RA 00048.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

tions of i m p r o v e d quality w h i c h yielded very m u c h
m o r e than before. Starting f r o m preliminary observations,
in 1940, t h e first w a v e of about 5 0 0 0 0 0
kg of improved s e e d w a s issued in 1943; and by
1949 yields around 1 t o n n e of lint per hectare
w e r e being harvested on a field scale by s o m e
farmers. In respect of characters other t h a n t h o s e
for w h i c h they had b e e n selected, t h e n e w
populations w e r e genetically h e t e r o g e n e o u s a n d
further i m p r o v e m e n t i n t h e m w a s evidently
feasible.
I am sure that breeding for multiple objectives is
essential if we are to attain our objectives
sufficiently rapidly to benefit h u n d r e d s of millions
of farmers and c o n s u m e r s by t h e year 2 0 0 0 . If t h e
hybrid route can rapidly achieve t h e necessary
multiple objectives on such a scale that millions of
g r o w e r s in different e n v i r o n m e n t s can benefit
f r o m it w i t h i n t h e c o m i n g 20 years, w e l l and g o o d ;
but I w o u l d urge that this m a t t e r be very carefully
considered, particularly in relation to t h e role of
t h e seed and breeding industries.
Seed and breeding industries are obviously of
central importance to us. I separate t h e t w o
deliberately. The first r e q u i r e m e n t m a y w e l l be a
seed industry to m e e t t h e d e m a n d of farmers for
g o o d , clean s e e d of suitable t y p e at an acceptable
cost. The breeding industry m a y t h e n c o m e along
at a later stage. Perhaps it is in this area that t h e
big difference lies, in international agricultural
research, b e t w e e n t h e substantial a n d increasing
effect on output and on yield per hectare in w h e a t
and rice, and t h e very m u c h smaller global effect
o n maize. I believe that w e w o u l d d o w e l l t o
consider h o w it c o m e s about that very dedicated
and d e v o t e d international research on maize,
against t h e background of science a n d practice
w h i c h has m a d e maize i n t h e United States t h e
highest yielding cereal in t h e w o r l d , w i t h an
average, across all maize g r o w e r s , of 6.86 m e t r i c
t o n s to t h e hectare on 29 million hectares in 1979,
has not had anything like t h e effect that t h e
international w o r k has had in w h e a t and rice. I
s u g g e s t that this has t o d o w i t h t h e breeding
s y s t e m and w i t h t h e p r o b l e m s o f s e e d industries
a n d breeding industries. In s o r g h u m , w h i c h is
sufficiently out-crossed to run into similar probl
e m s , w e m a y w e l l n e e d t o adjust our breeding
procedures and our r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s to t h e real
facts of life in respect of t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e
s e e d and plant breeding industries.
W e have n o w reached t h e e n d o f this very
r e w a r d i n g s y m p o s i u m . A t this point w e say t o
each other, to our g e n e r o u s and kindly hosts, and
to this s p l e n d i d i n s t i t u t i o n , au revoir, a la
prochaine f o i s — g o o d b y e for n o w , until w e m e e t
again. We all look f o r w a r d to m a n y m e e t i n g s in
t h e c o m i n g 1 0 years, t o t h e f l o w e r i n g o f n e w
friendships and n e w collaborations. From t h e
heterosis w h i c h t h e s e associations w i l l generate I
believe we shall harvest record yields of n e w and
relevant k n o w l e d g e a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g w i t h
w h i c h to advance t h e progress of all w h o g r o w ,
and all w h o use, the s o r g h u m crop and its
products w o r l d w i d e .
References
BUNTING, A. H. 1975. Time, phenology and the yields of
crops. Weather 3 0 : 312-325.
CURTIS, D. L. 1968. The relation between the date of
heading of Nigerian sorghums and the duration of the
growing season. Journal of Applied Ecology 5 : 2 1 5
- 2 2 6 .
HARLAND, S. C. 1949. Methods and results of selection
experiments with Peruvian Tanguis cotton. Parts I and
II. Empire Cotton Growing Review 2 6 : 163-174 and
247-255.
VOELCKER, A. J. 1891. The improvement of Indian
agriculture. Quoted by Randhawa, M. S. 1979. A
History of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
1929-79. New Delhi: Indian Council of Agricultural
Research.
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