Climate change is paving the way for shock-proof seeds


In a village 70 km from Hyderabad, researchers of Kaveri Seeds are experimenting with new varieties — not just to find high-yielding seeds but seeds that will have high climate resilience. One can see columns of climate-controlled net houses in Kodakandla village in Telangana’s Jangaon district, where the new seeds are being tested to check if they can withstand climate shocks. Nearby lie the remains of a maize harvest. Elsewhere, hybrid varieties of chilli are being tested on over 10 acres.

“Earlier, the focus of R&D was yield. Now, with groundwater levels going down and temperatures rising, we need to develop tolerance in seeds to different kinds of stress,” says Yogendra Varma, the head of research & development at Kaveri. 

“Earlier, the focus of R&D was yield. Now, with groundwater levels going down and temperatures rising, we need to develop tolerance in seeds to different kinds of stress,” says Yogendra Varma, the head of research & development at Kaveri. 

“Farmers want stability in their crops even if the yield is 10-15% lower,” says GV Bhaskar Rao, chairman and managing director of Hyderabadbased Kaveri Seeds. 

Rao says the company is spending 7-8% of its a substantial amount given the seed Rs 772 crore in 2017-18. But the search for climate-resilient varieties comes with a business risk: it can up to seven years to introduce a new variety — from R&D stage to commercial launch — and the success rate can be less than 1%, says Varma,....Read more

Source web page: Economic times


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