| Abstract |
The contribution of modern varieties of the three major cereal crops.(rice, wheat, and maize) in the post-Green Revolution period, especially during the past decade or so, is reviewed in light of recent changes in the technical, economic, and institutional environment in whic:h agricultural development strategies are being framed. Particular emphasis is given to the interactions of MVs with input intensification, input efficiency, and sustainability. Modern varieties have made important contributions toward a sustainable agriculture, both indirectly, through the adoption of land-saVing technologies, and directly, through the more efficient use of external inputs and the increased sk'lbility of production in many postGreen Revolution areas. There are additional opportunities for MVs to Abstract promote greater nutrient use efficiency and to complement the adoption of sustainable practices, such as conservation tillage. Hybrids and the new tools of biotechnology will not lead to a sharp departure from the stead progress in genetic gains achieved over the past two decades through conventional breeding, but the new biotechnologies promise to enhance pest resistance and yield stability of MVs, and thus will contribute toward a more sustainable agriculture. Economic and institutional issues in restructuring plant breeding programs for the most efficient use of resources, in both the public and private sectors at the national and international level, are reviewed. Three trends suggest a need to consolidate plant breeding programs and analyze the comparative advantage of international and national agricultural research programs at different stages of development in various kinds of research: 1) growing evidence that some biological technologies are internationally transferable and that there are significant economies of size in plant breeding; 2) growing scarcity of resources for agricultural research in both NARSs and lARCs; and 3) growing demands on agricultural researchers to address environmental issues. Outside the ommercial agricultural areas of developing countries, the public sector will retain a leading role in plant breeding research and the activities that support it, including biotechnology. Nonetheless, there are opportunities for greater complementarities between private and public sector research that can contribute to more efficient use of research resources in the future. |
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