`Non-GM Seeds Helped Raise Production 5-Fold In 60 Yrs' The debate around genetically modified crops and a recent PIL in the Supreme Court may force the government to delay its final decision on GM mustard. With the transgenic variety of mustard unlikely to be released for the coming rabi (winter crop) season, the focus will be on non-GM varieties to help increase production. Transgenic mustard not getting cleared in the near future may disappoint agriculture scientists but it will not affect the country's research in public institutions on non-GM highyielding hybrid and nonhybrid seed varieties. After all, the efforts of Indian agriculture scientists saw the nation record a five-fold increase in foodgrain production in six decades -from 50.8 million tonnes (MT) in 1950-51 to 252.22 MT in 2015-16. Although net sown area also increased during the period (from 119 million hectares to over 141 million hectares), high-yielding seed varieties played a key role in increasing production. Expansion of irrigation coverage too helped in incre asing production but it was supported by the development of a number of drought and waterlogging resistant varieties of seeds in the country's public research institutions like ICAR, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and statecentral universities. These institutions, over the years, developed more than 2,000 seed varieties of cereals, including rice, wheat, maize and millet and over 700 varieties of oilseeds, which led to the phenomenal growth in foodgrain production. “Conventional plant breeding has given India very good sustainable agricultural production in major food crops like wheat and rice. Good varieties, which have better adaptation and yield, are quickly adopted by farmers,“ K V Prabhu, IARI's joint director of research, told TOI. Prabhu, the chief breeder of high-yielding wheat varieties like HD-2967 and HD-3086, said, “Such varieties will continue to meet our needs provided pests like `Karnal Bunt' and `spot blotch' in wheat or `brown plant hopper' or `aphid' in mustard do not assume epidemic proportions as it can under vulnerable climate.“ However, he emphasised that GM technology was “the most viable option“ if India wanted to continue its self-dependence in foodgrains in the scenario where crops face various kinds of stresses.