Status, changing landscape and farmers’ criteria for the continuity of paddy (Oryza sativa) landraces in the upland ecosystem of Jharkhand, India: A conservation perspective

• Published in: Genetic resources and crop evolution 2023-12, Vol.70 (8), p.2773-2783
• Main Authors: Kumari, Neetu, Choudhary, Shashi Bhushan, Amrapali, Shephalika, Jha, Basant Kumar, Sharma, Hariom Kumar, Kumar, Chandra Bhushan, Singh, Onkar Nath
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Altitude; Aluminum; Aversion; Bioaccumulation; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Climatic conditions; Complementarity; Criteria; ecosystems; Environmental conditions; evolution; Farmers; genetic erosion; Geographic information systems; Geography; highlands; India; landraces; Landscape; landscapes; Life Sciences; livelihood; Lowlands; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Oryza sativa; paddies; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Research Article; Rice; risk; Risk aversion; Software; Soil chemistry; Soil pH; Soil properties; Soil texture; Soils; Texture
• ISSN: 0925-9864; 1573-5109
• DOI: 10.1007/s10722-023-01605-9

The present study involved paddy landraces naturalized widely across Jharkhand, India, at an altitude range of 6 (Sahibganj) to 768 (Garhwa) metres above sea level. They naturalized across diverse niche areas, including flat to sloped uplands, lowlands, rivulet edges, pond/dam basins, swampy regions with varying altitudes, and broad edaphic ranges. The high number of paddy landraces collected from the Central and North-Eastern Plateau (CNEP) sub-zone was well supported by the complementarity analysis. Landraces from iron- and aluminium- (West and East Singhbhum) and mica- (Giridih and Koderma) rich regions are a potential source of extraordinary mineral tolerance and bioaccumulation. These ecologically stressful habitats owing to limitations in soil pH, soil texture, and other factors are considered potential sites for the evolution of unique traditional varieties. However, the resource base was critically genetically eroded from 2005 to 2021, particularly in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Chatra, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Koderma, Deoghar, and Palamu. The CNEP sub-zone witnessed the most genetic erosion of landraces. At the same time, the continued cultivation of landraces in the steeper landscape of both the Western Plateau and South Eastern Plateau sub-zones underscored their value in risk aversion under challenging environmental conditions. Selection criteria analysis of continued paddy landraces demonstrated farmers’ preference for functional traits that influence livelihood security in the local context. These traits are vital for mainstreaming registered landraces into the production chain under changed climatic conditions.