Status of hybrid rice development in India - Chitta R.

Hazra
Agriculture Commissioner of the Government of India Ministry of Agriculture, Department of
Agriculture and Cooperation, New Delhi, India

INTRODUCTION

Rice plays a fundamental role in Indian agriculture as it is the staple food for more
than 70 percent of the population and the source of livelihood for 120-150 million rural
households. It accounts for 43 percent of food grain production and 55 percent of
cereal production in the country. At the current rate of population growth (+1.8%) the
rice requirement will be around 140 million tonnes (Mt) by 2020. Rice in India is
currently grown on about 44.6 million ha (Mha), of which about 91 percent is cropped
during the monsoon (kharif) season (June-Nov.) and the rest during the
winter/summer (rabi) season (Dec.-May). However, crop productivity during the rabi
season is much higher, accounting for about 15 percent of total rice production. Rice
is grown in every state. Rice production in 1999/2000 was about 89.5 Mt.

Given the huge advances in rice production during the 1960-1980 Green Revolution
(characterized by semi-dwarf high-yielding varieties and associated improved
management practices) and the decelerating trend in productivity over the last
decade, a much higher yield accelerating technology is called for. Achieving the
productivity targets in the next few decades is a challenge as the productivity increase
must come from a resource base which is declining and degrading in terms of land,
water, labour and other inputs, without harming the environment. Of the genetic
options available for raising the yield ceiling further, hybrid rice - as has been
successfully demonstrated in the People's Republic of China - appears to be the most
feasible and readily adaptable technology.

HYBRID RICE RESEARCH PROGRAMME

Recognizing the potential of hybrid rice technology as a proven means to enhance

production and productivity, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
initiated a goal-oriented project on hybrid rice together with other crops in 1989. This
project was further strengthened with support from the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP, 1991-96) which provided consultancy and training fellowships
and procured the necessary equipment. The Mahyco Research Foundation, a non-
profit agency, has also helped ICAR fill some critical gaps.

Network

The hybrid rice project functions as a national network with 12 centres spread across
the country and the Directorate of Rice Research (DRR, Hyderabad) is the
coordinating centre. Each centre in the network is assigned specific responsibilities,
such as the development of Basmati hybrids (New Delhi), hybrids for shallow
lowlands (Cuttack) or long duration hybrids suitable for coastal regions (Maruteru).
Other centres are developing region-specific hybrids. The hybrids developed at
various centres and received from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI,
Philippines) are pooled together for critical evaluation. Seed production agencies,
both public and private, have been actively involved in the network from the very
beginning. This has helped motivate several private companies which now produce
the bulk of the nation's hybrid seed. This well-organized network approach is one of
the key factors for the successful implementation of the hybrid rice project.
Objectives

The main project objectives are:

• development of hybrids with 15-20% yield advantage over the highest-yielding

check varieties;
• optimization of the seed production package;
• standardization of the production package for the cultivation of hybrids; and
• execution of basic research relevant to the project goals.

Coordinated efforts

The concerted efforts of all concerned, the timely support of national and international
agencies (e.g. UNDP, IRRI and FAO), effective networking and regular monitoring of
the project have contributed to the remarkable progress made during the last decade.
The hybrid rice project launched by ICAR motivated various stakeholders and helped
the country enter the era of hybrid rice.

RELEASED HYBRIDS

As a result of the systematic evaluation of experimental hybrids in multilocation trials, 12

hybrids have been developed by the research network centres and released by the
respective State Variety Release Committees (SVRC). The details on hybrids released
to date are given in Table 1. Hybrid PHB 71 (developed by Pioneer Overseas
Corporation, a private company) was released by the Central Variety Release
Committee (CVRC), and hybrid PA 6201 (developed by Pro Agro Seeds, a private
company) was also released. They were released for use in more than one state, while
other hybrids are state-specific.

TABLE 1

Hybrids released in India

Hybrids Year Yield in OFTa (t/ha) Yield State

Duration Hybrid Check advantage
(days) (%)
APHR-I 1994 130-135 7.14 5.27 35.4 Andhra Pradesh
(Chaitanya)
APHR-2 1994 120-125 7.52 5.21 44.2 Andhra Pradesh
(Chaitanya)
MGR-1 1994 110-115 6.08 5.23 16.2 Tamil Nadu
(IR50)
CNRH-3 1995 125-130 6.02 4.58 31.4 Karnataka
(Mangala)
DRRH-1 1996 125-130 7.30 5.50 37.4 West Bengal
(Khitish)
KRH-2 1996 125-130 7.30 5.50 32.7 Andhra Pradesh
(Tellahamsa)
Pant Sankar Dhan - 1 1997 115-120 6.80 6.20 9.7 Uttar Pradesh
(Pant
Dhan-4)
CORH-2 1998 120-125 6.25 5.20 20.2 Tamil Nadu
 (ADT
39)
ADTRH-1 1998 115-120 7.10 4.90 44.9 Tamil Nadu
(ASD-18)
Sahyadri 1998 125-130 6.64 4.89 35.8 Maharashtra
(Jaya)
Narendra Sankar Dhan-2 1998 125-130 6.15 4.94 24.5 Uttar Pradesh
(Sarjoo-52)

a
OFT = On-Farm Trials.

Prior to launching the hybrid rice project, neither usable CMS (cytoplasmic male
sterile) lines nor rice hybrids were available in the country. Within five years of the
start of the project, four hybrids were released (in 1994). Nine more hybrids were
released between 1995 and 1998 and one during 2000, giving farmers a wide
selection of hybrids suitable for their own region.

Frontline demonstrations are performed by scientists for the propagation and

popularization of released hybrids.

DEVELOPMENT OF HYBRIDS

Development and evaluation of hybrids is one of the major objectives of the hybrid
rice development programme. Hybrids developed by the network centres, and those
received from IRRI or contributed by private sector seed agencies, are systematically
evaluated in multilocation trials. Hybrids that show good results in multilocation
national hybrid rice trials for three seasons are further evaluated in farmers' fields in
target areas to reconfirm their superiority, before being released for commercial
cultivation. Consistent performance in different locations and seasons is the most
desirable feature of any hybrid as it is an indication of yield stability.

Evaluation of hybrids for rainfed lowlands

Initially, hybrid rice cultivation was targeted at high productivity irrigated areas in Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
With 10 Mha of rainfed shallow lowlands, the development of hybrids for this ecosystem
is also a priority. Most of the hybrids producing higher yields under irrigated
environments have also shown their yield advantage in rainfed shallow lowlands.

Development and evaluation of Basmati hybrids

India is renowned for its production and export of high quality Basmati rice. Since the
yield of Basmati varieties is generally low, development of Basmati hybrids will greatly
help to improve yields. A number of experimental Basmati hybrid rice varieties are
being tested in the major Basmati rice-growing areas of the country: Punjab, Haryana
and Western Uttar Pradesh.

Participation of the private sector

India has a strong and well-organized private seed industry and many seed
companies have their own research and development departments. Public and private
research have the common objective of popularizing hybrid rice. Private companies
produce and market seed, and some also develop hybrids, which they have been
nominating for evaluation since 1992. To date, 12 companies have nominated hybrids
for trials; the most important are Pioneer Overseas Corporation, Pro Agro and
Mahyco.

Evaluation for quality characteristics of hybrids

Rice is used almost exclusively as a food product. Cooking and eating quality traits
therefore assume special significance. For general consumer acceptance, it is essential
that the hybrids developed possess good quality characteristics as well as high yield
potential. Therefore, the hybrids included in trials and parental lines have been critically
screened for various quality parameters. Preferences for quality vary from region to
region. A variety or hybrid liked in one region may not be liked in another. Therefore, it is
imperative to bear in mind local preference when developing hybrids.

Grain shape and appearance, milling and head rice recovery, amylose content and
gelatinization temperature (alkaline value) are some of the parameters that influence
the cooking and eating qualities of rice. All hybrids released, including those marketed
by the private sector, were evaluated for quality traits. A good quality hybrid has:

• head rice recovery of over 55%;

• intermediate amylose content (20-25%);
• intermediate alkaline value (4.0-5.0); and
• translucent grains without chalkiness.

Most of the released hybrids have long slender to medium slender grains; a few have
long bold grains. Head rice recovery of the hybrids ranges from 51.5 to 68.0 percent
and most of the hybrids have head rice recovery of more than 55 percent. Some
hybrids, such as DRRH-1, ADTRH-1, PHB-71 and PA-6201, have intermediate
amylose content and intermediate alkaline value. Some hybrids have intermediate
amylose content (NSD - 2, MPH 519, PAC 801 and VRH 704), while others have
intermediate amylose content and alkaline value (KRH-1, CORH-2, MPH-517).
Sambha Maheshwari - a popular variety - is also characterized by intermediate
amylose content and alkaline value. Interestingly, water uptake of this variety is very
low (165 ml), which is distinctly different from other varieties and hybrids. This
suggests that low water uptake is an indication of better cooking quality.

SEED PRODUCTION OF HYBRID RICE IN INDIA

Besides high level of heterosis, the other essential requisite in hybrid rice
development is seed production (an important component of any hybrid technology).
Important factors in the seed production package include: isolation distance,
synchronization between parental lines, optimum seeding intervals, planting pattern,
ideal row ratios, dose and time of GA3 application, and supplementary pollination
techniques. Extensive trials were conducted in different network centres and
interproject linkages have been established with the National Seed Project (NSP).
These combined efforts have helped to optimize a seed production package with
which seed yields of 1.0 to 1.5 t/ha may be obtained.

Parental lines of most of the hybrid combinations differ in their flowering duration
and it becomes increasingly important to obtain perfect synchronization between
parental lines. This is one of the problems most commonly encountered by seed
growers, especially in the initial years, and it needs special consideration.
The first step to ensure proper synchronization between parental lines is to
determine the difference in flowering duration between the two lines (known as
seeding interval). Seeding interval is generally determined by evaluating:

• Growth Duration Difference (GDD);

• Leaf Number Difference (LND); and
• Effective Accumulated Temperature (EAT) differences.

Row ratio (i.e. male parent: female parent rows in a seed production plot) is an
important factor influencing the extent of seed-set and the seed yield. Seed yield also
depends on row direction, panicle structure and the pollen load of restorer lines. The
extent of outcrossing in seed production plots depends on panicle exsertion (%),
stigma exsertion (%), the size and alignment of flag leaf, and the pollen load of pollen
parents.

Most of the indica/indica hybrids developed in India and elsewhere are based on CMS
lines with "WA" backgrounds. Incomplete panicle exsertion in almost all the "WA"
base CMS lines is one of the major obstacles to higher seed yields, as between 20
and 30 percent of the panicles are enclosed in the flag leaf and the enclosed spikelets
are not available for cross pollination. To overcome this problem, experiments were
conducted to optimize the dose of GA3 or find an alternative in view of its high cost.

Creating awareness of the benefits and imparting the necessary skills to farmers are
an important prerequisites for the large-scale adoption of any new technology, and
hybrid rice is no exception. Hybrid seed production is a complicated process and seed
production personnel and seed growers need to receive proper training. Training
programmes were therefore organized for public and private sector seed agency staff,
seed growers and farmers (men and women). Similarly, short-duration training
courses on hybrid rice cultivation were organized at different centres for the benefit of
the farmers.

Two-line heterosis breeding

The discovery of environment-sensitive genic male sterility (EGMS) in rice led to the
development of a simple and efficient two-line hybrid breeding system, thus
overcoming the major limitations of the three-line approach, namely: restrictions on
the availability of parental lines, negative effects associated with sterility-inducing
cytoplasm, limited yield advantage and complicated seed production processes.
Experience in China revealed the yield advantage of intervarietal two-line hybrids over
the ruling three-line hybrids to be between 5 and 10 percent. Therefore, the
deployment of a two-line system for developing intervarietal and inter-subspecific
hybrids holds great promise.

The two-line approach includes:

• use of EGMS; and

• use of chemically induced male sterility.

In India research in these areas was initiated a few years ago.

EGMS includes photoperiod-sensitive genic male sterility (PGMS), thermo-sensitive

genic male sterility (TGMS) and sterility induced by the interaction between
photoperiod and temperature. PGMS is not suitable, as the required day-length
differences do not exist in the Indian subcontinent. The temperature ranges available
are suited to the TGMS system. The main emphasis was therefore placed on the
identification and characterization of TGMS sources.

The first stage in two-line breeding is to characterize the TGMS lines for their critical
sterility- and fertility-inducing temperature regimes. Work on the characterization of
TGMS lines was undertaken at different network centres. In the last eight years,
several male sterile plants suspected of carrying temperature-sensitive genes were
isolated from germplasm collections, breeding nurseries, farmers' fields and mutagen-
treated populations.

Breeding for indica x japonica hybrids

The yield advantage of the present day intervarietal rice hybrids in China and
elsewhere is between 15 and 20 percent. In order to make hybrid rice cultivation a
highly profitable and attractive enterprise, it is necessary to further increase heterosis.
It is a well-known fact that the magnitude of heterosis depends on the hybrid
combination, as follows:

indica x japonica > indica x indica > japonica x japonica

The indica x japonica hybrids are known to give 15 to 20 percent yield advantage over
indica x indica rice hybrids. Early attempts in the 1960s to combine the good
characters of indica and japonica varieties met with little success because of inherent
sterility problems. With the discovery of the wide compatibility gene (WC), it became
possible to develop normal fertile indica x japonica F1 hybrids. However, such F1
hybrids are not without problems, for example: improper grain filling, poor grain
quality, asynchrony in flowering (time of day) of indica and japonica parents,
undesirable plant height, and low level of resistance to insect pests and diseases. It is
therefore necessary to breed improved japonica for use in the development of inter-
subspecific hybrids.

AVAILABILITY OF HYBRID RICE SEEDS

Propagation of hybrid rice is to a great extent dependent on the availability of hybrid

seeds. Public-bred hybrid seeds account for just 12 000 to 13 000 ha. In recent years,
the public seed-producing agencies have produced about 200 tonnes of certified
hybrid rice seeds annually, while private sector companies produce about 2 900
tonnes. Together they cover an area of 150 000 ha, as some seeds are also exported.
Effort is therefore required to substantially increase the production of hybrid seeds
and expand the area under hybrid rice. The average yield advantage from hybrid
seeds is between 10 and 15 percent at national level, which in terms of physical yield
is about 1 t/ha.

The main obstacle to the widespread adoption of this technology is the availability of
hybrid seeds (the national production of hybrid seeds is between 0.8 and 1.5 t/ha).
Furthermore, farmers are reluctant to accept the technology because hybrids have
quality limitations, such as stickiness and an aroma which is not to the liking of
consumers. The price fetched for hybrid rice can be below that of normal traditional
varieties, which means that the benefits of increasing productivity by 15 to 20 percent
are therefore often nullified by the decrease in value. The challenges therefore faced
by this technology are to:

• achieve the high quality demanded by consumers; and

 • increase productivity of hybrid seeds (which are 5 to 6 times
more costly than traditional varieties).

These issues must be addressed for the proliferation of hybrid rice technology in
India.

FUTURE THRUST AREAS

• For the large-scale adoption of this technology, it is necessary to increase

awareness of and demand for hybrid rice seeds. This is possible through
extensive on-farm trials, frontline demonstrations and training programmes on
hybrid rice technology
• It is important to perfect seed production technology in order to achieve higher
seed yields of F1 hybrids, thus reducing seed cost and increasing availability.
• Emphasis must be placed on the improvement of cooking
and eating quality to satisfy consumer preference.
• It is important to incorporate resistance to major pests and diseases.
• Priority must be given to the development of rice hybrids for different
ecosystems, especially shallow lowlands, which are similar to the irrigated
ecosystem.

It is essential to communicate the benefits and transfer the technology to the end
users. This may be achieved through demonstrations, training programmes and field
visits for the benefit of the farming community. The commitment of extension agencies
is crucial. Despite initial problems, appropriate policies and the active involvement of
researchers, seed producers and extension specialists can certainly lead to the rapid
coverage of hybrid rice in India in the coming years.