Wheat and Rice [high yielding hybrid crop varieties]:

In the history of agriculture, the period from 1960 to 2000 will always be remembered because of

 - increase in wheat production from 11 million tones to 75 million tonnes

- increase in rice production from 35 million tones to 89.5 million tonnes.

 This was due to the development of improved semi-dwarf varieties of wheat and rice.

At International centre for Wheat and Maize Improvement in Mexico, the Nobel laurete Norman E. Borlaug (Father of green revolution) developed semi-dwarf varieties of wheat.

 

The high yielding and disease resistant

- 'Semi dwarf' varieties wheat like Sonalika and Kalyansona were selected and introduced in different wheat growing regions of India in 1963.

- Semidwarf rice varieties were developed from IR-8, (formed at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines) and Taichung Native-1 (from Taiwan).

- The derivatives were introduced in India in 1966 and better yielding semidwarf varieties like Jaya and Ratna were developed in India.

Some other high yielding varieties in

- wheat are

- sonora-64,

- Lerma Rojo 64-A,

- Safed Lerma,

- Sharbati-Sonora,

- Rice these are

- Vijaya,

- Padma,

- Kanti,

- Jayanti.

 

Sugarcane:

Sugarcane is cultivated as a primary source of sugar in different parts of world.

India is one of the major sugar exporting countries.

Saccharum barberi was commonly cultivated in north India but had poor yield and sugar content.

 Saccharum officinarum, a tropical species grown in south India had high sugar content and better yield but it did not grow successfully in north India because of its susceptible nature to all serious crop diseases.

The hybrid varieties formed after crossing these two species have the desirable combination of characters like high yield, greater sugar content and resistance to most of the crop diseases.

These varieties are successfully growing in north India.

Some other improved breeds of sugarcane, developed at the Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore in India are Co.421, Co.419, Co.205, Co.453, Co.740 etc.

Milletes:

 Millet is a general term for grasses yielding small seeded edible grains.

Several hybrid varieties of jowar, bajra and maize have been successfully developed in India.

Hybridization has resulted in the development of many high yielding varieties which are resistant to diseases and water stress.