FACILITIES
Research is conducted in Hyderabad and Bangalore; these southern cities are ideal for year-round multiplication. Germplasm and parent seed are stored in the company's climate-controlled warehouse in Hyderabad. The company has thousands of accessions and inbred lines.
All of this permits Plantgene to set high standards for its hybrids. Germination, physical and genetic purity, vigor, pest and disease resistance, suitable maturity time, toughness, staygreen, and of course, superior yields, are among our top breeding objectives.
The company’s Research and Development program has been recognized by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. This recognition comes after rigorous inspection of the company’s research infrastructure by the DSIR in conjunction with scientists from various institutions. The wide-ranging inspection covers all research components: farms, germplasm base, inbreds and hybrids developed, seed testing and laboratory facilities, conditioning and storage, data processing, and personnel.
HYBRIDIZATION
In simple terms, a hybrid is a cross of two or more unrelated lines of a particular crop. The hybrid progeny of this cross exhibits traits from both parents. But it also benefits from a unique phenomenon called “heterosis”, or hybrid vigor. This vigor is the key to hybrid crop productivity.
Corn hybrids were developed soon after the first World War. The early commercial hybridization of corn was possible largely because the male and female floral parts of corn are not produced on the same spikelet, or flower. Consequently, crossing male with female is relatively easy.
On the other hand, the male (anther) and female (stigma) parts of sunflower, sorghum, pearl millet and rice are on the same flower. Commercial hybrids could not be produced until a method was found to provide certain lines with only functional female parts. These special lines could serve as the “female” parent in hybrid production. Hybrid seed produced from the female parent, however, needed to be “restored” so that both male and female parts were functional. Because of this, the use of hybrid vigor in these crops was delayed until cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) was found in the second half of the twentieth century.
Plantgene has an enormous base of accessions and inbreds, including both CMS and restorer lines.
INBREDS
As in any reproductive process, the basic traits of a hybrid come from the genetic characteristics of its parents. These parents are two inbred lines. Plantgene excels in inbred development. The quality of proprietary inbreds used as parents of Plantgene hybrids is responsible for their popularity. All Plantgene hybrids are proprietary. Public-bred hybrids and varieties are not sold by the company.
An inbred is a line or strain of a crop which has been self-pollinated for at least five to seven generations to produce genetic uniformity. Once this uniformity has been achieved, breeders can insure that the inbred's specific characteristics appear consistently generation after generation.
The inbred development process starts with a pool of germplasm or breeding material maintained in nurseries at Plantgene's research stations. This genetic material is a known quantity; it has been observed and catalogued to provide breeders with an inventory of characteristics which they can then select for in the development of a new inbred. Typically, characteristics encompass the various parts of the plant – ear/head/panicle, seed/grain, roots, stalks, leaves – together with disease and insect resistance, maturity, yield potential, and performance in the context of varying climate and soils.
Several generations of intensive testing, selection and inbreeding produce a parent line with the characteristics sought by the Plantgene breeder. Once the breeder is convinced that an inbred has potential as a hybrid parent, he crosses it with other promising inbreds to make a hybrid combination.
HYBRIDS
Having made several combinations, these are tested against commercial hybrids of competitors. Finally, a winning hybrid combination is selected. This is then tested in various locations across India for several seasons before being selected for commercial release in the market. Once a winner is selected, breeder seed of the inbreds is produced, followed by parent seed, and finally commercial hybrid seed for sale to farmers.
A commercial number is assigned to the new hybrid, say 5872. From inbred development to commercial release, hybrid 5872 could well have taken 7-10 years.
The hybrid development process may seem overly lengthy. But experience has taught Plantgene that there is no substitute for thorough and widespread testing of new hybrids.
Access to diverse germplasm enables Plantgene to develop top-performing hybrids.
