Bantilan, M C S

Deb, U K

ICRISAT Open Access Repository

Sorghum Database Deve lopment to EnhanceTechnology SpilloversU K Deb and M C S Bantilan1IntroductionFor t h e last 25 years, joint efforts by ICRISAT and national agricultural research sys-t e m s (NARS) have generated many improved cultivars and management practices toincrease sorghum productivi ty throughout t h e world. These technologies are usuallytargeted at a particular envi ronment or location. However, many of these technologieshave been adopted beyond t h e target envi ronments . For example , I C S V 112 (SPV475) was primarily in tended for India, b u t was released in Mexico ( U N A L 1-87),Nicaragua (Pinoleso), and Z imbabwe (SV 1). This variety yields 3.4 t ha - 1 and maturesin 115-120 days (ICRISAT 1990) . Ano the r ICRISAT sorghum germplasm line, IS9830 , has been released in Sudan as a Striga-resistant variety named Mugawim Buda 2,and as IS 2391 and IS 3 6 9 3 in Swaziland (Mengesha 1993) . It has also been adopted inStriga-affected areas e lsewhere . Applicability of a technology beyond its target envi-ronmen t is t e r m e d ' technology spillover'. Such spillovers may occur randomly orthrough planned intervention. Randomly occurring technology spillover depends onchance, while planned spillover depends on well informed and judicious interventionin research and development . Careful and systematic consideration of all critical fac-tors (agroecological, biological, and institutional) should be followed by conscious ef-forts to realize any planned spillovers. T h e identification of potential spillovers, andt h e steps needed to realize these spillovers, can be fostered by creating a databasecontaining all relevant information.This paper discusses t h e impor tance of a sorghum database for enhancing technol-ogy spillover among C L A N m e m b e r countr ies , and presents t h e types of data to beassembled, maintained, and dis t r ibuted among research par tners for this purpose.Role of the Sorghum Database in Enhancing SpilloversResources for agricultural research are becoming increasingly scarce. Fund scarcity de-mands more efficient utilization of available resources and greater collaborative effortsamong scientists in different inst i tutes or countr ies to generate indirect benefits viatechnology spillovers. T h e ex ten t of potent ial spillover of an agricultural technologydepends on agroecological similarity (usually measured by rainfall, t empera tu re , sea-sonal distribution of rainfall and t e m p e r a t u r e , and soil type and quali ty). Realization of1. ICRISAT Patancheru 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India2 9potential spillovers, i.e., actual spillover, is influenced by such factors as historical andcultural links be tween countr ies , geographical proximity, insti tutional factors (e.g., re-search networks , quarant ine laws, p roper ty rights), and t h e complexi ty of t h e problem(Byerlee 1997) .Exchange of information and technology and collaborative research efforts are vitalfor technology spillover. Several regional sorghum research ne tworks opera te — C L A N in Asia, t h e S A D C / I C R I S A T Sorghum and Millet Improvemen t Program(SMIP) in southern Africa, t h e West and Cent ra l Africa Sorghum Research N e t w o r k( W C A S R N ) , and t h e Comision Latinoamericana de Investigadores en Sorgo (CLAIS)in Latin America. These ne tworks provide a forum for regular exchange of informationand research products and for joint research planning. For example , collaboration un-der SMIP has led to t h e full integration of ICRISAT's program into national researchand extension systems in southern Africa.Research partnerships and channels for information exchange among Asian sor-ghum scientists are in place. Initially, these ope ra ted through t h e Cooperat ive CerealsResearch Ne t work ( C C R N ) , which had a m a n d a t e extending beyond Asia. Partner-ships for legumes research opera ted through t h e Asian Gra in Legumes N e t w o r k( A G L N ) , which was solely Asian. T h e Cereals and Legumes Asia N e t w o r k (CLAN)was formed by merging A G L N and C C R N to establish a unified ne twork for allICRISAT m a n d a t e crops. I t was envisioned t h a t collaborative breeding research todevelop cultivars adap ted to local condit ions, and exchange of germplasm and breed-ing populat ions wi th sources of resistance to major stress factors, would be major areasof collaboration among t h e ne twork m e m b e r countr ies (Byth 1993) .International nurseries and trials and germplasm exchange were helpful for sor-ghum crop improvement in t h e past . But this approach was not cost effective since t h emajority of t h e lines d is t r ibuted we re not useful to t h e recipient countr ies . Conse-quent ly t h e emphasis has changed to supplying specific, improved breeding material .Germplasm distribution has also shifted from unrestr ic ted distribution to a system tha tis selective and responsive to requests from users. In addition, m e m b e r countries canexchange materials (germplasm/varieties) bilaterally or multilaterally. Current ly avail-able technologies in t he region can help improve productivity in other m e m b e r coun-tries, providing spillover benefits. For example, sorghum cultivars developed in Indiaseem very promising for use in Thailand and Indonesia. In t he same manner, improvedcultivars released by different m e m b e r countries may also be useful in o ther countries.A major constraint to realizing technology spillovers among ne twork m e m b e r coun-tries is t h e lack of information. Information gaps can be minimized by developing andmaintaining a consistent system of data collection, processing, and dissemination. A database containing information on eli te cultivars in t h e region would encourage tar-ge ted and efficient exchange of germplasm. T h e database would also he lp quantify t h eimpact (bo th direct and spillover) of collaborative research, deve lopment , and diffu-sion by ICRISAT and t h e national programs. D e v e l o p m e n t of a sorghum database isone of t h e proposed objectives of Asian sorghum researchers: "to develop efficientdatabases and sharing of information". T h e r ecommenda t ions of t h e 1993 sorghumresearchers meet ing also included such a database as one of t h e objectives of C L A N( G o w d a and Stenhouse 1993) , b u t th is has not ye t been realized.3 0M i n i m u m D a t a Requ i rementFour types of data need to be maintained in t he sorghum database. These are: recom-m e n d e d sorghum cultivars and their characteristics, s tatus of sorghum cultivation, re-search capability, and economic factors affecting sorghum product ion .Sorghum cultivars and their characteristicsThe first r equ i rement for t he database is a comple te list of all r e c o m m e n d e d sorghumcultivars in different countries and thei r characteristics. This should include informa-tion about origin of t h e cultivar, type of cultivar (i.e., variety or hybr id) , pedigrees, t h eyear of release, morphological characteristics (grain color, insect and disease resis-tance) , ecological niches (humid, subhumid, moist semi-arid tropics, dry semi-aridtropics) for which they are released, commercia l success (area cul t ivated) , and thereasons for release (grain, forage, dual purpose , e tc . ) . This information will he lp scien-tists unders tand wha t elite cultivars are available in different countr ies and where elsethey could be useful. Information about t h e performance of enhanced germplasmmaterials and their traits observed during t h e Advanced Line Adaptive Research Trials(ALART) in each country would also be useful. National breeding programs can utilizeelite cultivars and advanced lines available in o ther countr ies and thereby increasetheir own research efficiency.Status of sorghum cultivationInformation on the s ta tus of sorghum cultivation (area, product ion , yield) in differentcountr ies by envi ronment and by cultivar will provide a clear unders tanding of t h espread and populari ty of different cultivars. Therefore, information on area unde r dif-ferent cultivars (hybrids, improved varieties, local varieties) m u s t be an integral part ofthe sorghum database. T h e composi t ion of sorghum cultivars grown in farmers ' f ieldschanges over t ime . N e w cultivars often replace old ones for different reasons such ashigher yield or resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Information on t h e spread ofdifferent cultivars and cultivars replaced by t h e new releases will he lp unders tand t h ecomparat ive advantage of different cultivars at farm level. Information on yield gapsbe tween farmers ' fields and research stations, and t h e reasons for such yield gaps, willalso be useful for this purpose.Research capability and infrastructureThe level of research capacity by public and private research organizations is also im-por tan t for technology spillover. Information about research capacity reflectedthrough t h e n u m b e r of scientists involved in sorghum improvemen t in public and pri-vate research organizations is impor tan t for t h e database. Information on subsequentefforts to p r o m o t e and produce improved seed (number of seed companies operatingin t h e country) will provide a clearer perspect ive of efforts on sorghum productivi tyenhancement in each country.3 1Economic factorsTime series information on economic factors affecting sorghum product ion ( consump-tion, prices of inputs and ou tpu t s , credi t availability, price suppor t by t h e government ,d e m a n d and supply elasticities) are impor tan t componen t s of t h e database. If thisinformation is compiled for different regions, provinces, and districts for each country,i t can be analyzed to unders tand t h e spatial and tempora l influence of these economicfactors on sorghum product ion . This will he lp design appropria te policy packages toboost sorghum product ion.O n g o i n g Ef for ts a t ICRISATICRISAT has already s ta r ted assembling t h e information required to build a sorghumdatabase. T h e Research Evaluation and Impact Assessment (REIA) c o m p e n d i u m(Bantilan et al. 1998) contains a list of sorghum cultivars developed and released indifferent countr ies using ICRISAT-supplied mater ia l . Adopt ion data are col lectedthrough country-level s tudies conduc ted unde r t h e impact assessment project. Sec-ondary data aggregated at t h e s tate and distr ict level for area, product ion , yield, andadopt ion of high-yielding varieties are also included in t h e project database. C L A N hasalso collected some information. However , t h e data collected on released cultivars andthei r characteristics are incomplete ; information gaps remain for certain variables. Tofill these gaps in cultivar-related information, t h e spillover impacts s tudy t e a m has sentquest ionnaires to t h e different NARS. Eventually a comprehensive list of all releasedcultivars, along wi th thei r t rai ts and area cult ivated, will be compiled.As par t of t h e 'Spillover Impacts S tudy ' , t h e REIA project is analyzing FAO data onarea, product ion, yield, and sorghum prices for all sorghum-producing countr ies fort h e per iod 1961-96. For India, t h e analysis will cover t h e per iod 1966-94 , using dis-trict-level data on sorghum area, product ion, and yield, and month ly rainfall collectedfrom t h e Direc tora te of Agriculture of various states . Similar data need to be compi ledand computer ized for all o the r m e m b e r countr ies .O n c e compiled, t h e data should be systematically d o c u m e n t e d and upda t ed . Sys-t ema t i c deve lopment of a database requires:• A data-file naming convent ion applicable to information from all countr ies• A standardized file s t ruc ture for each type of data , and data file linkages to elimi-na te duplication• A file entry and retrieval system tha t facilitates retrieval and analysis.ConclusionsInformation i s t h e key to p lanned deve lopment . And in o rde r to enhance technologyspillover among C L A N countr ies , i t is vital to have fast, easy access to accurate infor-mat ion . Providing t h e r ight information to t h e r ight people a t t h e right t i m e will he lpmaximize technology spillovers. A carefully d o c u m e n t e d sorghum database can serveas t h e information source for this purpose . Being an international ins t i tu te , ICRISAT3 2should take up leadership in assembling, maintaining, and disseminating such data toenhance bo th germplasm exchange and technology spillovers among C L A N countr ies .ReferencesBant i lan , M . C . S . , L a k s h m i , M . , and Parthasarathy, D . 1 9 9 8 . I C R I S A T / N A R S t e c h -no log ie s i n Asia a n d Afr ica : a c o m p e n d i u m . P a t a n c h e r u 5 0 2 3 2 4 , A n d h r a P r a d e s h ,Ind ia : I n t e r n a t i o n a l C r o p s R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e for t h e S e m i - A r i d Trop ic s ( f o r t h c o m i n g ) .Byer lee , D . 1 9 9 7 . A d v a n t a g e s o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l a g r i c u l t u r a l r e s e a r c h — e x p l o i t i n g e c o n o -m i e s o f s ize t o g e n e r a t e g lobal sp i l lover . Pages 1 6 7 - 1 8 4 i n I n t e g r a t i n g r e s e a r c h e v a l u a -t i o n e f fo r t s : p r o c e e d i n g s o f a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o r k s h o p , 1 4 - 1 6 D e c 1 9 9 4 , I C R I S A T -P a t a n c h e r u , Ind ia (Ban t i l an , M . C . S . a n d J o s h i , P.K., e d s . ) . P a t a n c h e r u 5 0 2 3 2 4 , A n d h r aP r a d e s h , Ind ia : I n t e r n a t i o n a l C r o p s R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e for t h e S e m i - A r i d T rop i c s .B y t h , D . E . 1 9 9 3 . O b j e c t i v e s o f t h e M e e t i n g . Pages 3 -5 i n C o l l a b o r a t i v e s o r g h u m r e -s e a r c h i n As ia : r e p o r t o f t h e A s i a n S o r g h u m R e s e a r c h e r s ' C o n s u l t a t i v e M e e t i n g , 2 7 - 2 9S e p 1 9 9 3 , I C R I S A T C e n t e r , I nd i a ( G o w d a , C . L . L . a n d S t e n h o u s e , J .W. , e d s . ) .P a t a n c h e r u 5 0 2 3 2 4 , A n d h r a P r a d e s h , Ind ia : I n t e r n a t i o n a l C r o p s R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t efor t h e S e m i - A r i d T rop i c s .G o w d a , C . L . L . and S t e n h o u s e , J .W. ( e d s . ) 1 9 9 3 . C o l l a b o r a t i v e s o r g h u m r e s e a r c h i nAsia : r e p o r t o f t h e A s i a n S o r g h u m R e s e a r c h e r s ' C o n s u l t a t i v e M e e t i n g , 2 7 - 2 9 S e p1 9 9 3 , I C R I S A T C e n t e r , I nd i a . P a t a n c h e r u 5 0 2 3 2 4 , A n d h r a P r a d e s h , I nd i a : I n t e r n a -t i o n a l C r o p s R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e for t h e S e m i - A r i d T r o p i c s . 7 6 p p .I C R I S A T (International C r o p s Research Inst i tute for t h e S e m i - A r i d Tropics) . 1 9 9 0 .A n n u a l R e p o r t 1 9 8 9 . P a t a n c h e r u 5 0 2 3 2 4 , A n d h r a P r a d e s h , Ind ia : I C R I S A T .M e n g e s h a , M . H . 1 9 9 3 . O v e r v i e w . Pages 1-4 i n G e n e t i c R e s o u r c e s U n i t . A n n u a lR e p o r t 1 9 9 2 . P a t a n c h e r u 5 0 2 3 2 4 , A n d h r a P r a d e s h , Ind ia : G e n e t i c R e s o u r c e s U n i t ,I n t e r n a t i o n a l C r o p s R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e for t h e S e m i - A r i d Trop ics ( s e m i f o r m a l pub l i ca -t i o n ) .3 3

Sorghum Database Development to Enhance Technology Spillovers

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Sorghum Database Development to Enhance Technology Spillovers

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