The MACS-Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has developed a high-yielding, pest-resistant variety of soybean. This variety called MACS 1407 is suitable for cultivation in Assam, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and the North-East. Its seeds will be made available to farmers for sowing during the 2022 Kharif season.

In 2019, India produced around 90 million tonnes of soybean, cultivated as oil seeds as well as a cheap source of protein for animal feed and packaged meals. High-yielding, disease resistant varieties can help India find its place among the world’s major producers of soybean. Developed using the conventional cross-breeding techniques, MACS 1407 yields 39 quintals per hectare, making it a high-yielding variety resistant to major pests. Santosh Jaybhay, ARI scientist who led this work, said it showed a 17 per cent increase in yield over the best check variety and 14-19 per cent yield advantage over the qualifying varieties.

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