Climate change is an inevitable reality which poses risks to future food security.
Seeds are fundamental to agriculture, serving as the starting point for crop production and carrying the genetic blueprint for plant development. They are crucial for food security and ensuring a stable food supply. High-quality seeds are essential for maximising crop yields and enabling the adoption of modern agricultural practices.
According to a Department of Agriculture report from April 2024, changes in the onset of the farming season or ‘kanna,’ dry spells during the season, heavy rainfall and flooding during the season, extreme rainfall at the harvesting stage, strong winds at the time of fertilising, and soil erosion are climate change related constraints faced by agricultural crops.
In addition, high moisture and temperature levels increase pest and plant diseases while high temperature levels also increase the evaporation of available water.
Remaining resilient
To remain resilient in the face of these threats, climate-smart rice varieties are being adopted. Some of these varieties are drought escaping and drought resistant. Among the drought resistant variants the Bg 314 of 2020 had seen a 103.36% increase in crop yield in comparison to the average performing variety of rice at that point.
Soil salinisation as an impact of climate change affects agriculture where excess of salts adversely affects soil structure and fertility, plant growth, crop yield, and microorganisms. Salinity-tolerant rice varieties are also being introduced at present.
In addition, flood- and submergence-tolerant varieties of rice, iron toxicity-tolerant varieties, heat-tolerant varieties, and varieties suitable for cropping systems in cold prone areas are also being introduced.
While developing seed varieties to address climate change-induced issues, varieties are also being tested for the conditions in different districts.
Local veggies to the fore
Vikalpani National Women’s Federation (VNWF) Assistant Coordinator Nishanthika Dilrukshi, who works with women in agriculture in the Monaragala District, noted that the organisation was promoting about 27 local varieties of vegetables and grains such as maize, horse gram, cowpea, kurakkan, mung beans, ridge gourd, okra, ela batu, and green herbs such as thampala.
According to her, these local varieties are resistant to harsh conditions such as heavy rains and dry spells: “These are seeds that have been around for a long time. They are tolerant of the conditions of the earth.”
Dilrukshi, along with her organisation, conserves seeds in collaboration with others. “We get together with other organisations that produce seeds through networking and collaboration. We source seeds from them and then conserve and produce more.”
It has been observed that the local maize they promote can tolerate any harsh weather conditions. During the heavy rains experienced in March and April, Dilrukshi said that there had been clear results in the maize crop yields.
A farmer in their collective experienced how her local maize variety had resisted the rain and grown to produce a good yield whereas the corn kernels in the gene-tech seeds she had already planted previously had grown to be hollow under the same weather conditions.
According to the Department of Agriculture report, among field crops, mung bean, black gram, cowpea, groundnut, maize, big onion, red onion, and mustard varieties have been developed to address water scarcity and intermittent dry spells.
In addition, chilli, mung bean, black gram, cowpea, groundnut, kurakkan, and sesame varieties have been introduced in varieties that are either resistant or tolerant to pests and diseases. These varieties are intended to reduce the need for pesticides, thereby reducing the damages to natural ecosystems.
Ensuring seed security
To ensure seed security for agriculture, the polymer seed coating technique has been used for soybeans where the coated seeds will germinate even under flood conditions. It has been observed that the germination is greater than 80% under flood conditions compared to non-coated seeds.
When it comes to vegetables, hybrid varieties of brinjal, bitter and spine gourd, okra, capsicum, tomato, and cucumber that have been adapted to diverse weather conditions have been introduced. To address the issue of water scarcity, there are also vegetable varieties such as ela batu, Jaffna ini ala, polon mae, ran kawadi manioc, and sweet potato.
Fruit Research and Development Institute (FRDI) Director Narmada Perera told The Sunday Morning that breeding fruit varieties that were resilient to climate change was a key research interest.
Fruit production disrupted
Climate change has already had a visible impact on fruit production. For instance, many fruit crops require a dry spell to initiate flowering, but with increased rainfall, this natural cycle is disrupted. To address this, the FRDI has developed techniques to artificially induce flowering.
Technologies like micro-irrigation systems have proven especially useful for crops such as bananas and pineapples in the face of climate change. Although these systems come with an upfront cost, they are a worthwhile long-term investment for sustainable cultivation.
“We have been preparing for climate change as it has been a research priority for the last 20 years,” Perera said.
The Department of Agriculture also adopts climate resilient technologies for quality seed production. Seed production takes place under protected conditions such as greenhouses, rain shelters, and net houses.
To adapt to extreme weather conditions, seed processing machines and seed colour sorter machines are used to improve seed quality while seed coating machines enhance seed vigour in order to improve seed germination under extreme conditions.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Agriculture Secretary D.P. Wickremasinghe said that there were several foreign-funded projects under the ministry that worked on climate-resilient agriculture. In addition, he said that there were programmes under the Department of Agriculture that engaged in work in related areas.