Lok Sabha Question No. 1407 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-12
Subject: Tolerance Mechanism of Crops
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: RAJENDRA AGRAWAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1407

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12/02/2019

## TOLERANCE MECHANISM OF CROPS

## 1407. SHRI RAJENDRA AGRAWAL:

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  Government  has  carried  out  any  study  for  understanding  the  tolerance mechanism of crops in drought and thermal stress environments and if so, the details thereof including the total costs of the projects; and
- (b) whether  the  findings  of  the  study  has  led  to  production  of  various  weather  resistant crops and 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) Yes, Madam.  Research programmes were undertaken at different institutions at ICAR such  as  Indian  Agricultural  Research  Institute  (IARI),  New  Delhi,  National  Rice  Research Institute  (NRRI),  Cuttack  and  Indian  Institute  of  Wheat  and  Barley  Research,  Karnal  to understand  drought  and  thermal  stress  tolerance  in  different  crops  including  rice  and  wheat using  limited  resources  available  at  the  Institutes.  However,  systematic  and  comprehensive studies on tolerance mechanism of crops in drought and thermal stress environments could be undertaken  at  multiple  institutes  under  the  network  project,  National  Innovations  in  Climate Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA)  for  rice,  wheat,  maize,  black  gram  and  vegetable  crops  like tomato and onion with adequate budgetary support.  State-of-the art infrastructure facilities to undertake  climate  change  research  viz.  plant  phenomics,  free  air  temperature  enrichment (FATE),  carbon  dioxide  and  temperature  gradient  chambers  (CTGC),  temperature  gradient tunnels  and  rainout  shelters  etc.  have  been  established  in  several  ICAR  institutes  across  the country.  Many  institutes  of  ICAR  viz.  ICAR-  Indian  Agricultural  Research  Institute  (IARI), New Delhi, ICAR- National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack, ICAR- Indian Institute of Rice  Research  (IIRR),  Hyderabad,  ICAR-  Indian  Institute  of  Horticultural  Research  (IIHR), Bengaluru,  ICAR-  Indian  Institute  of  Vegetable  Research  (IIVR),  Varanasi  and  ICARDirectorate  of  Onion  and  Garlic  Research  (DOGR),  Pune  have  been  actively  involved  in developing abiotic stress tolerant cultivars of different crops.

Details of the total cost under the NICRA project to different institutes for the past seven years (2011-2018) are given below:-

| Name of the Institute                                   |   Total cost of the project (Rs. in Lakhs) during 2011-2018 |
|---------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| ICAR- IARI, New Delhi                                   |                                                        6950 |
| ICAR- NRRI, Cuttack                                     |                                                         840 |
| ICAR- IIRR, Hyderabad                                   |                                                        1190 |
| ICAR- IIHR, Bengaluru                                   |                                                        4055 |
| ICAR- IIVR, Varanasi                                    |                                                         714 |
| ICAR- DOGR, Pune                                        |                                                         110 |
| ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur |                                                         542 |
| Total                                                   |                                                       14401 |

(b) Yes,  Madam.    Findings  of  NICRA  project  so  far  has  led  to  release  of  two  resistant varieties.  One  drought  tolerant  variety  of  rice  (CR  Dhan  201)  suitable  for  aerobic  rice  for Chhattisgarh and Bihar has been released by ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack under this project. Similarly, an extra short duration greengram variety (IPM-205-7/Virat) with 60-65 days duration, resistant to yellow mosaic virus, and also suitable to summer cultivation was  developed  by  ICAR-Indian  Institute  of  Pulses  Research,  Kanpur.  Genes  responsible  for imparting  resistance  for  drought  in  rice  and  wheat  have  been  identified  and  characterized through molecular approaches. Thousands of wild germplasm lines of rice and wheat, collected from  several  locations  across  the  country,  have  been  screened  to  identify  new  sources  of resistance  for  several  abiotic  stresses.  These  new  germplasm  lines  could  be  used  in  future breeding programmes to develop new varieties tolerant to drought, heat stress and salinity stress. These institutes also developed several climate resilient technologies.  In addition, the following climate  resilient  varieties  developed  under  National  Agricultural  Research  System  have  been evaluated and demonstrated in 151 climatically vulnerable districts.

| Name of Crops   |   No. of Tolerant Varieties |
|-----------------|-----------------------------|
| Horsegram       |                           4 |
| Wheat           |                           8 |
| Maize           |                           3 |
| Sorghum         |                           2 |
| Pearl millet    |                           1 |
| Finger millet   |                           2 |
| Foxtail millet  |                           1 |
| Pigeonpea       |                           8 |
| Chickpea        |                           5 |
| Greengram       |                           4 |
| Safflower       |                           1 |
| Sesamum         |                           3 |
| Soybean         |                           6 |
| Niger           |                           1 |
| Groundnut       |                           4 |
| Mustard         |                           3 |
| Total           |                          56 |

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