科研之友
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摘要
A strong case has been made in many publications for the adoption of highly client-oriented breeding (COB) since a greater role for farmers and clients can help produce and popularise varieties that better meet demands. Participatory varietal selection (PVS) - the testing of a diverse range of new varieties on farm by farmers - is an essential component of COB and has been broadly accepted. However, on the basis of published evidence, other aspects of COB have not been mainstreamed in national and international breeding programmes. This may be because there has been insufficient time for their benefits to become apparent. We review the outcomes from COB in maize (Zea mays L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L) in India that resulted in the official release of a maize variety and two rice varieties. We review the substantial evidence on how all three were better accepted and much more widely adopted in several northern states of India than any of the conventionally bred alternatives that were currently available. This provides the most convincing evidence, so far, that client-oriented methods can be more effective. %26lt;br%26gt;Prior to this, there was little documentation of the impact of COB programmes with few reports of them producing released varieties, so it may be unsurprising that there has been little institutionalisation of COB. The evidence presented here on its effectiveness ought to provide a stimulus for more breeders to adopt these approaches. However, the question of exactly how much evidence is needed remains rhetorical as evidence-based change is constrained by breeders who, for many reasons, are motivated to preserve the status quo. A greater weight of evidence may have to be accumulated before this inertia is overcome.
- 出版日期2014-10
