The success and sustenance of hybrid rice technology depends on the efficient and economic hybrid seed production, so as to provide good quality seed at reasonable price to the farmers. Hybrid seed production, in self pollinated crop like rice, is quite tedious. Therefore, extensive trials were conducted to standardize the seed production package. Various requirements for successful seed production such as ideal locations/seasons, seed rate, row ratio, GA3, supplementary pollination techniques etc., have been worked out and a seed production package has been developed. The details of the package are as under.

Optimum package for hybrid rice seed production and CMS multiplication

Seed producers can obtain seed yields of about 1.0 to 1.5 t/ha by adopting this package. There is a need to refine the present technology so as to enhance the seed yields up to 2.0 to 2.5 t/ha so that the seed cost can be reduced.

GA3 is one of the essential requirements for hybrid seed production and it is a costly input. Therefore, efforts are being made to find some alternate chemicals or substitutes to economize GA3 use. Initial results have indicated that GA3 requirement can be reduced by using some chemicals such as ZnSO4, urea and boric acid in combination with lower doses of GA3.Such studies will help to reduce the cost of seed production thus helping the farmers to get the hybrid seed at reasonable cost which is now being sold @ Rs. 90-100/kg.

India has a very well organized seed industry both in public and private sectors and this can be effectively utilized for hybrid rice seed production. Realizing fully well, the potential of seed industry, enough encouragement was given to the seed sectors to take up hybrid seed production. Required parental lines were made available to the interested companies and their personnel were imparted training on hybrid rice seed production technology. This step has really helped many companies and some of them have established full fledged R & D facilities for hybrid rice. Now the seed industry has fully geared to meet the seed requirement and what it needs is the demand which has to be created by well organized transfer of technology activities.

Large Scale Seed Production

Large scale seed production has been taken up predominantly by private sector and to lesser extent by public sector seed agencies in India during the last five years. Initially seed yields obtained were less than 1.0 t/ha but now an average seed yields of 1.5 t/ha or more are being obtained routinely. Maximum seed yield of 3.8 t/ha has been recorded in a seed production plot of 2.0 ha area by a private sector company.

Progress made in large scale seed production in India, in the initial phase, has been impressive as compared to the progress made in China at similar stage. In China, it took more than five years to attain an average seed yield of 1.0 t/ha and only after a decade average seed yields of 1.5 t/ha were attained. In India, average seed yields of 1.5 t/ha are being obtained after five years of initiating large scale seed production. Seed yields can be increased further by utilizing the new CMS lines with higher outcrossing potential, now under development in Indian hybrid rice breeding programmes and through further refinement of seed production technology.

Now 3,000-3,5000 tons of hybrid rice seed is produced annually in India, 95% of it by the private seed sector. The leading private sector seed companies in Hybrid Rice Seed Production are Hybrid Rice International, PHI, Mahyco, Indo-American, Parry Monsanto, Advanta India, Syngenta and Nath Seed company. Half a dozen other private seed companies are also engaged in hybrid rice seed production on a smaller scale.

Among public sector seed agencies, National Seed Corporation (NSC), State Farms Corporation of India (SFCI), Andhra Pradesh State Seed Development Corporation (APSSDC), Karnataka State Seed Development Corporation (KSSDC), West Bengal State Seed Development Corporation (WBSSDC), and U.P. and Terai Seed Development Corporation (UPTSDC) are presently engaged in hybrid rice seed production on much smaller scale. All these public sector seed agencies put together, produce around 100 tons of hybrid rice seed annually.

Hybrid rice is likely to become popular and adopted in large acreage during the next decade. Huge quantities of hybrid rice seed will be needed. Thus there is ample scope for all the private and public sector seed agencies in India to produce large quantities of hybrid seed in the years ahead to popularize rice hybrids.