Traditional Rice Varieties in Farming System of Hill Zone of Karnataka, India

摘要

Rice is the staple food crop of Asian region including India. India being center of origin of rice, can boast of large number of local varieties and land races. According to an estimate, we have more than 50,000 varieties of rice. But unfortunately, most of those varieties are fast disappearing because of faulty agricultural practices. Farmers now lured by high yielding varies have confined themselves to merely fifteen such races and have stopped cultivating local varieties. Needless to mention, these varieties are of immense value in agriculture as they are treasure house of innumerable important genes as they have evolved in particular environment science millions ofyears. Further, HYVs are highly susceptible to diseases. Developments of disease resistant varieties are possible only with help of such genes which are available in land races only. In Karnataka rice is grown under a variety of soils and wide range of rainfall and temperature. Eleven rare and traditional varieties of rice viz., Padma Rekha, Masale Puttabatta, Halugidda Sele, Purnendo, BKB, Bolumallige, Krishnaleela, Urala Chipiga, Mundoni, Kirwana and Suvarna have been documented and is being tried tobe propagated on small farm areas in malnad zone of Karnataka. The paper deals with botanical features of these varieties and attempts being taken to conserve them.