India - New Rice Varieties Developed

A new drought tolerant rice culture has been developed by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), capable of yielding 3.7 MT per hectare and suitable for rainfed areas of Ramanathapuram and sivaganga districts of Tamil Nadu. This culture has been developed by combining conventional and molecular breeding methods following a novel participatory research approach by involving farmers.

Addressing the concluding session of a three-day annual research meet on rice here last evening,  Dr T S Raveendran, Director, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, TNAU, said a new 'seed fortification' technology has been developed for value added seeds in rice, capable of increasing germination and vigour.

The need to pursue research on using drip fertigation technology for hybrid rice cultivation and developing organic rice farming practices. Super psuedomonas has been developed by TNAU, which is capable of giving enhanced protection against pests and is currently undergoing trials in farmers fields. About 150 scientists involved in rice research attended the meet in order to assess the status of rice research and to finalise an action plan for the coming year.