New Ashoka rice variety brings food security to millions December 21, 2015 Women farmers taking away the certified seed bags of Ashoka 200F upland rice variety after a training session in Central Paraha Bhavan at Bero, Ranchi Around a million smallholders and their families in east and west India are enjoying greater food security thanks to work by researchers at Bangor University in Wales. Food security is a phrase that's bandied about, but increasing food security 1 can have real impact on people's lives, and can come about by different means. In this case, the change in people's lives has come about through the creation of a new rice variety, suitable for growing by subsistence farmers in upland regions, who have been largely ignored by India's 'green' agricultural revolution.
Professor John Witcombe and Dr Daljit Singh Virk of the University's School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography are responsible for developing the new strain, working with partners Gramin Vikas Trust (GVT), KRIBHCO Bhavan, NOIDA, New Delhi and Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkand, India. The new variety has rapidly become the most popular choice for growing in upland regions, which are unable to take advantage of modern rice strains developed for irrigated fertile lowlands. Its benefits are that it is both drought tolerant and gives good yields in good growing conditions.
The rice, Ashoka 200F, was developed for resource-poor farmers, using a new method of plant breeding. Instead of conventional plant breeding, when thousands of plants are crossed in the hope of finding beneficial traits, fewer plants are crossed, but carefully selected for desired characteristics, such as drought tolerance and a good yield. The pioneering plant breeding method, called Client Oriented Breeding also differs from conventional commercial development of new crop strains, as it involves the growers in the selection of plant traits which will be important to them, such as good taste, short cooking time and good straw for fodder. "The figures are quite staggering," explains Prof Witcombe. "We estimate that around a million smallholders are growing formally released Ashoka, bringing in a benefit of 12 million a year to their households.
Added to that, many farmers are saving and sharing their own seeds. "Our evidence shows that over 80% of farmers surveyed said that the rice they were growing was lasting around a month longer than previously- saving them a month's purchase of rice. Ashoka's early and large crop provides food for the 'hungry season- as well as being able to supply fodder for animals. Farmers with surplus grain for sale were also able to sell 45% more grain, and gain a higher price as it's a higher quality grain." Where other rice varieties have failed to take hold, the approach we take, in involving farmers in the growing and selecting, ensures that we chose traits that are important to them and that they know about and are keen to grow the new variety," said Dr Daljit Virk.
Mr. Dalip Pani, a farmer from Orissa, India said: "Ashoka varieties have transformed me from subsistence to surplus farmer. With the increased income from seed sale of Ashoka varieties I now own my own tractor and irrigation pumps.
I now grow many crops in both seasons. My social status has been enhanced and I am now a nodal person for various government extension agencies." Mr. Rajinder Dhan, farmer and COB participant, Jharkhand, India said: "Farmers who adopt Ashoka varieties continue to grow them for their earlier maturity, excellent drought tolerance in the uplands and high grain quality.
I use Ashoka rice for special occasions because of its good cooking quality." The Indian Council for Agricultural Research has now adopted the Client Oriented breeding as a mainstream approach for breeding new varieties of grain for drought-prone areas or where traditional approaches have not been rewarding. Added to this, many scientists have adopted the approach as a result of dozens of publications and training programmes conducted by the Bangor University team in South Asia and Africa Prof Witcombe said: "The stories from individual farmers are so real and make it very easy for us to appreciate what has been achieved. It is also very satisfying to see our varieties mainstreamed in the seed production chain. "We started on the Client Breeding Programme in about 1995 which is a very short time in plant breeding 2 terms.
With conventional approaches it would not have been possible to achieve the impact we have had. "It is great if other plant breeders adopt are approach and it should have a bigger impact in the long run. I personally know several plant breeders whose methods are influenced by our approach. The problem is that it is very difficult to quantify how much this influence has helped them achieve success in their breeding programmes.
How much is due to their own skills and knowledge and how much is from methods learnt from us? Client Oriented Breeding is a philosophy always think about what farmers want and keep your breeding methods as simple as possible to achieve this so it can be used in many different ways." Explore further: Improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal 3 More from Biology and Medical 4 Related Stories Improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal 5 June 3, 2014 A pioneering new method of plant breeding is improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal. Small changes have large benefits for crop breeding 6 June 9, 2015 Researchers from The University of Western Australia have developed a new method for breeding crops that will improve the potential for long-term, sustainable genetic improvement.
Scientists pinpoint gene for better rice 7 July 6, 2015 Scientists said Monday they had pinpointed variants of a gene to improve the quality and yield of rice, a staple starch for billions of people. Plant breeders take a leaf from livestock playbook 8 August 24, 2015 In what is being called a global first, UWA scientists have developed a way of breeding the best crop varieties similar to how quality livestock has been produced in the past. With organic rice in demand, scientists to help farmers improve production 9 October 20, 2015 Organic rice is increasingly desired by U.S.
consumers, but farmers know that growing the grain chemically free can mean providing a feast for insects, diseases and weeds. Research team cracks the walnut genome 10 December 11, 2015 Scientists at UC Davis have for the first time sequenced the genome of a commercial walnut variety. The information should accelerate the rate of breeding and variety improvement in walnuts and help breeders select for desired ...
Recommended for you A horse of a different color: Genetics of camouflage and the Dun pattern 11 December 21, 2015 Most horses today are treasured for their ability to run, work, or be ridden, but have lost their wild-type camouflage: pale hair with zebra-like dark stripes known as the Dun pattern. Now an international team of scientists ... Scientists discover rare sea snakes, previously thought extinct, off Western Australia 12 December 21, 2015 Scientists from James Cook University have discovered two critically endangered species of sea snakes, previously thought to be extinct, off the coast of Western Australia.
DNA research offers clues on cell mutation 13 December 21, 2015 A team of researchers from Colorado State University has been studying DNA damage in living cells to learn more about how genetic abnormalities arise. It has long been known that DNA molecules in every cell get constantly ... Prague zoo claims to have the longest salamander on Earth 14 December 20, 2015 Prague Zoo says it likely has the longest Chinese giant salamander now on Earth.
Is evolution more intelligent than we thought? 15 December 18, 2015 Evolution may be more intelligent than we thought, according to a University of Southampton professor. 'Darwin's puddle' shows how new species can emerge without geographic separation 16 December 18, 2015 Cichlid fish from a tiny volcanic crater lake in Africa have been caught in the act of sympatric speciation, whereby a new species evolves when there is no geographic barrier to physically separate the new species from the ...
0 comments Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more 17 18 Click here 19 to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made. New Ashoka rice variety brings food security to millions December 21, 2015 Women farmers taking away the certified seed bags of Ashoka 200F upland rice variety after a training session in Central Paraha Bhavan at Bero, Ranchi Around a million smallholders and their families in east and west India are enjoying greater food security thanks to work by researchers at Bangor University in Wales. Food security is a phrase that's bandied about, but increasing food security 20 can have real impact on people's lives, and can come about by different means.
In this case, the change in people's lives has come about through the creation of a new rice variety, suitable for growing by subsistence farmers in upland regions, who have been largely ignored by India's 'green' agricultural revolution. Professor John Witcombe and Dr Daljit Singh Virk of the University's School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography are responsible for developing the new strain, working with partners Gramin Vikas Trust (GVT), KRIBHCO Bhavan, NOIDA, New Delhi and Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkand, India. The new variety has rapidly become the most popular choice for growing in upland regions, which are unable to take advantage of modern rice strains developed for irrigated fertile lowlands.
Its benefits are that it is both drought tolerant and gives good yields in good growing conditions. The rice, Ashoka 200F, was developed for resource-poor farmers, using a new method of plant breeding. Instead of conventional plant breeding, when thousands of plants are crossed in the hope of finding beneficial traits, fewer plants are crossed, but carefully selected for desired characteristics, such as drought tolerance and a good yield.
The pioneering plant breeding method, called Client Oriented Breeding also differs from conventional commercial development of new crop strains, as it involves the growers in the selection of plant traits which will be important to them, such as good taste, short cooking time and good straw for fodder. "The figures are quite staggering," explains Prof Witcombe. "We estimate that around a million smallholders are growing formally released Ashoka, bringing in a benefit of 12 million a year to their households. Added to that, many farmers are saving and sharing their own seeds. "Our evidence shows that over 80% of farmers surveyed said that the rice they were growing was lasting around a month longer than previously- saving them a month's purchase of rice. Ashoka's early and large crop provides food for the 'hungry season- as well as being able to supply fodder for animals.
Farmers with surplus grain for sale were also able to sell 45% more grain, and gain a higher price as it's a higher quality grain." Where other rice varieties have failed to take hold, the approach we take, in involving farmers in the growing and selecting, ensures that we chose traits that are important to them and that they know about and are keen to grow the new variety," said Dr Daljit Virk. Mr. Dalip Pani, a farmer from Orissa, India said: "Ashoka varieties have transformed me from subsistence to surplus farmer.
With the increased income from seed sale of Ashoka varieties I now own my own tractor and irrigation pumps. I now grow many crops in both seasons. My social status has been enhanced and I am now a nodal person for various government extension agencies." Mr.
Rajinder Dhan, farmer and COB participant, Jharkhand, India said: "Farmers who adopt Ashoka varieties continue to grow them for their earlier maturity, excellent drought tolerance in the uplands and high grain quality. I use Ashoka rice for special occasions because of its good cooking quality." The Indian Council for Agricultural Research has now adopted the Client Oriented breeding as a mainstream approach for breeding new varieties of grain for drought-prone areas or where traditional approaches have not been rewarding. Added to this, many scientists have adopted the approach as a result of dozens of publications and training programmes conducted by the Bangor University team in South Asia and Africa Prof Witcombe said: "The stories from individual farmers are so real and make it very easy for us to appreciate what has been achieved.
It is also very satisfying to see our varieties mainstreamed in the seed production chain. "We started on the Client Breeding Programme in about 1995 which is a very short time in plant breeding 21 terms. With conventional approaches it would not have been possible to achieve the impact we have had. "It is great if other plant breeders adopt are approach and it should have a bigger impact in the long run. I personally know several plant breeders whose methods are influenced by our approach.
The problem is that it is very difficult to quantify how much this influence has helped them achieve success in their breeding programmes. How much is due to their own skills and knowledge and how much is from methods learnt from us? Client Oriented Breeding is a philosophy always think about what farmers want and keep your breeding methods as simple as possible to achieve this so it can be used in many different ways." Explore further: Improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal 22 More from Biology and Medical 23 Related Stories Improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal 24 June 3, 2014 A pioneering new method of plant breeding is improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal.
Small changes have large benefits for crop breeding 25 June 9, 2015 Researchers from The University of Western Australia have developed a new method for breeding crops that will improve the potential for long-term, sustainable genetic improvement. Scientists pinpoint gene for better rice 26 July 6, 2015 Scientists said Monday they had pinpointed variants of a gene to improve the quality and yield of rice, a staple starch for billions of people. Plant breeders take a leaf from livestock playbook 27 August 24, 2015 In what is being called a global first, UWA scientists have developed a way of breeding the best crop varieties similar to how quality livestock has been produced in the past.
With organic rice in demand, scientists to help farmers improve production 28 October 20, 2015 Organic rice is increasingly desired by U.S. consumers, but farmers know that growing the grain chemically free can mean providing a feast for insects, diseases and weeds. Research team cracks the walnut genome 29 December 11, 2015 Scientists at UC Davis have for the first time sequenced the genome of a commercial walnut variety.
The information should accelerate the rate of breeding and variety improvement in walnuts and help breeders select for desired ... Recommended for you A horse of a different color: Genetics of camouflage and the Dun pattern 30 December 21, 2015 Most horses today are treasured for their ability to run, work, or be ridden, but have lost their wild-type camouflage: pale hair with zebra-like dark stripes known as the Dun pattern. Now an international team of scientists ...
Scientists discover rare sea snakes, previously thought extinct, off Western Australia 31 December 21, 2015 Scientists from James Cook University have discovered two critically endangered species of sea snakes, previously thought to be extinct, off the coast of Western Australia. DNA research offers clues on cell mutation 32 December 21, 2015 A team of researchers from Colorado State University has been studying DNA damage in living cells to learn more about how genetic abnormalities arise. It has long been known that DNA molecules in every cell get constantly ...
Prague zoo claims to have the longest salamander on Earth 33 December 20, 2015 Prague Zoo says it likely has the longest Chinese giant salamander now on Earth. Is evolution more intelligent than we thought? 34 December 18, 2015 Evolution may be more intelligent than we thought, according to a University of Southampton professor. 'Darwin's puddle' shows how new species can emerge without geographic separation 35 December 18, 2015 Cichlid fish from a tiny volcanic crater lake in Africa have been caught in the act of sympatric speciation, whereby a new species evolves when there is no geographic barrier to physically separate the new species from the ...
0 comments Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute.
Read more 36 37 Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made. 38 References ^ food security (phys.org) ^ plant breeding (phys.org) ^ Improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal (phys.org) ^ Biology and Medical (www.physicsforums.com) ^ Improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal (phys.org) ^ Small changes have large benefits for crop breeding (phys.org) ^ Scientists pinpoint gene for better rice (phys.org) ^ Plant breeders take a leaf from livestock playbook (phys.org) ^ With organic rice in demand, scientists to help farmers improve production (phys.org) ^ Research team cracks the walnut genome (phys.org) ^ A horse of a different color: Genetics of camouflage and the Dun pattern (phys.org) ^ Scientists discover rare sea snakes, previously thought extinct, off Western Australia (phys.org) ^ DNA research offers clues on cell mutation (phys.org) ^ Prague zoo claims to have the longest salamander on Earth (phys.org) ^ Is evolution more intelligent than we thought? (phys.org) ^ 'Darwin's puddle' shows how new species can emerge without geographic separation (phys.org) ^ sign in (sciencex.com) ^ Read more (sciencex.com) ^ Click here (sciencex.com) ^ food security (phys.org) ^ plant breeding (phys.org) ^ Improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal (phys.org) ^ Biology and Medical (www.physicsforums.com) ^ Improving the livelihoods of over 5M households in India and Nepal (phys.org) ^ Small changes have large benefits for crop breeding (phys.org) ^ Scientists pinpoint gene for better rice (phys.org) ^ Plant breeders take a leaf from livestock playbook (phys.org) ^ With organic rice in demand, scientists to help farmers improve production (phys.org) ^ Research team cracks the walnut genome (phys.org) ^ A horse of a different color: Genetics of camouflage and the Dun pattern (phys.org) ^ Scientists discover rare sea snakes, previously thought extinct, off Western Australia (phys.org) ^ DNA research offers clues on cell mutation (phys.org) ^ Prague zoo claims to have the longest salamander on Earth (phys.org) ^ Is evolution more intelligent than we thought? (phys.org) ^ 'Darwin's puddle' shows how new species can emerge without geographic separation (phys.org) ^ sign in (sciencex.com) ^ Read more (sciencex.com) ^ Click here (sciencex.com)
The post New Ashoka rice variety brings food security to millions appeared first on News4Security.