The Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) varietal identification committee (VIC) has chosen three maize hybrids created by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) for nationwide distribution. At the 68th annual meeting of the All India Coordinated Research Programme (AICRP) on maize, which was recently conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, the decision was reached under the direction of Dr. D.K. Yadava, deputy director general (crop sciences), ICAR. PMH 18, PMH 19, and Punjab Baby Corn 3 are among the authorized hybrids
Four of the five AICRP maize zones—Zones I, III, IV, and V—which include a wide variety of states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand (Hills), the North Eastern Hill Region, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh—have authorized the release of Punjab Baby Corn 3 (JH 32484). Compared to current kinds, this hybrid had a baby corn yield that was up to 36.69 per cent higher.
Developed for the Kharif season, PMH 18 (JH 20088) is a medium-maturing hybrid that has been selected for release in the Central Western Zone (CWZ), which comprises Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. It outperformed the current tests BIO 9544, CMH08-292, and LG 34.05 by 9.6 per cent, 11.08 per cent, and 14.4 per cent, respectively, with an average grain yield of 8,068 kg/ha.
The medium-maturing hybrid PMH 19 (JH 18056), created for the spring maize season, has been selected for distribution in the North-Western Plains Zone (NWPZ), which includes the plains of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Western Uttar Pradesh. It showed a yield advantage of 17.1 per cent over DHM 117 and 6.4 per cent over BIO 9544, with an average yield of 10,441 kg/ha.
“The simultaneous identification of three PAU maize hybrids in a single meet is a prestigious honor for the university and a testament to the strength of our maize research program,” said Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal, PAU’s vice-chancellor, who expressed his joy at the accomplishment. He also acknowledged the diligent efforts of the committed group of maize researchers.
Dr. AS Dhatt, PAU’s Director of Research, and Dr. GS Mangat, Additional Director of Research, further celebrated the achievement. For their vital contributions, Dr. Surinder Sandhu, who oversees the maize research activities, and her group of experts received special appreciation. Farmers in India’s many agroclimatic zones stand to gain from this development, which is expected to increase maize production.
