P.M. GovindakrishnanProject Coordinator

All India Coordinated Research Project (Potato)Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla

Agro ecological classification and adaptation of potato and characterization of target environments considering climate

change

Multi Environment Trials (MET) is one of the important activities of any breeding programme.

The objective is to develop varieties with wide adaptation

Thus the concept of Mega Environments (ME) was developed.

Mega environment is defined as a broad not necessarily contiguous area occurring in more than one country and frequently transcontinental, defined by similar biotic and abiotic stresses, cropping system requirements and consumer preferences.

Statistical and classificatory approaches are used to charaterise the environments and study GEI.

Widely adapted genotypes are not only input responsive but also input efficient.

The ME concept has proven very successful in characterising major wheat, maize growing areas.

Relevance of ME to potato

The number of trial sites are too large.In the case of potato, it is difficult to carry out a large number of trials since seed availability is a constraint.Potato is much more responsive to environment than maize and wheat, hence the requirement of trial sites would be too large.

Limitations of ME concept are that locations may vary temporally from year to year and spatially within farmers’ fields and locally. ME tend to shift from year to year due to fluctuation in weather pattern.

Resources are becoming a major constraint for extensive Multienvironment testing (MET) of hybrids

However, wide adaptation is important and would become all the more important under climate change scenario where temperature extremes and shift in rainfall pattern are expected.

Three regions have been delineated in the IGP based on the growing period availability.

The western region where two short duration crops are feasible.

The central region where one long duration crop could be grown

The eastern region where a single short duration crop could be grown

In the case of potato in India homogenous regions based on heuristics were developed and breeders speculated on how well their varieties might perform in the regions.

Each AEZ is identified by a ‘id’ e.g. “A13Eh1” which representsA = Physiographical region (Western Himalayas);13 = Soil scape (shallow skeletal soil)Eh = Hyper (Arid) bioclimatic zone; 1= Length of Growing Period (<60 days)

Based on the AEZ of the trial site some indication of the adaptation domain of the hybrids can be inferred.

During the 80s the AEZ concept was developed.Homogenous regions (20) and sub regions (about 80) were developed.

SNo

Agro Id Region Eco Sub Region (ESR)

Soil AWC Potato Growing Districts

2 9.1N8Dm_Cd4 Punjab and Rohilkhand plains

Hot dry/moist subhumid transitional

deep, loamy to clayey alluvium-derived(inclusion of saline and sodic)

medium Amritsar, gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Hosiarpur, Jalandhar, NawanShahr, Una, Roopnagar, Ludhina, Fatehgarh Sahib, Panchkula, Chandigarh, Patial, Solan, Sirmaur, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Saharanpur, Muzaffernagar, Bijnor, Jyotiba phule Nagar, Moradabad, Rampur, Meerut

The AEZ method is not applicable in the case of potato since Growing Period is determined on the basis of rainfall probability There is a lot of variability with respect to growing season even within the AEZ

Hence the need for agroecological zonation which would identify niche environments with unique biotic and abiotic stresses.

Soil and climate information of the trial sites can be used to classify the point locations into more or less homogenous environments.

Protocol to link individual trial sites to larger regions for which they are representative for better targeting of genotypes.

Spatial analysis can be used to support geographic targeting of genotypes to environments.

Maps and models can predict how well cultivars will respond to particular environments.

This has been facilitated in recent years by the availability of large number of spatial analysis tools. Software: A number of GIS S/W are available.

Soil data: A number of sources of spatial soil data are available e.g. FAO 1:5 million soil map of the world, WISE database, District wise 1:10,000 soil map of India developed by NBSSLUP etc

Climate: Marksim weather generator, Worldclim, NewLoclim etc

DEM: 1:90m SRTM data

Satellite data for vegetation mapping : 250m MODIS, SPOT data and its products viz NDVI, LAI etc

Options available:

I Climate matching

Environmental data on the sites of variety trials can give information for targeting genotypes to other environments.

Many tools are available for climate similarity analysis

BIOCLIM is one method which uses temperature and rainfall data to determine the climate similarity of different locations.

CLIMEX is another climate matching software which gives an index of similarity of different locations.

The climate matching tools classifies locations with similar climates but do not consider information specific to a crop.

  DOP1*   DOP2*   DOP3*  

  Days(T1) Yield(T1) Days(T1) Yield(T1) Days(T1) Yield(T1)

NE 82 490.9 86 505.7 87 530.5

IGP 84 487.8 90 515.9 97 546.6

In India we used the climate similarity analysis methods to identify regions in the north east similar to the Indo Gangetic plains

II Physiological approach to adaptation - perhaps more relevant in the case of potato

i) Delineate the growing period for potato based on thermal regime

ii) Characterise the region on the basis of potential productivity, biotic and abiotic stresses

iii) Conduct MET and relate crop performance to phenology using models

iv) Delineate target domains for the hybrids based on biophysical attributes of the target environments and phenology of the test hybrids

Temperature constraints forthe identification of the potential growing seasons :- a daily minimum temperature above 5 °C;- a daily maximum temperature below 30 °C;- a minimum accumulated temperature requirement of 1500 °Cday(base temperature 2 °C);- a maximum accumulated temperature requirement of 3000 °Cday(base temperature 2 °C).

i) Delineate the growing period for potato based on thermal regime

Thermally suitable growing period for potato in India

The heat unit accrued at 60, 75 and 90 days are different at different locations hence the development stage of the crop is different at different locations

Meteorological factors, cultivar characteristics

Stresses due to nutrients, water and pests and diseases; management

When we compare the actual yield with the potential yield, the performance of the test hybrids vis a vis the potential yield may indicate the adaptability of the hybrids

ii) Characterise the region on the basis of potential productivity, biotic and abiotic stresses

iii) Conduct MET and relate crop performance to phenology using models - Integration of physiology in breeding programme under AICRP

Using the temperature, canopy development profile and biomass data simple models can be used to dissect the yield obtained into its components

Plan

ting

Emer

genc

e

Growth Duration (thermal time)

Dry

Wei

ght

Tube

r ini

tiatio

n

Haulm growth phase

Tuber growth phasePre emergence phase

Dissecting the yield into the components would help in better targeting of genotypes

iii) Conduct MET and relate crop performance to phenology using models - Integration of physiology in breeding programme under AICRP

Maps showing a plateau areas (long day, high night temperature, low radiation, mite and early blightb) the areas prone to night temperaure stress c) the change in stress degree hours (quantification of temperature stress in terms of deviation from optimum) due to climate change

a b c

Target environments can be characterised on the basis of environmental, edaphic and other stress factors affecting the growth and development of the crop.

iv) Delineate target domains for the hybrids based on biophysical attributes of the target environments and phenology of the test hybrids

Maps showing the analogue stations of Jalandhar, Agra, Gwalior and Patna

Maps showing the analogue stations of Kannauj and Burdwan

III Adaptation of genotypes to climate change: Climate analogues is another method of studying genotype adaptation under climate change situation

Sub-regions

Season

A1FI B1 A1FI B1 A1FI B1 A1FI B1 A1FI B1 A1FI B1South Asia

DJF 1.17 1.11 -3 4 3.16 1.97 0 0 5.44 2.93 -16 -6

MAM 1.18 1.07 7 8 2.97 1.81 26 24 5.22 2.71 31 20JJA 0.54 0.55 5 7 1.71 0.88 13 11 3.14 1.56 26 15SON 0.78 0.83 1 3 2.41 1.49 8 6 4.19 2.17 26 10

2010-2039 2040-2069 2070-2099Temperature,

deg CPrecipitation,

%Temperature,

deg CPrecipitation,

%Temperature,

deg CPrecipitation,

%

Climate Change Scenarios for South Asia

CO2 levels: 393 ppm by 2020; 543 ppm by 2050 and 789 ppm by 2080 Source: IPCC, 2007

Climate change data sources

Thanks for your attention

P.M. GovindakrishnanProject Coordinator

All India Coordinated Research Project (Potato)Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla

ICAR Regional committee meeting I – ATR CPRI Shimla and AICRP Potato

CPRI Shimla1. Concerted efforts are required by all the R&D Institutions in the region to develop complete economical packages of practices for organic farming of cereals, vegetables, horticulture crops, and medicinal and aromatic plants ( MAPs).Action taken :

Projects under the National Project on Organic Farming funded by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture ( Gvot. of India) and CPRI developed to- develop package of practices of organic farming for potato production involving different organic nutrients sources viz. use of farmyard manure, compost, bio-fertilizers, green manuring , crop residues incorporation etc. -biopest control with the use of botanicals/organic sources for insect/pests and disease management -Training programmes have also been organized to the extension officials/ farmers on organic farming systems.

2. Package of practices needs to be developed to check the recurrence of high incidence of dieseases in crops cultivated under protected cultivation. Poly houses need standardization.

Action taken : As potatoes are not grown under polyhouse conditions, the point does not

AICRP (Potato) No recommendation.