Introduction

• At the current rate of population growth in India, the requirement of rice by the turn of century is estimated to be around 150 million tons.
• To make the India self sufficient in rice, it is needed to improve the productivity to a greater extent.
• The task is quite challenging and the options available are very limited.
• Among the various possible genetic approaches to achieve this target, hybrid rice technology is the most feasible and readily adaptable one.
• Commercial success of hybrid rice in China has clearly demonstrated the potential of this technology to meet the ever-increasing demands for rice world over.
• Efforts to develop and use this technology in India, though initiated in 1970’s, have been systematized and intensified since December 1989, with launching of a mission oriented project.
• Within a short span of seven years, half a dozen hybrids each from public and private sectors are made available for commercial cultivation.
• Some more promising hybrids with better grain quality, resistance to some of the major pests and diseases and higher magnitude of heterosis are in final stages of evaluation.
• Hybrid seed production technology has been developed and demonstrated on large scale and an average seed yield of 1.0 -–1.5 t/ha is being obtained on large scale.
• During the dry season 1995-96, totally around 1300 tons of F1 seed was produced by private and public sector seed agencies.
• During the wet season 1996, more than 60,000 hectares were planted to hybrid rice in various parts of India.

Achievements Through Hybrid Rice

• Hybrid rice has helped china to increase rice production nearly by 200 million tons from 1976-1991.
• Hybrid rice has yield advantage of more than 30% over conventional varieties.
• The area under hybrid rice was 17.6 million hectares i.e. 55% of total rice area in china and the production of hybrid rice was 66% of the total rice out put.
• Although research on the commercial utilization of heterosis in rice has made tremendous gain during the last 20 years, it is from a strategic point of view, that the high yield potential of hybrid rice has not been fully tapped yet.

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Advantages and Dis-advantages

Advantages

• Average yields of hybrid are more when compared to high yielding varieties.
• Quantity of seed used in hybrid rice was significantly less than the seed used in conventional high yielding varieties.
• Average productivity and total return to total input cost was relatively higher for hybrid rice than for conventional high yielding varieties.
• Hybrid rice cultivation is economically viable if management level is above 60 per cent.
• The nursery area required for transplanting unit area is less when compared to conventional high yielding varieties.
• Hybrids are short duration with resistance to major pests and diseases.
• Hybrids are non-lodging varieties.

Disadvantages

• Management responsiveness was nearly 30 – 35 % more for hybrid rice than for conventional high yielding varieties.
• At an average management level, the grain yield of hybrid (0.8 t/ha) was lower than the minimum required (1.4 t/ha).
• Seed cost was almost 2.5 times more for hybrids than for conventional high yielding varieties.
• The expected output price was lower for hybrid rice grain than actual price for conventional high yielding varieties.
• The hybrid rice seed production usually requires more labour specially to accomplish certain critical farm operations like row planting, supplementary pollination, leaf clipping, gap filling, rouging and GA3 application etc. Hence the cost incurred on seed production was found to be high.
• Hybrids require more dose of fertilizers.
• Hybrid seed is not suitable for second crop.