NRRI develops nine new paddy varieties

The scientists of National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), here have developed nine new varieties of high yielding paddy suitable for farmers across the country.
CR Dhan 802 (Subhas) at dough stage
CR Dhan 802 (Subhas) at dough stage

CUTTACK: The scientists of National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), here have developed nine new varieties of high yielding paddy suitable for farmers across the country.
Among these, two climate smart varieties CR Dhan 801 and CR Dhan 802 with in-built drought and submergence stresses tolerance are unique and first in rice research, said Dr SK Pradhan, Principal Scientist of the Institute. 

Submergence tolerance quantitative trait loci (QTL), Sub1 and drought yield QTLs, qDTY1.1, qDTY2.1, and qDTY3.1 are stacked in the background of Swarna variety through marker-assisted backcross breeding, said Dr Pradhan.

While CR Dhan 801 has been recommended for cultivation in Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, CR Dhan 802 has been recommended for the farmers of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

As per the suggestion of the last Standing Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, CR Dhan 802 has been christened ‘Subhas’ after Cuttack-born freedom fighter Subhas Bose.
With water becoming a scarce commodity, two other varieties of paddy have been released for water limiting areas. While CR Dhan 204 is for Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, CR Dhan 205 is for Odisha, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. These two varieties are early maturing type and require considerably less water than irrigated rice, said Dr Pradhan.

The Institute has developed three varieties for irrigated ecology. CR Dhan 306 matures in 130-135 days while CR Dhan 309 is a long slender grained type variety with maturity duration of 125 days. CR Dhan 311 is a specialty type of rice containing more protein and zinc in the grain. This variety matures in 125 days, he informed.

The other two newly developed varieties of paddy CR Dhan 510 and CR Dhan 511 which mature in 160 days have been recommended for water logged semi-deep water ecology of Odisha and West Bengal, the Principal Scientist said.

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