BAU scientists develop 4 new climate-resilient rice varieties
Bhagalpur: In a bid to make Bhagalpur and Bihar the rice bowl of India, scientists at Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) have developed four new high-yielding, disease-resistant and climate-friendly rice varieties.
The newly developed varieties – Sabour Katarni Dhan-1, Sabour Samba Dhan, Sabour Vibhuti Dhan and Sabour Shri Sub-1 – were released by BAU and recommended to the State Varietal Release Committee (SVRC) for evaluation. "They will then be referred to the Central Varietal Release Committee (CVRC) and Central Seed Committee (CSC) under The Seeds Act, 1966, for national-level recommendation," said BAU vice-chancellor D R Singh on Sunday.
Praising the efforts of BAU scientists, he said, "Sabour Katarni Dhan-1, developed by Mankesh Kumar and team, is a high-yielding, non-lodging, early-maturing variety with one-and-a-half times more yield than existing types. Its seeds will soon be mass-produced for farmers in Bhagalpur."
On 'Sabour Samba Dhan', developed by Prakash Singh's team, he said, "It has medium-long grains and high productivity. It can serve as an alternative to the Bapatla variety and will be demonstrated across 100 acres of farmland."
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'Sabour Shri Sub-1', an improved flood-tolerant variety by Shweta Sinha's team, "can survive 14 days in waterlogged conditions, yielding 30–35 quintals per hectare in such scenarios and 50–55 quintals normally," the VC added.
The fourth, 'Sabour Vibhuti Dhan', developed by Amarendra Kumar's team, is "tolerant to bacterial leaf blight and offers high yield through gene pyramiding," he said.
The VC added that the BAU research council has approved all four varieties and efforts are being made to ensure large-scale demonstration, packaging and distribution to farmers, including during the current rainy season.
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