Read about the ‘Seed Village Programme’ (Beej Gram Yojana) run by the Government of India. Why is it important to save indigenous seeds?
The Seed Village Programme (Beej Gram Yojana) promotes the conservation of native plant varieties. Saving indigenous seeds is crucial for several agricultural practices and crop improvement.
Firstly, indigenous or wild varieties serve as vital rootstocks in grafting. For instance, a healthy rooted wild plant (like a wild rose variety) provides a strong foundation when other varieties are grafted onto it, ensuring the plant's health and stability.
Secondly, indigenous seeds are essential for selective breeding. Farmers select these plants for their desirable characters for reproduction. They are also used in artificial hybridisation, where desired pollen is manually transferred to develop improved varieties.
Thirdly, indigenous seeds hold the genetic material for important traits. Through genetic engineering, the genetic material for desirable characters from these seeds can be inserted into the DNA of other varieties. This helps in developing disease resistant and high yielding varieties.
Thus, saving indigenous seeds ensures we retain the necessary traits and genetic material to sustain and revolutionise crop production in agriculture.
Explanation
The textbook context does not explicitly list reasons for saving indigenous seeds, but it provides strong clues through its discussion of agricultural techniques. Grafting uses wild/indigenous varieties as rootstocks. Selective breeding relies on plants with desirable characters, which indigenous seeds possess. Artificial hybridisation and genetic engineering also depend on the genetic material from these seeds to develop disease-resistant and high-yielding varieties. The answer constructs a logical exam-ready response by connecting the importance of indigenous seeds to these mentioned plant breeding and propagation methods.