Studies on Policy Option for Quality Seed Production and ... - NFPCSP

`non-lodging character’) from the year 2008 (the variety was correctly traced and re-confirmed about itsprevalence in the particular area).In Rangpur, the time line of wheat seed production showed that during 1946-47 (just before Pakistanperiod) the farmers of Sullipara used to cultivate wheat in almost 10% of the total cropped area. It isevident from Table 4.2.7 that only two varieties were cultivated at that time and the yield was 1.5 t/ha.Area under wheat cultivation increased from 10% to 40% during 1980-85. Side by side with theincrease in area, the yield also increased from 1.5 to 2.5 t/ha. The area under wheat cultivationtremendously reduced during 2007-08. The reduction was gradual and occurred over the years with theintroduction of irrigation and Boro rice cultivation. It can be mentioned that the wheat cultivationshifted with other winter crops like maize, potato, Boro rice etc. although the number of wheat varietiesincreased from two to four maintaining almost similar yields.Table 4.2.7 Time line of wheat cultivation in the study areasPeriod Variety Yield (t/ha)Bijoynagar (Rajshahi)1983 Sonalika, Kanchan, Balaka 3.0-3.52008 Gourab, Satabdi, Kanchan 4.5-5.0Motiazapur (Dinajpur)1984-87 Sonalika, Kanchan 2.5-3.02005-2007 Shatabdi, Prodip, Bijoy 4.5-5.02008 Swarna 3.5-4.0Sullipara (Rangpur)Before Pakistan Moni wheat 1.51980-85 Sonalika, Kanchan 2.5-3.02007-08 Shatabdi, Sourav, Sonalika, Kanchan 2.84.2.9 Adoption of wheat varieties in the study areasMost of the wheat varieties cultivated at the study areas are developed by Bangladesh AgriculturalResearch Institute (BARI). Of these, Shatabdi, Prodip, Bijoy, Protiva, Gourov and Sonalika weremostly cultivated in Rajshahi; Prodip, Shatabdi and Kanchan in Dinajpur; and Sourav, Shatabdi,Sonalika, Protiva and Kanchan in Rangpur. But irrespective of farmers’ categories, the wheat cv.Shatabdi was the most adopted one among the farmers of Rajshahi (62%) and Rangpur (27.7%) due toits higher yield and better performance under late sown condition. In Dinajpur, 50.3% of the farmerscultivated the new variety Prodip (Table 4.2.8). The survey findings also reveal that the large farmershad given the maximum priority in obtaining the new wheat varieties like Prodip, Bijoy, Shatabdi etc.compared to small and medium farmers.The adoption of wheat varieties mainly depends on the availability of seed, agro-climatic conditions,grain quality, flour quality, farmers’ motivational activities (like training, field day etc.), and marketdemand. As these factors varied remarkably from site to site, the mode of dissemination of the wheatvarieties also varied across sites.54