CURRENT TRENDS AND ISSUES IN SEED INDUSTRY-TECHNOLOGICAL INTERVENTION IN DEVELOPMENT OF HYBRIDS -Dr. Arvind Kapur CEO, Vegetable Seed Division, RASI Seeds Pvt. Ltd.

1. FEB. 4 th ,2010 DR ARVIND KAPUR CEO VEGETABLE SEED DIVISION RASI SEEDS (P) LTD CURRENT TRENDS AND ISSUES IN SEED INDUSTRY-TECHNOLOGICAL INTERVENTION IN DEVELOPMENT OF HYBRIDS

2. AGRICULTURE AND CLIMATE WILL CONTINUOUSELY IMPACTED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES WITHOUT WAITING FOR THE COPENHAGEN DEBATE TO BE CONCLUSIVE FACTS OF AGRICULTURE

4. THE WORLD SEED MARKET (billions $) Total Seed Field Seeds Vegetable Flower Commercial Seeds 15 15 15 33% 33% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 50 Billion Including Farmers Saved Seed Total Seed Field Seeds Vegetable Flower Commercial seed market 6.8 b$ Vegetable Seed 27.2 b $ Cereal Seed (20.3 non GM+6.9 GM) 20% vegetable seed 80% Field & other seed 34 Billion

11. The Seed Industry - a Time Line • 1740 - 1850: First companies specialising in horticultural crops established • 1850 - 1900: Modern Plant Breeding begins • Public sector involvement in plant breeding and protection of farmer & consumer interests • New companies established for numerous crops • First National Seed Associations established • 1900-1970s: Transition and Modernization • Growth of the seed sector, private and public Sector

12. The Seed Industry –a Time Line 1970s -First wave of consolidation • Chemical & oil industry acquire seed companies – 1980s -Biotechnology in plant breeding • DNA marker assisted selection, genetic engineering – 1990s -Second wave of consolidation • Birth of ‘life-science’ companies – International Treaties and Conventions with impact on the seed industry (UPOV, CBD, CPB, IT-PGRFA)

13. The Seed Industry Today 1.Increasing global seed market 2.Growing use of hybrid seed with several technological components(e.g. seed coatings) 3.Growing international seed trade 4.Increasing number of regulations 5.Increasing number of multinational companies

14. Present Area of Cereal Crops in India Area in Million hectare

15. Seed Production in FY-2009 CROPS Qty. in M.T Maize 80000 Sunflower 8000 Pearl Millet 20000 Hybrid Rice 20000-25000 Sorghum 12000 cotton 32 mn packet Reasearch varieties OP of Rice 60,000

16. Global Seed Market Split Tomato fresh indet. 11% Cabbage 7% Sweet pepper 7% Lettuce 7% Watermelon 5 % Onion 5% Seed Vegetable seed Melon 5 % Chinese cabbage 5 % Hot pepper 5% Carrot 4% Tomato fresh set. 3% Internal assessment Cotton 3% Canola 5% Vegetables 18% Corn 32% Rice 10% Other 6% Potato 4% Sunflower 2% Barley 2% Sugar Beet 2% Wheat 4% Soybean 12%

19. CRADLE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED MUST BE CARRIED FROM TO GRAVE Investments Value Recovery

20. FOOD SAFETY MUST BE ENSURED FROM FARM TO FORK Without toxic compounds

21. Contributions of Plant Breeding Yield

23. Contributions of Plant Breeding

24. Contributions of Plant Breeding Biotic stress resistance Plant Breeding has provided 10.000s of resistant varieties to: • Fungi • Insects • Viruses • Bacteria • Nematodes • Water molds

26. Annual global level of lost food production $85 billion caused by pathogens $46 billion caused by insects UK: disease resistance alone saves 100 million GBP/yr in crop protection products

27. Gemini viruses in tomato • Tomato YellowLeafCurlVirus • 1990s: Destroyed 95% of tomato harvest in Dom. Rep. • In 1991/1992: 140 million USD damage in Florida. • Now resistant varieties

28. Contributions of Plant Breeding Abiotic stress tolerance Plant Breeders focus on tolerance for: • Herbicides (95 billion USD / yr lost on weeds 380 million tonnes of wheat) • Drought(90 million people affected/yr) • Flood (106 million people affected/yr) • Salt (900 million ha affected) • Better nutrient uptake

29. 124 million people / yr in 118 countries affected by Vit. A deficiency (1-2 million deaths) • Rice: staple crop for half of mankind • Rice varieties developed with higher levels of carotenoids=> ‘Golden rice’ • Market release 2011? • 70 IP rights from 32 companies relinquished Contributions of Plant Breeding Nutritional quality

30. Contributions of Plant Breeding Responding to the challenges • Food security& Hunger alleviation • Increase nutritional values • Reduction of pesticides / fossil fuels • Reduction GHG emissions • Land saving/ Decrease deforestation • Conserve biodiversity • Increase carbon sequestration

31. CROP IMPROVEMENT EVOLUTION vs. REVOLUTION Slow Random Stability ? Focus ? Environment GERMPLASM BASE VARIETAL BREEDING PEDIGREE BREEDING G x E INTERACTION ACCESSION OF GENES GENETIC TRANSFORMATION ACCELERATED INTROGRESSION THROUGH MAB Fast Specific Stable Focused

32. GENE HUNTING Discovery research Lab research (REFINEMENT) Transformation Protocol Development TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT GENE CLONING GENE FUNCTIONS GENE MODIFICATION GENE CONSTRUCT

33. Regeneration protocol development of target plant species Transformation stabilization Selection of best transformation for fertilization Product development with trait

34. THREE LEGGED STOOL MODEL TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS BIOTECHNOLOGY PRODUCT PRODUCT GERMPLASM GERMPLASM GERMPLASM BREEDING BREEDING PRODUCT

37. Contributions of Plant Breeding Conclusion: Enormous contribution so far Tremendous potential BEST STILL TO COME

39. THANKS