Facing the heat: Reddy applying fungicide to peanut seeds before sowing in Rayanpet village, Telangana state. — AP
Unpredictable rains and increasing heat aren’t just making life more difficult for the people of Rayanpet, a village in India’s arid south. They’re also taking a toll on the thousands of acres of rice grown here.
“We used to know when it would rain and for how long and we sowed our seeds accordingly,” said P. Ravinder Reddy, a former soldier who turned to farming on his family’s land 16 years ago.
“Now it’s so unpredictable and many times the seeds don’t sprout either because there’s too much rain or it’s completely dry.”
Fortunately for Reddy, agricultural research organisations in India have been working for years to engineer rice seeds that can better withstand the vagaries of climate.
He’s been experimenting with the new varieties for the past five years, and said they’re giving better yields with less water and are more disease-resistant.
“I have planted them across a quarter of my 25-acre (10ha) field because there’s still demand for older varieties, but I think in a few years, we will use only these tougher seeds,” Reddy said.
India is one of the world’s largest producers and consumers of wheat and rice. Research organisations here, like their counterparts around the world, have long worked to produce seeds that increase yields, withstand drought or resist plant diseases.
It’s a growing need as a changing climate leads to more extreme and unpredictable weather.
Apart from India, other programmes including a United States government programme and privately funded projects are helping develop climate-resilient crops in Africa, Central America and other Asian countries.
As India is among the countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, these new seeds are essential in ensuring it produces enough food for its people as well as for export.
As climate change intensifies, India’s nearly 120 million farmers – most with less than 2ha of land – are seeing their livelihoods threatened by erratic rainfall patterns, rising temperatures and increased pest infestations.
Some are taking to what is called natural farming – techniques like using natural fertilisers and planting crops alongside trees and other plants that can protect crops from wind, erosion and some extreme weather – to deal with climate change.
But that can mean reduced yields, and India’s federal government is also promoting the use of climate-resilient seeds that don’t compromise yields.
Increasing salinity in groundwater, heavy rainfall over short periods, prolonged droughts and even increasing nighttime temperatures can affect rice seeds, experts say.
“We really need these seeds to deal with these multiple issues created by global warming,” said Ashok Kumar Singh, former director of New Delhi-based Indian Agriculture Research Institute and a scientist who specialises in plant genetics and breeding.
He has overseen the creation of multiple successful rice varieties to withstand pests and various plant diseases.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released 109 climate-resilient seeds across crops that included cereals, pulses and oilseeds like peanuts.
India’s federal government has announced plans to ensure at least 25% of land tilled for paddy in the country will be sowed with climate-resilient seeds in the coming “kharif” or winter crop season.
“We are breeding for multiple stressors, including heat and disease resistance,” said Janila Pasupuleti of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, based in Hyderabad.
Pasupuleti said that this approach not only stabilises yields but also enhances the nutritional quality of crops, benefiting both farmers and consumers. — AP
