AUTHOR=Chand Subhash , Roy Ajoy Kumar , Singh Tejveer , Agrawal Rajiv Kumar , Yadav Vijay Kumar , Kumar Sanjay , Malaviya Devendra Ram , Chandra Amaresh , Yadava Devendra Kumar 

TITLE=Twenty-four years lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) breeder seed production in India: a retrospective study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1259967

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1259967

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is the second most significant winter leguminous fodder crop after berseem in India. Breeder seed (BS) is the first stage of the seed production chain as it is the base material for producing foundation and certified seeds. In India, lucerne BS demand has been reduced by 85.58% during the last 24 years (1998-99 to 2021-22), declining from 2150 kg to 310 kg. Out of 14 varieties released and notified so far, only nine varieties entered the seed chain since 1998-99. It shows narrow varietal diversification and hence needs robust breeding programs towards enriching genetic variability and varietal development. The present study also highlights the disparity in BS demand and production over the years and puts forth the possible reasons behind the reduction of BS demand and production in the country. Out of the nine varieties, the BS demand of Anand-2 (53.11%) was highest, followed by Type-9 (19.44%) and RL-88 (13.60%). Varietal replacement rate (VRR) was found to be moderate i.e., 23.67% for the varieties having <5 years old age in the last three years (2019-20 to 2021-22). It has also been estimated that BS produced (233 kg) during 2021-22 can cover the approximate area of 6300 hectares at farmers' fields in 2024-25 if the seed chain functions 100% effectively. The present study provides a holistic overview of lucerne BS demand and production, challenges in BS production, and the way forward to develop more varieties and surplus BS production in the country.