Previous Year Question
In the context of the Green Revolution, what are HYV seeds, which are also called “miracle seeds”?
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
HYV stands for High Yielding Variety. During the Green Revolution, these seeds were used to achieve a rapid increase in food-grain production. According to NCERT, the large increase in food-grain production associated with India's Green Revolution was primarily based on High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, especially for wheat and rice.
To realise the higher production potential of HYV seeds, seeds alone were not sufficient. They required appropriate quantities of fertilisers and pesticides along with regular and reliable irrigation. Thus, Green Revolution technology was actually based on the combined use of HYV seeds with other modern agricultural inputs.
During the first phase of the Green Revolution, approximately from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, HYV technology was concentrated mainly in better-irrigated and relatively prosperous states, and initially benefited wheat growing regions in particular. In the later phase, the technology spread to more states and a wider variety of crops.