Govt releases 3 new crop varieties developed by BHU

Varanasi: Three crop varieties developed by Banaras Hindu University (BHU) were simultaneously released/notified on May 13 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Govt of India, New Delhi, for the farmers of Uttar Pradesh.

These include two varieties of rice and one variety of mustard. Seeds of two varieties will be available from next year while the seeds of rice variety Malaviya Manila Sinchit Dhan-1 are already available in the market.

Malaviya Manila Sinchit Dhan-1 was developed jointly by BHU and IRRI, led by Prof Shravan Kumar Singh, head of the department of Genetics and Plant Breeding.

"This variety matures in a short period (115 to 120 days) and provides a very high yield of 55 to 60 quintals per hectare. The grains are long and slender, with a pleasant and slightly sweet taste when cooked," Singh said.

The Malviya Dhan 105 Sub-1 rice variety is an improved version of the earlier Malviya Dhan 105, developed by Prof PK Singh and his team. It was developed by incorporating the Sub-1 gene, which enables the plants to survive in water submergence conditions for 14 to 15 days. Therefore, this variety is well-suited for flood-prone areas. Its average yield is 42 to 46 quintals per hectare, and it has a mild aroma.

The mustard variety Malviya Nidhi was developed under the leadership of Prof K Srivastava. This variety matures in 125 to 130 days and has an average yield of 20 quintals per hectare. The seeds are bold and black in colour, with an average oil content of 39.4%.

Prof Singh said "BHU is continuously striving for the well-being of farmers. The development of new varieties of major crops is an ongoing process. It typically takes about 12 to 15 years to develop a new crop variety. Considering the future impact of climate change, new varieties are expected to be developed by BHU more rapidly in the coming years."