Participatory varietal selection in high-potential production systems

This paper reviews some of the participatory research in high-potential production systems on participatory varietal selection in high-potential production systems. This collaborative research is conducted by the Centre for Arid Zone Studies, UK; Local Initiatives in Biodiversity Research and Development (U-BIRD), Nepal; the Gramin Vikas Trust, India; and the Punjab Agricultural University, India. The justification for participatory rescarch on varietal selection in marginal areas is reviewed .and then compared to the needs of high-potential production systems (HPPSs). Some of the more significant findings on participatory varietal selection (PVS) in HPPSs are summarized and the roles of decentralization and participation in the research are reviewed. Participatory methods can increase the efficiency of formal breeding programs and in HPPSs they have a great potential for contributing lo higher and mor

Participatory varietal selection, food security, and varietal diversity in a high-potential production system in Nepal

A survey of nearly 1500 households in the high-potential production system (HPPSs) of the Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts of Nepal showed gre.t physical and socioeconomic diversity. Varietal diversity was low in all the crops studied and varied according to location in main-season rice. Masuli was the predominant main-season rice variety, occupying over 65% of the area in Ihe surveyed villages. Seventeen modem varieties of main-season nce were introduced to farmers lo test in collaborative trials. Farmers identified 10 of the new rice varieties as having useful traits, and seven were adopted to a significant extent within three seasons. The new varieties occupied about 13% of over 800 ha of main-season rice in eight study villages and increased on-farm varietal diversity by partly replacing predominant varieties. The accepted varieties offered, on average, an 18% yield advantage without any requirement lo change agronomy or increase inputs. Other advantages of Ihe new varieties were their early maturity, drought tolerance, disease and insect tolerance, and better adaptation to different ecological niches such as areas Of shallow water. Despite the commonly assumed uniformity of high-potential production systems, the new varieties occupied specific niches in the farming system from irrigated land with varying duration of retained standing water, and from partially irrigated to rainfed lowland conditions. Farmers preferred specific varieties for different niches, which should help lo increase and maintain biodiversity on the farm. Overall production is expected to increase as each niche becomes occupied increasingly by Ihe best-adapted variety. Participatory approaches are simple, powerful method. for identifying superior varieties and deploying them in specific niches for increasing food production in high-potential production systems

Participatory crop improvement in maize in Gujarat, India

This paper describes a participatory plant-breeding (PPB) program for maize in a rural development project financed by the United Kingdom's Department of International Development (DFID) and the Government of India and executed by the Krishak Bharati Cooperative (KRIBHCO). The program was targeted at low-resource farmers of the Panchmahals district of Gujarat. Farmers were given a range of maize varieties to try in a participatory varietal-selection program. However, none of these proved to be overwhelmingly popular with farmers, although maize variety Shweta from Uttar Pradesh was adopted by some farmers for more fertile fields. Hence, in 1993 a breeding program was begun by crossing yellow- and white-endospermed maize varieties, all of which had some acceptance or positive attributes identified in participatory trials. The breeding program targeted trails identified by farmers, and in some generations, selections were carried out by farmers in the populations grown on land rented by the project. Soil-fertility management was lower than that normally used on research-station land. The breeding program has produced several successful varieties. One of them, GDRM 187, has qualified for release and yielded 18% more than the local check in research station trials, while being seven days earlier to silk. In farmers' fields, where average yields were lower, the yield advantage was 28%. Farmers perceived GDRM 187 to have better grain quality than local landraces

The impact of participatory plant breeding (PPB) on landrace diversity: A case study for high-altitude rice in Nepal

Participatory plant-breeding (PPB) methods were used to develop two acceptable, cold-tolerant rice varieties in Nepal: Maehhapuchhre-3 (M-3) and Machhapuchhre-9 (M-9). Both were derived from the cross Fuji 102 Chhomrong Dhan. Following the introduction of these varieties from 1993 to 1998,the changes in the rice landraces and varieties that fanners grew were studied in 10 villages. In seven of the villages, for which data were analyzed for both 1996 and 1999, fanners grew 19 landraces and four modem varieties, of which three (M-3, M-9, and Lumle 2) were the products of PPB. These three varieties covered 11 % of the total surveyed area in 1999. The introduction of the PPB varieties had the greatest impact on the more commonly grown landraces. During the years studied, because the new varieties had exotic germplasm in their parentage, there was an overall increase in varietal diversity. However, in the future, ¡increasing adaption of M-3 and M-9 could result in significant reductions in varietal diversity

Towards a practical participatory plant-breeding strategy in predominantly self-pollinated crops

There is a limit to the capacity of any breeding program, and the more crosses that are made, the, smaller The size of each cross. The theory of the optimum number of crosses in inbreeding crops is bristly Reviewed. The theory is unsatisfactory in determining the optimum number of crosses, but models that Take linkage into account show that very large populations are needed to recover specified genotypes. Hence, one possible strategy is to select a small number of crosses that are considered favorable and Produce large populations from them. This strategy is ideality suited lo Ihe particular constrains and advantages of participatory plant breeding (PPB). When a breeding program is based on few crosses. The Choice of parents is crucial; and farmer participatory methods are highly effective in narrowing the choice, Modified bulk-population breeding methods are desirable strategies in the participatory plant breeding of self-pollinating crops when combined with low-cross-number. Approach, and a participatory breeding program for rice in Nepal is described

Equity issues in varietal dissemination through farmers' fairs (Kisan Melas) in Punjab, India

In the Punjab state of India, grain production has rapidly increased. One factor in this increase has been the fast adoption of new varieties. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has played a major role in distributing certified seed of new vanities to the farmers of the stale, Most of Ihe seed is distributed by sales al farmers' fairs (kisan melas) held al PAU and its regional research stations. In this study, equity issues in the sale of wheal seed were examined in farmers' fairs held in September 1999. In the PAU kisan mela, smallholder farmers were found to be considerably underrepresented and large farmers considerably overrepresented. The geographical distribution of the farmers who purchased seed was also studied. As might be expected, farmers tended to come to where Ihe kisan mela was held from nearby administrative areas (termed blocks). This resulted in certain blocks being poorly represented. PAU needs to address equity issues, both socioeconomically and geographically, by increasing the outlets for seed sales in remote districts, and areas of the state, and by encouraging small farmers to attend the kisan melas and purchase seed

Participatory varietal selection in rice in the Punjab

Participatory varietal selection (PVS) was used to try to identify an alternative to the most popular rice variety, Pusa 44, in the Patiala district of the Punjab. Pusa 44 (released in 1993 in India but not recommended for the Punjab) is grown in over 50% of the rice area in Patiala. It is highly susceptible lo bacterial leaf blight (BLB) but is preferred by famers because of its high yield and resistance to lodging. Pusa 44 is late maturing and needs to be transplanted very early in the season--as early as the first week in May, when temperatures are very high. This greatly increases demand for irrigation water and accelerates the lowering of the water table, a serious problem in Patiala and the Punjab. It also causes an increase in humidity in Ihe hot season, contributing to the builld-up of insect populations on the rice, which is a continuous host after the harvest of sunflower. Because of the lack of a suitable alternative, no recommended variety has replaced Pusa 44 so far. In me program described here, 12 Indian state-released varieties were provided to famers to test. Among these 12 varieties, only two were recommended for the Punjab (PR 111 and PR 114). We tested out-of state varieties since formal multilocational trials do not always determine the precise adaptation of a variety. Three varieties, lR64, IR36, and PR 114, were identified as better performing than Pusa 44, and of these, me best option was IR64. This variety yielded more man Pusa 44, even when transplanted three to four weeks later. This has several additional benefits; it can reduce me need for irrigation water by 20% to 30%, and allow green manuring, to improve soil fertility, between the wheat and rice crops. lR64 is resistant to BLB and has better grain quality than Pusa 44. Further testing of IR64 for release in Punjab is being undertaken

Participatory varietal selection in finger millet

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.) is an important small millet for rainfed areas in India. A dozen varieties have been released for cultivation but there is little adoption by farmers, particularly in the Chitradurga and Bellary districts of Karnataka state where the present study was conducted. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) showed that all farmers wanted higher grain and fodder yields, while only 8% mentioned resistance to diseases. Varieties of 105 to 110 days duration with moderate to high tillering and compact-top, in-curved ears were more acceptable. The PRA al so showed that there was a varietal monoculture of PR 202 from Andhra Pradesh state. Six varieties were selected for testing with farmers. They were chosen from those released for Karnataka but not adopted, and from those that were promising in all India coordinated trials. Most of them performed well in two-year trials. Participatory varietal selection (PVS) trials were conducted with 150 farmer, in seven villages. Pre- and post-harvest focus-group discussions (FGDs) revealed that the two recently released varieties, GPU 26 and GPU 28, met several of the farmers' selection criteria. GPU 26 was found to be suitable for late sowing up to the middle of August if the onset of rain was delayed, but GPU 28 could be grown in the second week of July. Among the no released varieties, the snort-duration variety (85 days), VL 305, was identified to be suitable as a second crop for sowing in September afire sesame or cowpea-an option not available to farmers with the released varieties Or nonrelated cultivars

Participatory plant breeding in rice in Eastern India

This paper describes a participatory plant-breeding (PPB) program for rice in eastern India, targeted at a range of ecosystems. Only a few crosses with large populations were used. Most resources were used on selection by farmers among progeny bulks grown on a research station, but farmers also selected within bulk populations on their fields. Farmers (both male and female) from villages served by the KRIBHCO Indo-British Rain fed Farming Project made selections among bulk progenies derived from a cross between Kalinga III and IR64 that were grown at Ranchi, Bihar, in the main (rainy) season of 1998. The three most selected progeny bulks were promoted to an AH India Co-ordinated Rice Improvement Project varietal trial in the main season of 1999. One of these was Ashoka 200F, me result of selection within on F4 bulk in a farmer's field the performance of all three varieties in the initial varietal trial al Birsa Agricultural University (BAU), Ranchi, in the main season of 1999 was good. Ashoka 200F yielded 2.90 ha’ compared 10 1.95 t ha" for Kalinga III. AII Three entries were as early and slender-grained as Kalinga IlI, and all were more resistant to lodging in the main season of 2000, these varieties will be tested in a participatory varietal selection program in six project villages. The approach of using a low-cross-number, large-population breeding strategy with both consultative and collaborative participation has rapidly improved Kalinga IIl, the most widely adopted upland rice in India. Among other strategies, we have used modified-bulk population breeding lo provide heterogeneous and homozygous bulks to farmers for selection