**4. Initiatives in biodiversity management of rice**

#### **4.1. Purification of scented local landraces**

production constraint for rice in the northwestern Himalayan region of India, comprising the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh [13]. The disease is endemic to most rice growing areas of Jammu and Kashmir due to prevailing blast-conducive environmental conditions during the crop season. Although, chemical control of the disease is available, it is economically expensive for resource poor farmers and is environmentally undesirable. Since host resistance offers cost effective and eco-friendly method for disease management, a study in China has demonstrated how diversification of rice varieties is able to significantly reduce rice blast infestation [14]. Genetic diversity is a defense against diseases and pests owing to the presence of diverse genes and genetic components, which give selective advantage to these varieties under heavy selection pressure imposed by diseases. The rice blast disease is one of the major diseases in Kashmir, which exists as a combination of pathogenic races. Therefore, rice resistance genes often remain effective only for a few years of agricultural production, before succumbing to new pathogenic races. In the Chinese study diversification as a pest management strategy was so successful that farmers were able to abandon the use of fungicides in just 2 years. Similar results were obtained in Philippines, where more than 50 rice landraces were cultivated in two upland municipalities, and there were no reports of any rice pest infestation, except rats and birds [10]. A preliminary study with this purpose was conducted at MRCFC, Khudwani wherein rice germplasm was screened for blast tolerance under temperate conditions of Kashmir valley. Evaluation was

**Figure 4.** Pigmented rice types (a) *Purple rice* (b) *Niver* (c) *Zag* (d) *Zager*

50 Rediscovery of Landraces as a Resource for the Future

Kashmir is well known for the cultivation of some local scented landraces grown in different agroecological niches and maintained by farmers since time immemorial. Of the aromatic cultigens, *Mushk budji* and *Kamad* are in great demand due to their excellent cooking and eating qualities [15, 16]. Earlier, in absence of blast infestation these varieties would yield grain of 3.0–3.5 t/ha in farmers field. However, the yields declined drastically due to their vulnerability to virulent races of rice blast pathogen (*Magnaporthe grisea*). Therefore, these varieties were thrown out of cultivation, except in some small isolated pockets where these varieties are being grown as complex mixtures. These varieties fetch 5–6 times higher price in local markets than the commonly grown high yielding varieties. In view of this an attempt was made at MRCFC, Khudwani to purify the farmers bulks and identify superior pure lines of *Mushk budji* and *Kamad* with good quality and agronomic attributes to boost the income of farmers. Fifty-five single plant selections of *Mushk budji* and 64 single plant selections of *Kamad* were chosen from the farmers' fields in *kharif* 2008 and threshed separately to raise the head to row progeny during *kharif* 2009. Based on yield, disease and quality traits, 18 promising progenies of *Mushk budji* and *Kamad* were selected for further evaluation during *kharif* 2010. Out of 16 *Mushk budji* pure line selections made from 55 single plant selections collected from different areas of Kashmir valley, three selections were finally found to be at par with each other in terms of grain yield and aroma and were chosen for seed multiplication, while one *Kamad* line was selected for its seed multiplication. During *kharif* 2011 these lines were multiplied to produce nucleus seed, and evaluated for agro-physiological characters and distinguishing morphological descriptors. During *kharif* 2012 these were being multiplied for distribution among farmers. The *Mushk budji* seed was distributed at MRCFC Khudwani among the farmers of Sagam, Kokernag, and Batengu; while in districts of Budgam, Kulgam, and Pulwama it was distributed to farmers through the respective Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). However, not much success could be achieved in identifying blast tolerant genotypes among these accessions and blast resistance remained a challenge. A programme on Marker Assisted introgression of blast resistance genes (pita, pi54) in *Mushk budji* was introduced recently (2014) with some progress already achieved (personal communication).

**5. The way forward: What do we need to do?**

Kashmir Himalayas [20].

**5.1. Conservation and rejuvenation**

following:

Rice is cultivated in different agro-ecological regions of J&K, comprising sub-tropical area >1000 m amsl of Jammu region; mid altitude areas (1000 to <1650 m amsl) of Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts; temperate or valley basin area (1650 to 1900 m amsl) and cold high altitude areas (>1950 to 2400 m amsl) of mountainous terrain of Kashmir. Nearly 10–12% of total rice cultivated area of the valley falls in the higher altitude region. The population of this region lives in harsher climate and difficult hilly/mountainous terrain. The farmers in this region still grow old non-descript varieties/cultivars which have poor yield potential and are susceptible to Paddy blast. Low temperature and very short summer months reduce yield and affect nutrient availability/mobilization rate from the soil. These are a big impediment to the introduction of varieties from mainland India, most of which thrive well under subtropical conditions [17]. Attempts were made in the past to develop high yielding cold tolerant rice varieties like Barkat, K332, Kohsar etc. [1, 15, 16]. Similarly, an innovative programme on development of a hybrid rice was started at SKUAST (K), Khudwani, after procuring cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines and their maintainers from various institutions such as the International Rice Research Institute (Philippines), Directorate of Rice Research (Hyderabad), Central Rice Research Institute (Cuttack), and Punjab Agricultural University (Ludhiana). Studies on the performance of these CMS and maintainer lines (of tropical and subtropical regions) for various agro-morphological traits under temperate conditions of Kashmir revealed that these lines, because of poor phenotypic acceptability, cannot be used to develop experimental hybrids [18]. In addition, a good number of hybrids released in India were also evaluated along with their parental lines under temperate conditions and were found to be not suitable for cultivation in such an environment [19]. Thus, efforts were made to develop new CMS lines in the background of agronomically adapted and popular varieties of the region in order to fully exploit this technology. This led to the development of two coldtolerant CMS lines suitable for Kashmir Himalayas [19]. These CMS lines were then successfully employed for development of medium-bold rice hybrids with good grain quality for

Rice Biodiversity in Cold Hill Zones of Kashmir Himalayas and Conservation of Its Landraces

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74591

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The challenges to nutritional and food security need to be addressed. At the same time weightage of an equal measure needs to be given towards the conservation and utilization of rice genetic diversity. This can be done using a multi-pronged strategy involving the

Most of locally adapted aromatic and non-aromatic rice genotypes have evolved as a consequence of natural and human selection, and are highly adapted to specific ecological niches carrying the genes for adaptability, early maturity and cold tolerance. These genotypes, having evolved under specific ecological niches of Kashmir carry combined adaptive traits for such difficult ecological regime, and are not much amenable to high input agriculture. Therefore, these need to conserved/maintained, and periodically cultivated for evaluation

under resource poor and marginal conditions of far flung areas.

#### **4.2. Identification and evaluation of local red rice type land races**

As discussed earlier, a fruitful outcome of germplasm characterization was that some of the promising nutritive red rice types having colored pericarp were identified for evaluation, molecular intervention and biofortification. Preliminary evaluation of the 13 major red rice types viz., *Zag*, *Kupwara Zag*, *Uri Zag*, *Mir Zag*, *Khuch*, *Mir Sagi* and some other accessions (*GS 51, GS 80, GS 83, GS 224, GS 268, GS 289, GS 484*) was also completed for yield and agronomic traits (2011–2012). The biochemical and mineral contents (Iron & Zinc) of these landraces are being determined using modern techniques (**Figures 5** and **6**).

**Figure 6.** Evaluation, purification and selection of best genotype from *Zag*, *Mushk budji* and *Kamad* at MRCFC, Khudwani.
