Lok Sabha Question No. 2181 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-31
Subject: Drought Tolerant Crops
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: POONAM  MAHAJAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2181 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31/07/2018

## DROUGHT TOLERANT CROPS

## 2181. SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Water Technology Centre of Indian Agriculture Research Institute undertook various projects for understanding the tolerance mechanisms of crops in drought and thermal stress environments;
- (b) if so, the details thereof including the total costs of the projects;
- (c) whether the findings of the study have led to the production of drought tolerant varieties of various crops in the country especially in the State of Maharashtra; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f'k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=ky; esa jkT; ea=h

## (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) & (b): Yes,  Sir.  Water  Technology  Centre,  IARI,  New  Delhi  undertook  the World  Bank  sponsored  project  launched  by  ICAR  viz.,  National  Agricultural Technology  Project-Team  of  Excellence  on  ' Centre  for  Abiotic  Stresses:  Crop Improvement  and  Management '  (1998-2003)  for  understanding  the  tolerance mechanisms  of  crops  to  drought  and  heat  tolerance.  Approximate  budget  for  five years was around Rs.1.00 crore.

- (c) The objectives of the project undertaken by WTC, IARI were to decipher the physiological mechanisms and identify donors for drought and heat tolerance, and to train  scientists  in  the  area  of  abiotic  stress  tolerance.  The  findings  of  the  project published  in  the  form  of  various  peer  reviewed  research  papers  ( Annexure-I )  are summarised  below  which  have  given  the  basis  for  improvement  for  drought tolerance:-

-  A mapping population of wheat cultivars WL711 x C306 was developed for the first  time.  Physiological  basis  and  molecular  mechanisms of hybrid necrosis in wheat and methods to overcome hybrid necrosis in wheat were developed and published for use by other scientists. WL711 x C306 derived recombinant inbred lines (RILs) mapping population was used for mapping two novel Quantitative Trait  Loci  (QTL)  viz.,(i)  Yield  under  drought: qGYWD.3B.1 and qGYWD.3B.2 and (ii) Yield stability: qDSIGY.4A.1 and qDSI.4B.1
-  Two training programmes were conducted to train the ICAR and SAU Scientists in  the  area  of  abiotic  stress  tolerance  viz.,  " Recent  Advances  in  Abiotic  Stress Resistance  in  Crop  Plants ",  10-30  September,  2003;  and  " Physiological  and Molecular Basis of Abiotic Stress Resistance in Crop Plants ", 15-30 Dec 2002).

(d) The four RILs [INGR11037 to INGR11040] were registered as genetic stocks for heat tolerance with NBPGR, New Delhi for sharing with the breeders involved in varietal improvement programme of wheat.

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## Annexure-I

List of publications in peer reviewed journals emanated from the research carried out in the project:

1. R  Khanna-Chopra,  M  Dalal,  GP  Kumar,  M  Laloraya.  1998.  Biochemical  and biophysical research communications 248: 712-715;
2. M Dalal, R Khanna-Chopra. 1999. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 262: 109-112;
3. M Dalal, KVSV Lakshmi, R Khanna-Chopra, S Bharti. 1999. Plant cell, tissue and organ culture 59: 151;
4. M Dalal, R Khanna -Chopra. 2001. Physiologia Plantarum 111: 297-304; G Sharma, KV Prabhu, R Khanna-Chopra 2004. Current Science, 500-503.
5. C  Viswanathan,  R  Khanna -Chopra.  2001.  Journal  of  agronomy  and  crop  science 186: 1-7;
6. R Khanna-Chopra, C Viswanathan. 1998. Euphytica 106: 169-180;
7. V  Chinnusamy,  R  Khanna -Chopra.  2003.  Journal  of  agronomy  and  crop  science 189: 242-249;
8. B Srivalli, G Sharma, R Khanna -Chopra. 2003. Physiologia Plantarum 119: 503-512;
9. DS Selote, R Khanna -Chopra. 2004. Physiologia Plantarum 121: 462-471;
10. R  Khanna-Chopra,  DS  Selote  2007.  Environmental  and  Experimental  Botany  60: 276-283;
11. DS Selote, R Khanna -Chopra. 2006. Physiologia Plantarum 127: 494-506;
12. S  Chauhan,  RS  Khandelwal,  KV  Prabhu,  SK  Sinha,  R  Khanna -Chopra.  2008. Journal of agronomy and crop science 191: 88-94;
13. S Chauhan, S Srivalli,  AR Nautiyal,  R  Khanna-Chopra.  2009.  Photosynthetica 47: 536-547.
14. Kadam S,  Singh  K,  Shukla  S,  Goel  S,  Vikram  P,  Pawar  V,  Gaikwad  K,  KhannaChopra R, Singh N. 2012. Funct Integr Genomics 12: 447-64; Shukla S, Singh K, Patil RV, Kadam S, Bharti S, Prasad P, Singh NK, Khanna-Chopra. 2015. Euphytica 203: 449-467; K Singh, R Khanna-Chopra. 2010. J Plant Biol 37: 1-9

Note: For  details  of  all  publications  please  see  https://scholar.google.com/citations? user=aJ\_fgXMAAAAJ&hl=en

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