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Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai, is in the process of popularising a new rice culture AD 09367 in the Delta region.
The newly-released cultivar is a cross between BPT 5204 – a medium duration fine grain, released by AP Research Station and improved white Ponni. This new variety, farm scientists’ hope, will help replace the existing popular two decade old Samba variety CR 1009.
V Ravi, Director, TRRI, told BusinessLine that efforts were on to popularise the new rice variety which has high tolerance to major pests and diseases, and an yield advantage of 10 per cent over CR 1009.
The new culture, a 155-160 day crop and non-lodging, was tried on 10 farmers’ fields last year. It was extended to 80 farmers’ fields in the districts of Thiruvarur, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam this year.
According to R Suresh, Assistant Professor, Plant Breeding and Genetics, TRRI, AD 09367 is a medium slender grain, more suited for idli rather than table rice, due to its grain size.
The yield during the initial trial period (between 2009 and 2014) is said to be 7,024 kg/ha. The multi location on-farm trial yield at farmers fields was found to be marginally lower at 6,112 kg/ha.
The plant breeder points out that the station trial yield was 11.2 per cent higher than the ruling CR 1009. The height of the crop is around 120 cm, slightly higher than CR 1009, he said.
Stating that there was a need felt among farmers for a new culture, Ravi said, “the ruling CR 1009 was released more than two decades back and the same, though still grown widely in the delta region, had over the years become susceptible to pests such as Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) and Bacterial (Yield) Blight among others. The yield loss due to such pest attack has been reported at over 60 per cent.”
He further explained that CR 1009 was a semi-dry rice variety, suited for cultivation just before the rains in the month of August and ready for harvest around January-February.
Of the total area of around three lakh hectares under Samba rice crop in Delta region, CR 1009 is being raised in the tail-end area of about one lakh hectares, University sources said.
TRRI sources perceive that this area would be replaced with the new rice culture in the next season.
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