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HomePosts Tagged "IARI"
Agro Universities, Foodgrains, India, Seeds

Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985 are the first non-GM herbicide tolerant Basmati rice varieties tolerant to Imazethapyr 10% SL to be released for commercial cultivation in India.

Pusa Institute, New Delhi launched the seed sale of RobiNOweed Basmati Rice Varieties namely, Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985 tolerant to Imazethapyr 10% SL for Direct Seeded Rice cultivation. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, the Director, IARI, New Delhi highlighted that the major concerns in rice cultivation in north- western India include (a) depleting water table (b) labor scarcity for transplanting of rice and (c) the emission of greenhouse gas, methane under transplanted flooded condition. Direct seeded rice can address all these concerns. DSR reduces water usage significantly compared to traditional flooding method due to no continuous flooding, targeted water application, lower percolation losses, and decreased evaporation. Studies suggest DSR can save approximately 33 per cent of the total water requirement making it a sustainable choice, particularly in water scarce regions.

However, weeds are a major problem under DSR which needs to be addressed in order to ensure the success of DSR. In this direction, concerted research at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi has led to the development of two RobiNOweed Basmati rice varieties, Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985 which are the first non-GM herbicide tolerant Basmati rice varieties tolerant to Imazethapyr 10% SL to be released for commercial cultivation in India.

Pusa Basmati 1979

Pusa Basmati 1979 is a MAS derived herbicide tolerant near-isogenic line of Basmati rice variety “PB 1121” possessing mutated AHAS allele governing tolerance to Imazethapyr 10 per cent SL with seed-to-seed maturity of 130-133 days and average yield of 45.77 q/ ha under irrigated transplanted condition across two years of testing in the National Basmati trials.

Pusa Basmati 1985

Pusa Basmati 1985 is a MAS derived herbicide tolerant near-isogenic line of Basmati rice variety “PB 1509” possessing mutated AHAS allele governing Imazethapyr tolerance with seed-to-seed maturity of 115-120 days and average yield of 5.2 t/ha under irrigated transplanted condition across two years of testing in the National Basmati trials.

He elaborated extensively on the package of practices tailored for these two rice varieties when cultivated under Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) method. He stressed the importance of adopting necessary precautions for effective weed management in these crops. Given their tolerance to the broad-spectrum herbicide Imazethapyr 10 per cent SL, these varieties are poised to revolutionize weed control in DSR, thereby streamlining the cost of Basmati rice cultivation. Moreover, these varieties not only reduce the labour-intensive processes associated with weeding but also mitigate the environmental impact of traditional rice cultivation methods. This underscores their potential to contribute significantly to sustainable agriculture practices and the overall well-being of the agricultural ecosystem.

Dr. P.K. Singh, Commissioner of Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, underscored the importance of these varieties and appreciated the contribution of IARI in bringing improvements in the varietal traits targeted towards saving water, increasing yield with better climate resilience.

Dr D.K. Yadav, ADG(Seeds) at ICAR in New Delhi, emphasized the boon these two Basmati rice varieties would represent for farmers in the Basmati GI area. He highlighted the paramount importance of seeds as the primary input for crop cultivation.

Notably, IARI Basmati rice varieties hold a staggering 95 per cent share in the country’s total Basmati rice exports, which amounts to a whopping 51,000 crores. Dr Yadav urged farmers to actively promote these improved varieties to safeguard the food security of the nation. As a tangible step forward, seeds of these varieties were given to four farmers hailing from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. The other interested farmers were provided the seeds of these varieties from SPU on payment basis at a nominal price.

Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985

Company News, Herbicides

Through the ‘Millionaire Farmer of India Award’ the primary objective is to acknowledge, inspire and elevate the profession of farming in India by recognising farmers

Mahindra Tractors, India’s leading tractor brand, celebrates the remarkable achievements of India’s successful farmers through a ground-breaking initiative called the ‘Millionaire Farmer of India Award’. The inaugural edition of the awards held at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi witnessed the esteemed presence of Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road, Transport, and Highway, Government of India, Acharya Devvrat Governor of Gujarat, P Sathasivam – Former Chief Justice of India and Former Governor of Kerala, along with other dignitaries.

Through the ‘Millionaire Farmer of India Award’ the primary objective is to acknowledge, inspire and elevate the profession of farming in India by recognising farmers who through their unwavering efforts and innovative agricultural practices, have not only doubled their farm incomes but have also achieved millionaire status. These farmers have consistently adopted best practices, and integrated technology, attaining record levels of productivity and profitability from their farmlands over the years.

The 3-day event honours over 700 farmers, across 15 categories, at the district, state, and national levels, such as horticulturists, spice farmers, poultry, dairy etc. and includes prominent personalities from India’s agriculture industry. Mahindra also showcased a wide range of cutting-edge tractors and farm mechanisation solutions at the event.

Nitin Gadkari also flagged off the Kisan Bharat Yatra, a special roadshow covering 26,000 kilometres, over 4,000 touchpoints and engaging with over 100,000 millionaire farmers over a year.

Through the ‘Millionaire Farmer of India Award’

Agrotech, Climate, Environment, India, R&D, Sustainability

The company’s Biochar Initiative continues to benefit local farmers while improving air and soil quality

PepsiCo India has extended its Biochar Initiative, a pilot crop residue management program, to the Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana districts of Punjab as a potential solution to address the pressing issue of stubble burning in the northern states of India. This initiative will continue to work with more farmers in Punjab to better manage harvest residue by using furnaces known as retort kilns to produce biochar fertiliser through a process called pyrolysis.

According to Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), stubble burning in Punjab released 6.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gases and particulate matter between September 15 and November 2, 2022. Biochar production and usage have the potential to reduce GHG emissions significantly compared to other forms of disposal such as heaping while improving soil health and water retention.

PepsiCo India’s Biochar Initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Through these efforts, the company also aims to improve the per-hectare crop yields for small and marginal farmers while contributing to global efforts to mitigate climate change.

Speaking about the initiative, Anukool Joshi, Director – Agro at PepsiCo India said, “Enhancing soil function and health using biochar can increase agricultural output and reduce expenses related to nutrient and environmental effects. In comparison to other crop residue management options, our preliminary data has shown increased net benefit to the farmers through the adoption of biochar.”

Today, PepsiCo in India works directly and indirectly with over 27,000 farmers across 14 states, sourcing 100 per cent of the potatoes for its Lay’s brand in India from Indian farmers.

Naginder Singh, an owner of the farm where PepsiCo India commissioned the first retort kiln, highlights the benefits he sees from adopting biochar: “PepsiCo India helped us to set up furnaces to produce biochar. After the biochar is prepared, we spread it into the fields that are ready for cultivation. I would recommend biochar to all farmers. Using it helps our soil and saves our environment from further pollution while reducing the use of chemical fertilisers”.

The company’s Biochar Initiative continues to benefit

Agrotech, India, R&D, Sustainability

The conference will be held from 30th October to 01st November 2023 at NASC Complex, New Delhi.  

The Society for Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology is going to organise the ‘International Conference on Biochemical and Biotechnological Approaches for Crop Improvement’. The conference will be held from 30th October to 01st November 2023 at NASC Complex, New Delhi.  

The Society for Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology organising the conference in collaboration with ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi and ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (NIPB), New Delhi. The conference envisages bringing together international experts and emerging scientists with an interest in the exciting field of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology for crop improvement. 15 July is the last date for registration for the conference.

The conference will be held from 30th

Agro Universities, India, Seeds

 The unit has increased the overall seed production from 4000 quintal to 10,000 quintal to fulfil the gap of farmers demand of seeds.

The newly built “Pusa Seed Sales Counter” at Seed Production Unit of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi was inaugurated in the august presence of Dr. Ashok K. Singh, Director & Vice Chancellor, IARI; Dr D.K. Yadava, Additional Director General (Seeds), ICAR; Dr. R.N. Padaria, Joint Director (Extension), IARI; Dr V. Chinnaswami, Joint Director (Research), IARI and other esteemed dignitaries, scientist and progressive farmers of the country. A farmer centric discussion between farmers and scientists/officials of IARI was also conveyed under the chairmanship of Dr Ashok K. Singh, Director & Vice Chancellor, IARI regarding the issues and future prospects in efficient seed production system during the programme.

Dr Gyanendra Singh, Incharge, Seed Production Unit of IARI welcomed the delegates and informed the gathering about maiden efforts of this unit in increasing the overall seed production from 4000 quintal to 10,000 quintal and fulfilling the gap of farmers demand of seeds. Dr D.K. Yadava, ADG (Seeds), ICAR appreciated the role of IARI in varietal development, maintenance and quality assurance which impacted the Pusa varieties in the country in increasing farmers income and sustainable livelihood.

Need based quality seed production and their timely supply among farmers and faster replacement with newer highly productive varieties are being done by the institute, Dr R.N. Padaria, Joint Director (Extension), IARI said.

Dr V. Chinnaswami, Joint Director (Research), IARI expressed their vision and emphasized to connect FPOs with IARI seed production unit and also to publish success story of seed producing farmers of the country.

At the end of the programme, Dr Ashok K. Singh, Hon’ble Director & Vice Chancellor, IARI appreciated farmers for their continuous association with Seed Production Unit of IARI for quality seed production. He enlightened the audience and visioned above the future strategies of the institute in the area of increasing total seed production, on field / mandi supply of the seeds and online booking of the seeds.

 The unit has increased the overall seed

Agri Genomics, Agro Universities, India, Pulses, R&D, Seeds

It will enhance productivity in the drought-prone areas of Central Zone consisting of Madhya Pradesh, Bundelkhand Area of UP, Chhattisgarh, Southern Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat, where terminal drought is a major problem

ICAR – Indian Agricultural Research Institute,  New Delhi in collaboration with its Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya  Jabalpur, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Gwalior and ICRISAT, Patancheru Hyderabad developed drought hardy and higher yielding chickpea variety ‘Pusa JG 16’ which will enhance productivity in the drought-prone areas of Central Zone consisting of Madhya  Pradesh, Bundelkhand Area of UP, Chhattisgarh, Southern Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat, where terminal drought is a major problem and sometimes leads to 50-100 percent loss of yield.

Pusa JG 16 variety was developed by using genomic-assisted breeding techniques that allowed the precision transfer of drought-tolerant genes from ICC 4958 in the parental variety JG 16. The drought tolerance of this variety was affirmed through national-level testing by the All India Coordinated Research Programme of Chickpea.

AK Singh, Director, ICAR-IARI emphasised that the ‘Pusa JG 16’ variety will be a boon for the farmers of drought-prone areas of Central Zone of the country. He congratulated the breeders and all the partners on this outstanding achievement.

ICAR-IARI Chickpea team led by C Bharadwaj, Principle Scientist in collaboration with Rajeev Varshney and Manish Roorkiwal from ICRISAT, Anita Babbar from JNKVV and Indu Swarup from RVSKVV developed the variety.

Bhardwaj emphasised that besides being highly drought tolerant, this variety is resistant to fusarium wilt and stunt diseases, having short duration maturity (110 days) and a yield potential of >2ton/ha under drought stress conditions over the recurrent parent JG 16 (1.3 ton/ha).

It will enhance productivity in the drought-prone