Technology in Indian Agriculture

Agriculture and allied sectors are central to the Indian economy. Keeping this and a sustainable future in mind, the Indian government, quite rightly, is promoting technology-enabled sustainable farming, including natural, regenerative and organic systems, during its G20 presidency.However, India still faces many challenges and opportunities in its agricultural sector, such as meeting the demand and affordability of some crops, improving the productivity, quality and nutrition of its agricultural produce, reducing the cost of production and the environmental impact of farming, and coping with climate change and its effects on agriculture. This can be done by adopting seed technology.India has a rich history and tradition of seed technology, dating back to the 1960s when the National Seeds Corporation was established. Since then, India has made significant progress in developing and adopting various seed technologies, such as hybridization, tissue culture, molecular markers, transgenics, etc.Seed technology refers to the science and art of improving the genetic and physiological quality of seeds to enhance their performance under different cultivation conditions. Seed technology can offer significant advantages for sustainable agriculture at little additional cost. The size of the Indian seed market has reached an estimated in between $ 4.0 to 6.0 billion with untapped potential to be the seed hub for G20 countries. Why is Seed Technology Important for Indian Agriculture?

• Higher Productivity:
  • Seed technology can increase the yield potential of crops by developing improved varieties that have desirable traits, such as high grain or fruit quality, resistance to pests and diseases, tolerance to drought or salinity, etc.
  • Seed technology can also improve the germination rate, seedling vigour, and plant establishment of seeds by using priming or physiological advancement protocols.
• Higher Input Use Efficiency:
  • Seed technology can reduce the amount and cost of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and water by using film coating, pelleting, or seed treatments that can deliver these inputs directly to the seeds or plants in optimal doses.
  • Seed technology can also enhance the nutrient uptake and utilization of plants by using bio-stimulants and nutrients that can stimulate plant growth and metabolism.
• Higher Resilience:
  • Seed technology can improve the adaptability and stability of crops under changing and unpredictable climatic conditions by using genetic manipulation, speed breeding, gene-editing tools, or AI-responsive sensors or substances that can modulate plant responses to external stimuli.
  • Seed technology can also improve the diversity and health of crops by using biologicals or microbial inoculum that can enhance plant immunity and soil fertility.

What are Some Examples of Seed Technologies in Use or Development in India?

• Millet Seeds:
  • Millets are nutrient-rich, hardy and short-cycle crops that are well-suited for sustainable agriculture.
    • India is the global leader in millet production and has the potential to capture the global seed market by producing quality-assured seeds of improved varieties of millets, especially minor millets.
  • India has developed several high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties of millets using conventional breeding and molecular techniques.
    • India has also introduced priming and film coating technologies for millet seeds to improve their germination, emergence, uniformity, and protection.
• Cotton Seeds:
  • Cotton is one of the most important cash crops in India and a major source of income for millions of farmers.
    • India has achieved remarkable success in cotton production by introducing Bt cotton hybrids in 2002.
    • Bt cotton is a transgenic crop that expresses a gene from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that produces a protein that kills certain insect pests.
    • Bt cotton has increased cotton yield by reducing pest damage and pesticide use.
  • India has also developed several new varieties of cotton using molecular breeding and gene-editing tools that have improved traits such as fibre quality, drought tolerance, herbicide resistance, etc.
• Vegetable Seeds:
  • India has a diverse range of vegetable crops that require different types of seeds.
  • India has developed many improved varieties and hybrids of vegetables using conventional breeding and biotechnology methods.
  • India has also introduced various seed enhancement technologies for vegetable seeds such as film coating, pelleting, priming, bio-stimulants, nutrients, biologicals, etc., to improve their quality and performance.