Increasing genetic diversity by participatory varietal selection in high potential production systems in Nepal and India |
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Authors: | JR Witcombe KD Joshi RB Rana DS Virk |
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Institution: | (1) Centre for Arid Zone Studies, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, U.K.;(2) Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Pokhara, Nepal |
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Abstract: | On-farm varietal biodiversity was studied through household surveys in two high potential production systems in Chitwan and
Nawalparasi districts of the Nepal Terai and in Lunawada sub-district, Gujarat, India. Diversity was extremely low in Chaite rice in the Nepal study area (weighted diversity 0.04) and low in main season rice in the India study area (weighted diversity
0.34). In both areas, one cultivar dominated, CH 45 in Nepal and GR11 in India. In the India study area, biodiversity varied
with the socio-economic group and better-off farmers had a greater varietal diversity. Participatory varietal selection (PVS)
identified new varieties that farmers preferred. Their adoption by farmers increased on-farm varietal biodiversity within
the three cropping seasons studied. Despite the commonly assumed uniformity of high potential production systems, the new
varieties occupied specific niches in the farming system. Farmers' preferences for different varieties – there were large
differences in quality traits and maturity period among the new varieties – should help to maintain biodiversity. Overall
production is expected to increase as each niche becomes occupied increasingly by the best-adapted variety. PVS is a simple
and powerful method of increasing food production in the high potential production systems that produce most of the developing
world's grain.
This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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Keywords: | biodiversity high potential production system participatory varietal selection rice |
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