11 - Related Issues in Organic Farming

Summary

Seed

Seed is an issue that needs special attention in organic farming. It was not an issue before the widespread introduction of high yielding varieties. An impression has been created that the high yielding varieties cannot fully express their potential without fertilisers. It is true in one sense that fertility is essential to get the full benefit of high yielding varieties (HYV), but that fertility need not be achieved through chemical fertilisers alone. As we all know, plants can take up nutrients ultimately in the form of organic ions, irrespective of the source of nutrients, whether it is supplied through chemical fertilisers or organic manures. How then have HYV and chemical fertiliser become inseparable? It was the breeder who created the first impression that HYV should necessarily have fertilisers for high yielding. First of all, the breeder will have no patience and time to build soil for its full potential of fertility and productivity, or to test his variety in the absence of fertiliser application. He will have tried and tested his varieties with different permutations and combinations of fertilizers, and selected the one among hundreds that responded most to the chemical fertiliser in the laboratory. These varieties will not have undergone tests with organic manures, because it is difficult to simulate soil organic matter and humus artificially without the work of soil microorganisms, or to quantify the nutrient content and compare it with the fertiliser.