India Develops New Pusa Basmati Rice Variety

Indian scientists have developed a new basmati (fragrant) rice variety in the Pusa line that has yields of around 6.5 tons per hectare, up about 44% from 4.5 tons per hectare yield of the popular Pusa 1121 variety.

The new variety, Pusa Basmati 1509, developed by scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), will be the second basmati rice variety introduced since the release of Pusa 1121. According to scientists, the new variety takes just 120 days to mature; compared to Pusa 1121’s 145 days, requires less water and has better cooking quality than Pusa 1121, claim scientists. Importantly, unlike Pusa 1121, Pusa 1509 does not shatter due to delay in harvesting.

The field trials of Pusa Basmati 1509 were carried out in October this year and the commercial cultivation is expected to commence in the next Kharif season (July to October), according to IARI.

The Pusa 1121 basmati rice variety was released for commercial cultivation by Indian scientists in 2003. Pusa 1121 is known for its extraordinary length of up to 9.5 mm and unique fragrance, and has since become hugely popular both among farmers and exporters. Today, the Pusa 1121 accounts for almost 60% of around 2.6 million hectares of total acreage under basmati rice cultivation in India, and about 70% of around 3.2 million tons of basmati rice exports.

Source: http://oryza.com