Participatory Breeding in Rice

Abstract

Bihar is a typical eastern state, with a large proportion of land (5.4 m ha) under rice, which has an average productivity of only 1.2 t ha-1. More than half of the rice area is rainfed lowland, including flood-prone ecosystems, which are characterised by low productivity obtained under traditional systems of cultivation. Despite scientists’ claims to have developed appropriate highyielding varieties (HYVs), both at a national and a state level, their adoption is negligible. Farmers prefer their own cultivars which are highly adapted to the varying adverse conditions prevalent in the region. These local cultivars have passed through innumerable generations of selection and have evolved mechanisms to adjust to the harsh environment. There is no doubt that HYVs perform better when conditions are at their optimum, but they virtually fail when conditions are adverse. In this situation, the higher stability of traditional cultivars is preferred by farmers. In this paper, we compare HYVs with the traditional landraces that farmers grow, and which represent a diverse genetic resource. A participatory approach has been used for varietal selection in rainfed lowland and flood-prone ecosystems in the existing farming systems.