Indigenous Seeds, Seed Selection and National Seed Banks for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Indigenous seeds are grown by the farmers over the years with a strong influence from local natural factors. Such seeds have a higher level of intra-population variations and the capacity of buffering the adverse factors. Understanding indigenous seeds along with their diversity are useful to diversify their uses, to assess conservation status, to know the factors making farming areas red zone, and to improve their performance. Selection is the simplest and most common method for the improvement of crop varieties. The variation must be created and maintained to impose selection. Different types of selection can be considered depending on the mode of reproduction of crops. Response to selection and correlated response are estimated to make the selection process more effective. Many different selection approaches can target either developing monomorphic or polymorphic varieties. There are five selection units and can be applied in five crop stages. Farmers’ criteria need to be considered during selection process. Based on the genotypic classes, there are three types of selection namely stabilizing selection, directional selection, and disruptive selection. The most simple and common selection methods are pure lines, mass selection, and class-bulking selection. Orthodox seeds in short, medium, and long-term storage facilities are conserved as a seed bank. Major types are household seed banks, community seed banks, national seeds, natural seed banks, and global seed banks. A seed bank is for assuring the availability of crop diversity for research, study, and production. The common works in seed banks are diversity collection, regeneration, characterization, multiplication, and distribution along with online database management.