Crop Plant Breeding For World’s Food Supply

Press, Volume C, Issue 29504, 4 May 1961, Page 16

Crop Plant Breeding For World’s Food Supply

The breeding of crop plants with a higher yielding capacity and quality, and greater adaptability and disease resistance was playing an increasingly greater role in improving the world's food resources. Dr. L. Corkill told a meeting of the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society last evening. Dr. Corkill is director of the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in Christchurch. Dr. Corkill said that at least half the world's population was either undernourished or badly nourished. World food was now increasing rather faster than the population, but the rate of increase was not sufficient to approach anywhere near requirements to overcome existing deficiencies and to keep up with the population increase. He said that the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations had estimated that, if allowance was made for bringing the present world diet up to a satisfactory level, the world's production would have to be increased by one-third and the production of milk, meat, eggs and fish doubled. Plant improvement was one of the possible solutions to the problem. Dr. Corkill said. “In Japan rice yields have increased in the last 50 years, from an average of 25401 b an acre to 42401 b. an increase of 67 per cent..” he said. “Over the same period, w heat yields

tn England have increased from 32 to 53 bushels an acre. In New Zealand the increase has been from 28 to 53 bushels, an increase of 89 per cent." Dr. Corkill said that much of the increase came from improved cultural methods and fertiliser application, but that some of it undoubtedly came from the use of highproducing, disease-resisting, and well-adapted varieties of plants. F.A.O. had given the highest priority to rice projects, Dr. Corkill said. "It is considered that yields in Southeast Asian countries could immediately be increased by 15 to 20 per cent., simply by the adoption of Japanese methods.” Dr. Corkill also discussed increases in the yields of wheat, maize, soybeans, and kumaras. ‘‘Plant breeding is a progressive science, and there is every indication that with advances in techniques we will see in the future further spectacular improvements in food plants—in yield, quality, and resistance to diseases and pests,” he said. Dr. Corkill concluded by saying that the issue was not only one of agricultural research in providing for food. “Politics, economics, religion, racial customs and prejudices are all factors which influence and may retard development of freedom from hunger,” he said.