RA 00048.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

areas of t h e semi-arid tropics w h i c h e m a n a t e s
f r o m t h e availability of i m p r o v e d varieties or
hybrids, we m a y never s e e a c h a n g e in t h e s e
delivery s y s t e m s . This is a long-run strategy. It is
difficult to envisage that delivery s y s t e m s will be
i m p r o v e d in t h e absence of, or prior to, initiation of
i m p r o v e m e n t p r o g r a m s a i m e d at developing highyielding
varieties responsive to t h e i t e m s that
i m p r o v e d delivery s y s t e m s will in fact deliver.
We should take note of t h e fact that in t h e case
of India's Green Revolution in w h e a t and rice,
attention only b e c a m e f o c u s e d on t h e inadequacy
of t h e delivery s y s t e m s after t h e high-yielding
varieties b e c a m e available. There w a s little recognition
of this fact prior to t h e Green Revolution
period.
The short-run strategy should entail greater
e m p h a s i s on farming s y s t e m s research, and
breeding for locally adapted i m p r o v e d cultivars
resistant to t h e major pests, diseases, and w e e d s
of t h e SAT. Rationalizing national price policies in
t h e SAT countries should also contribute to
increased s o r g h u m production in t h e 1980s and
m u s t be regarded as part of t h e strategy.
In India, w h e r e HYVs of s o r g h u m have b e e n
available for s o m e 15 years, there w o u l d s e e m to
be high payoffs to research in t h e 1980s a i m e d at
understanding and explaining t h e regional differe
n c e s in adoption of t h e s e " m a t u r e " innovations.
Has adoption been constrained by deficiencies in
t h e delivery s y s t e m s i n areas w h e r e f e w s o r g h u m
g r o w e r s use HYVs, or are t h e available HYVs n o t
suitable t o t h e s e regions? A n s w e r s t o t h e s e
questions f r o m t h e Indian experience will be
important in defining R and D strategies in
Sub-Saharan Africa. O n e key issue currently is t h e
relative value and desirability of developing shorter-duration,
high-yielding, photoinsensitive cultivars
for Sub-Saharan Africa w h i c h w o u l d be
w i d e l y adaptable, versus a strategy of i m p r o v i n g
locally adapted cultivars. A n o t h e r issue is t h e
relative e m p h a s i s w h i c h should be given to grain
a n d fodder in breeding programs. In this respect,
it appears that there m a y be less n e e d to consider
special-purpose foodgrain cultivars for Africa but
rather f o c u s on dual-purpose t y p e s ; h o w e v e r this
m a y not be so in India.
Increased attention w i l l be required in t h e
1980s in t h e SAT to t h e breeding of s o r g h u m f o o d
grain cultivars w h i c h are intended for animal
f e e d i n g . This is because d e m a n d for s o r g h u m for
animal feeding in developing countries will increase
m u c h faster than d e m a n d for s o r g h u m as a
h u m a n food.
In conducting research on s o r g h u m in t h e SAT
during t h e 1980s, m o r e t h o u g h t is n e e d e d on t h e
appropriate balance b e t w e e n applied and " b a s i c "
research, particularly for ICRISAT. To better serve
t h e needs of the various regions of Sub-Saharan
Africa, h o w m u c h of ICRISAT's staff and resources
is it necessary to physically locate t h e r e
vis-a-vis the headquarters location in India, and t h e
e m e r g i n g ICRISAT Sahelian Center in Niger? This
s e e m s to involve a question of balance b e t w e e n
" b a s i c " and applied research.
A strong case can be m a d e that a substantial
part of research on s o rghum at ICRISAT Center in
India has direct value to t h e African SAT and
indeed can be m o r e efficiently c o n d u c t e d here.
An equally strong case can be m a d e that t h e pest,
disease, agroclimatic, and socioeconomic c o m -
plexes are so vastly different across the w o r l d ' s
SAT regions that "basic" research at o n e or t w o
centers will be of little value, especially in t h e
1980s, to the w i d e r mandate area. In addition,
particularly in the African SAT. national programs
are often unable to effectively utilize such " b a s i c "
research due to t h e lack of h u m a n and material
resources. In such situations, to be effective,
ICRISAT m a y need to play a m o r e direct role in
s o r g h u m R and D. The above issues are c o m p l e x
and will require m o r e concentrated attention in
t h e 1980s.
Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to P. Parthasarathy Rao a n d
K. V. Subba Rao for their assistance, and to T. S.
Walker for his c o m m e n t s .
References
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