The Indian Agricultural Research (ICAR) along with Manila-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is planning to come out with upgraded version of SS-1 which will have droughts damage standing paddy crops. IRRI had released India-developed seed ‘Suvarna Sub-1′ seed in six countries which include Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia and Myanmar.

‘Suvarna Sub-1′ named after gold was released in 2009 in India and has become one of the most sought after seed varieties in the region over a period of three years. Around 1 million hectares of land these seeds till 2012 and mostly in eastern Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam, making it perhaps one of the fastest growing rice seeds. In total, rice is cultivated in around 44 million hectares of land every year, of which almost 40% is in the five eastern Indian states.

Mubina Akhtar, an environment journalist said “Governments, civil societies and NGOs should work to popularise submergence tolerence rice variety among flood-affected farmers in India and other flood prone areas”. Environmentalists warns that this new varieties should not be cultivated in non flood-affected areas. Because these type of hybrid varieties are marginalising and wiping out our traditional as well as local varieties.

Source - http://www.eurasiareview.com/