Page 48 - Abhivruddhi

between 1996-2015 GM crops increased global production by 350 plus
million tons corn, 180 million tons soybean, and 25 million tons cotton.
Moreover, because of higher productivity land required for agriculture is
also reduced. In Brazil, nilgiri (Eucalyptus) is the only GM crop designed
using a gene from Arabidopsis plant for higher yield (20% more wood)
and to reduce maturity time (from 7 to 5.5 years). Two crops, rice and
wheat, have already reached to the peak of their productivity and yield.
Such GM technology might be useful to increase yield further to feed
the increasing population. However, everything depends on decision
makers, government and the regulatory frameworks of the country and
most importantly acceptance by the agriculture community and common
people too (Norero, 2018).

Future approaches
The scientists are working on different concepts which in a long run
will be useful to reduce down the inputs in agriculture field and increase
the yield of the produce too.
Disease suppressive soils. Over the last few years there has been
increasing interest of scientific community as well as of the growers in the
concept “soil health”. Basically, it is with respect to the organic C and N,
respiration, biological and microbial activity. In other words, is soil health
somehow related with disease free soil? There is a conceptual difference
between disease-free and disease-suppressive soils. To avoid emergence of
new pathogens in the agriculture field usually making disease free soil for
a specific crop is not advisable. The disease suppression allows pathogen
also to survive but not proliferate extensively. As a result, it does not allow
other organisms to enter in the crop system as a pathogen. The natural
microorganism- based plant defense mechanism is observed in disease
suppressive soils. The plant roots stimulate, enrich and support soil
microorganisms as the first line of defense against soilborne pathogens.
This can have positive impact on the crop yield. One can also use a cocktail
of different insect and fungal pathogenic bacteria and fungi to enrich the
soil as disease suppressive soil. In a long run these soils will be useful to
reduce the inputs to control the soil pathogens which affect the yield of
produce significantly.
Crop bodyguards. It has been seen that number of plants support
growth of different microorganisms which reside in the plant itself and
contribute to the plant defense and growth. If the organisms pathogenic
to pest and plant pathogens can be established in the crop plant, then

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