Research on New Seeds Imperative to Enhance Agriculture Productivity

By Iftikhar Ahmad

Faisalabad: In a rapidly changing world and mounting population pressure, countries like Pakistan shall have to embark on strategies aiming at generating new seed varieties for enhanced productivity and compatibility to climate change effects.

Although research and development of seeds is a continuous ongoing and tough process, yet it is imperative to enhance agriculture produce to cater to food requirements of burgeoning population and achieve the goals of food security and national progress and prosperity.

Immediately after independence, per acre yield of wheat in the country was only 15 maunds which pressured the government as well as scientists to research and develop high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties to ensure adequate supply of wheat and make the country self-reliant in this basic staple food.

MaxiPak was the first seed to revolutionize wheat production and Nuclear Institute for Agriculture & Biology (NIAB) developed cotton variety NIAB-78 that ruled around two decades giving maximum yield of 14 billion bales.

Thereafter, a number of research institutes were established with dedicated task of seed research and development and our scientists developed a large number of seed varieties for different climatic zones.

Very recently, the Cotton Research Institute Sakrand has developed three new cotton varieties including one non-BT (CRIS 644) and two BT varieties (CRIS 674 and CRIS 682).

Similarly, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) recently developed soybean seed that is suitable for local farming and would help Pakistan to curtail import of soybean and locally meet soybean needs.

Only the UAF soybean variety can help country save $1.5 billion spent on import of edible oil, said Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor (VC) UAF. We have produced 50 new high-yielding varieties of different crops, fruits and vegetables during last three years.

Recently, he informed that UAF developed two high-yielding sugarcane varieties including Insect-resistant transgenic sugarcane (CABB-IRS) and Herbicide-tolerant transgenic sugarcane (CABB-HTS).

These varieties carry superior traits like input-responsiveness, early maturing (suitable for plantation even after wheat in the months of April and May), top borer-resistance, herbicide-tolerance and high-number of tillers.

These varieties are second in the world and first in Pakistan and would help boost up sugarcane productivity manifold, he added.

Similarly, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) scientists have so far developed more than 700 seed varieties of different crops including 103 varieties of wheat and barley, 75 of cotton, 35 of rice, 29 of sugarcane, 48 of maize and millets, 51 of pulses, 57 of oilseeds, 47 of fodder, 83 of vegetables and 159 varieties of fruits.

Now, AARI scientists are striving hard to surpass the yield barriers and their efforts are to move from green revolution to the gene revolution, stated a spokesman of Ayub Research Institute.

He informed that at the time of independence, the countrys wheat production was 2.63 million tons that has now increased by ten times. AARI scientists are also working to develop new seed varieties by keeping in view the facts of 2050 when we would need 37 million tons of wheat to feed an approximately 334 million population.

Similar situation is with cotton varieties and other crops. Cotton varieties are now catering the need of textile industry with more than 1000 ginning factories, 400 textile mills, 7 million spindles, 27000 looms in the mill sector, more than 25000 looms in nom-mill sector, 700 knitwear units, 4000 garment units, nearly 1000 ginners and 5000 oil expellers.

Although AARI varieties are playing a pivotal role in increasing agricultural productivity in the country in general and in Punjab in particular, yet our scientists are trying their optimum best to develop new varieties to meet our needs for the next 50 to 100 years.

Muhammad Akhtar, a progressive farmer has appreciated these efforts stating that our research institutes have developed seeds of more than 1000 high-yielding varieties that are sufficient to meet our domestic needs.

But, he was critical of exploiters and usurpers who hinder on way to reaching these benefits to farmers and agriculturists. The real problem lies with enforcement of law as exploiters in our society who provide substandard, mixed or spurious seeds to farmers just to mint money.

He urged the government to promulgate and implement laws to regulate the business of seeds and allied requirements, award punishment to substandard seed suppliers and save farmers from such cheaters.

The research of our institutes and hardworking scientists would go in vain if a proper mechanism of disbursing certified seeds to farmers is not put in place.

Since, the research and development process takes a decade to develop required-seed varieties, therefore, our scientists must also concentrate on producing pests resistant and climate change efficient seeds and also use latest techniques like genetic mapping and Artificial Intelligence for better results.

Economic aspect must also be another area of focus for them to develop seeds with a futuristic vision and for a particular environment to avert attack of specific diseases.

In this scenario, what is direly needed is to ensure a mechanism where quality seed reaches the farmers and the notorious market players are taken to task for an ultimate agricultural and economic growth and meet the most daunting challenge of food security.