Nepali farmers will get three new improved varieties of paddy seeds that are tolerant to extreme climatic changes stress like drought, flooding or submergence by July this year.
The Seed Varieties Release, Approval and Registration Sub-committee of the National Seed Board approved the new seed varieties—Sukhha Dhan 4, Sukhha Dhan 5 and Sukhha Dhan 6—on August 26, and it is in the process of getting final approval from the board.
These varieties, which can survive under stress and retain desirable grain qualities that can create positive impacts on the lives of farmers, are likely to be released for farmers by June, government officials said.
These are the improved breeds of Sukhha Dhan 1, Sukhha Dhan 2 and Sukhha Dhan 3 released in 2011.
These new varieties, also known as “climate change-ready rice”, can tolerate dro-ught for up to one-and-a-half months or the plant can grow under water-deficiency stresses. They have been recommended for the Tarai, inner Tarai and river basin areas.
“Among these three, Sukhha 6 has the ability to re-grow even two week after submergence,” said Bhaba Prasad Tripathi, senior associate scientist at Nepal office of Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
It has an average yield of 4-4.5 tonnes per hectare, and under a good irrigation condition, the output can go up to 5.5 tonnes per hectare on an average, said Tripathi.
The plant stands 125cm tall and the maturity period is 120-125 days.
With the sub-committee’s approval, Nepal has become the first country to release these varieties in the world after conducting a successful test in multiple locations across the country for the last three years. India and Bangladesh are also conducting tests and are in the process of releasing these varieties.
According to Tripathi, the new varieties, which possess “Sub1A” gene, make the plant dormant during submergence and allows it to conserve energy until floodwaters recede. Paddy plants with “Sub1A” gene can survive more than two weeks of complete submergence. “The plant recovers well from drought by growing new shoots,” Tripathi said.
The varieties are the results of breeding efforts of IRRI and Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). The project was undertaken under the support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Tripathi said they have recommended the government to grow more seeds of these varieties during Chaite (April-May) season to produce enough seeds for the main season (May-June).
According to Dila Ram Bhandari, chief of Seeds Quality Control Centre, after the sub-committee’s approval, the proposal will be sent to
the National Seed Board for final approval, following which the proposed varieties will be published in the Nepal Gazette.
“The seeds will then be recommended for farmers for official use,” said Bhandari, adding there are a number of legal procedures ahead, but the centre is committed to fast-track all technical processes so that the seeds are released on time.
Since 1966, Nepal has released and registered 74 varieties of paddy seeds (57 released and 17 registered). Of them, 18 are of the IRRI origin.
In 2011, six rice varieties—Sambha Masuli Sub-1, Swarna Sub-1, Barkhe-2014 and Sukhha Dhan 1, 2 and 3—from IRRI were released, while there were 15 varieties registered in the same period.
Paddy output is projected to grow 12 percent to 5.047 million tonnes this fiscal year due to adequate rainfall. Paddy is grown on 1.48 million hectares, while productivity stands at 3.3 tonnes per hectare.
Source
The Seed Varieties Release, Approval and Registration Sub-committee of the National Seed Board approved the new seed varieties—Sukhha Dhan 4, Sukhha Dhan 5 and Sukhha Dhan 6—on August 26, and it is in the process of getting final approval from the board.
These varieties, which can survive under stress and retain desirable grain qualities that can create positive impacts on the lives of farmers, are likely to be released for farmers by June, government officials said.
These are the improved breeds of Sukhha Dhan 1, Sukhha Dhan 2 and Sukhha Dhan 3 released in 2011.
These new varieties, also known as “climate change-ready rice”, can tolerate dro-ught for up to one-and-a-half months or the plant can grow under water-deficiency stresses. They have been recommended for the Tarai, inner Tarai and river basin areas.
“Among these three, Sukhha 6 has the ability to re-grow even two week after submergence,” said Bhaba Prasad Tripathi, senior associate scientist at Nepal office of Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
It has an average yield of 4-4.5 tonnes per hectare, and under a good irrigation condition, the output can go up to 5.5 tonnes per hectare on an average, said Tripathi.
The plant stands 125cm tall and the maturity period is 120-125 days.
With the sub-committee’s approval, Nepal has become the first country to release these varieties in the world after conducting a successful test in multiple locations across the country for the last three years. India and Bangladesh are also conducting tests and are in the process of releasing these varieties.
According to Tripathi, the new varieties, which possess “Sub1A” gene, make the plant dormant during submergence and allows it to conserve energy until floodwaters recede. Paddy plants with “Sub1A” gene can survive more than two weeks of complete submergence. “The plant recovers well from drought by growing new shoots,” Tripathi said.
The varieties are the results of breeding efforts of IRRI and Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). The project was undertaken under the support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Tripathi said they have recommended the government to grow more seeds of these varieties during Chaite (April-May) season to produce enough seeds for the main season (May-June).
According to Dila Ram Bhandari, chief of Seeds Quality Control Centre, after the sub-committee’s approval, the proposal will be sent to
the National Seed Board for final approval, following which the proposed varieties will be published in the Nepal Gazette.
“The seeds will then be recommended for farmers for official use,” said Bhandari, adding there are a number of legal procedures ahead, but the centre is committed to fast-track all technical processes so that the seeds are released on time.
Since 1966, Nepal has released and registered 74 varieties of paddy seeds (57 released and 17 registered). Of them, 18 are of the IRRI origin.
In 2011, six rice varieties—Sambha Masuli Sub-1, Swarna Sub-1, Barkhe-2014 and Sukhha Dhan 1, 2 and 3—from IRRI were released, while there were 15 varieties registered in the same period.
Paddy output is projected to grow 12 percent to 5.047 million tonnes this fiscal year due to adequate rainfall. Paddy is grown on 1.48 million hectares, while productivity stands at 3.3 tonnes per hectare.
Source
0 comments:
Post a Comment