Bayer BioScience, an arm of multi-national agriculture science company Bayer CropScience, has joined the bandwagon of seed firms that are rolling out rice hybrids. The company launched Arize 6444 Gold, a rice hybrid.
This seed would offer protection from BLB or bacterial leaf blight disease that causes yield losses in the range of 20-60 per cent annually, the company said here in a press release.
“It is a major breakthrough. In India, BLB affects 6-7 million hectares annually and causes losses to the tune of six million tonnes. The disease can afflict the rice plant in any of its growing stages and cause visible wilting of seedlings, yellowing and drying of leaves,” it said.