Biodiversity

Biography

Biography: Kiran M Basnet

Abstract

The idea of Participatory Crop Improvement (PCI) springs up from conservation and utilization motive of Agro-biodiversity (ABD) which forms the overall source of food for the world at the present and future. The Traditional Knowledge (TK) laid with the farmers forms a strong base for analyzing the crop traits and the climate change patterns of certain geographical domain over the years. Genetic variation in traits among the lines can occur in the natural population or such can be generated introducing recombination measures. The approach which simply involves in the selection of crop lines taking farmers’ preference indices from among the local and improved genotypes is referred to as Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS). On the other hand, the PCI approach that considers crossing between parents to create variation for selection of preferred types is called as Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB). It allocates ways for the crop line to improve for the lagging traits while keeping with the farmer preferred ones. Along with the yield parameter, other traits that have special characteristic features and preferred by the farmers remain as the purpose of crop improvement. PCI in one way approves the involvement of farmers in the crop improvement and development initiative and in other way, it focuses in research and development initiatives involving local crops and Neglected and Under-utilized Species (NUS) grown in the high production areas to marginal lands to address the climate change patterns and scenario. PCI has a conservation goal in retaining the crop traits that are preferred by the farmers and in the same way meets utilization goal by making use of the conserved crops and traits. The aim is to identify the climate resilient crop varieties while retaining and conserving the special traits prominent in the landraces.