The PPT depicts about the biotic and abiotic stresses which are becoming more adverse due to climate change. It breifly discusses about the types of different abiotic and biotic stresses and their impact on agricultural production.

1. Introduction to Breeding for Biotic
and Abiotic stresses
GP-510 Lec-1
Dr. Satyendra
Assistant Professor-cum-Junior Scientist
Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour

2. What is stress?
• When some factors of the environment
interfere with the expression of genotypic
potential
• An external condition that adversely affects
growth, development and/or productivity
• P= G + E +G*E
• Factors of the environment: Biotic and
Abiotic

3. The environment
• Optimal environment:
No interface by any environmental factor
Also called ‘stress free environment’
Ideal that is rarely if ever achieved
Stress free area- difficult to imagine for
commercial cultivation of the crops
• Stress:

5. Productivity losses due to stress
• Loss due to diseases range from 20 to 30 %, in case of
severe infection, total crop may be lost
• Estimated global loss due to insect pests in potential
yields of all crops is ~14%.
• In India losses due to insect pests ranges from 10 to
20 %
• Abiotic stresses reduce average yield of crops by upto
50% (Bray EA 1997)
• In India also 67% of the area is rain-fed and crops in
these areas invariably experience droughts of
different magnitudes
• Annually about 42% of the crop productivity is lost
owing to various abiotic stress factors ( Oerke et.al.,
1994).

8. Climate change induced pest
problems
• Increasing incidence of several species of cereal aphid in
wheat, barley and oats
• Attack of mealy bug (Phenococcus solenopsis), white fly
(Bemisia tabaci) and Spodoptera litura on cotton
• Leaf folder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) and plant hoppers
(Nilaparvata lugens and Sogatella furcifera) have
emerged as major pests of rice
• Shoot fly (Atherigona spp.) and pyrilla are emerging as
important pests of maize and sorghum crops

9. Climate change… contd.
• Stemfly (Ophiomyia phaseoli) and blister beetle Mylabris
spp. have emerged as major pests of pulse crops
• Cabbage caterpillar (Piersis brassicae), tobacco caterpillar
(Spodoptera litura), American bollworm (Helicoverpa
armigera), several species of aphids, whitefly, leafminer,
spider mites and blister beetle are causing increasing
damage in different vegetable crops
• Fruit piercing moth (Eudocoma spp.), mealy bugs and fruit
flies are causing increasing damage to fruit crops

11. Challenge to plant breeders

12. Responding to challenges posed by biotic and
abiotic stresses through crop improvement
• Every new objective added to a breeding programme
almost doubles the magnitude of work
• Unlike past successes (e.g., dwarf varieties), future
increases in productivity potential are not likely to be
accompanied by enhanced inputs
• Genetic improvements need to be accomplished
under demanding time frames
Can routine breeding programmes meet these
challenges ?