The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Purple capsicum or black tomatoes?

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Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Purple capsicum or black tomatoes?

Sharath S. Srivatsa

Believe it or not, they are grown from traditional seeds

PROMOTION: Natural vegetables are threatened by the hybrid and GM varieties.

BANGALORE: Fancy purple coloured capsicum in mini sizes to toss in your rainbow salad? And tomatoes can come in black, green or yellow, adding that extra dash to your dining table thanks to an initiative by the Horticulture Department.

At a time when the hybrid and genetically modified (GM) seeds have monopolised the farming sector, the department is trying to promote open pollinated vegetable seeds (traditional seeds) among the horticulture crops producers.

“These varieties were always available in nature but threatened by the hybrid and GM varieties. Over two seasons, traditional seeds have been evaluated for adaptability, and we are recommending them mainly to organic groups,” M. Vishwanath, Deputy Director of the department’s Bio Centre at Hulimavu, told The Hindu.

“The biggest advantage for the farmers is that they can produce the seeds themselves depending on their need, which, in turn, would reduce their dependence on the seed manufacturing companies,” he said.

Among the open pollinated vegetable seeds to be made available include capsicums, tomatoes, pumpkin, cucumber, bitter gourd (hagal kayi), sponge or bottle gourd (sore kayi) and ridge gourd (hire kayi). It is learnt that the centre has collected at least 20 varieties each of tomatoes and capsicum.

The department has used the seed production technology developed by the Puducherry-based Auroville Foundation. It has transferred the technology to the Tibetan settlement near Kollegal free of cost, and farmers have successfully cultivated the open pollinated seeds. The open pollinated vegetable seeds have the capacity to adapt to local conditions and they are relatively free from the pest. The nutritional value of the vegetables is also high, he added.

He said: “Though the traditional seed varieties were in demand, their cultivation had been affected as supply came down drastically. While the crop yield from traditional seeds might come down by 10 per cent, the cost of input is far less than that is applied to a hybrid or GM variety.”

To enable further research and production of seeds, the centre is also setting up seed infrastructure facility, including a laboratory for testing, under the National Horticulture Mission, he added.

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