Corteva Agriscience, a seed and crop protection company based in the United States, will soon introduce seed coating technology for paddy crops to combat pests such as leaf folder and yellow stem borer, which significantly reduce yield across key rice growing regions.
According to a company official, seeds of conventional and hybrid varieties are treated with Corteva’s molecule, which provides the paddy crop with built-in protection against various pests and diseases. The seed-applied technology coating prevents pest attacks due to inbuilt immunisation against pests and diseases.
“The field trials in Telangana of the technology have shown significant reduction in pesticides and fungicides application by the farmers during the vegetative stage of the paddy crop,” said Prasant Patra, regional commercialisation & business lead of Corteva Agriscience.
Patra claims that, in addition to reduced spraying, farmers receive higher yields in the range of 5% to 6% in paddy crops. The company has applied for registration of the technology with the Central Insecticides Board (CIB).
The technology has already been introduced in Thailand, and it will be introduced in Indonesia in the coming months. The cost of the molecule solution for seed coating will be determined after the technology is registered with the CIB.
“We will conduct a demonstration of such technology with farmers so that cost of cultivation goes down while the yield of paddy crops increases,” Rahoul Sawani, president (South Asia) of Corteva agriscience, told the visiting journalist at the company’s research centre located at Toopran Yeldurhty mandal.
Soon introduce seed application technology
The company will be soon introducing seed application technology for growing soyabean and corn in the country.
Paddy crops in the country are impacted by leaf folders and yellow stem pests which reduces yield while forcing farmers to use more sprays. These pests are reported frequently in the paddy-growing region of eastern states — West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand.
However, there have been several reports of such pests in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and northern states’ paddy crops.
Crop protection solutions
Corteva provides crop protection solutions in the country, including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and seed treatment for rice, cotton, soya bean, fruits, and vegetables. The company has seed-applied technology applications for soyabean, corn, and paddy crops around the world.
Rice production in the country was estimated at a record 130 million tonne (MT) in the 20221-22 crop year (July-June), and preliminary estimates indicate that due to insufficient monsoon rains, particularly in the eastern regions, rice production in the current years could decline by around 6 MT.
