Basmati 1718 seed a hit among farmers
Sameer Singh
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, March 1
Farmers in large numbers purchased the recently introduced PUSA basmati 1718 seed at Kisan Mela held at the Punjab Agricultural University regional centre here on Friday.
Agriculture experts said the new genetically modified seed was resistant to bacterial leaf blight (disease causing uneven growth and withering of plant) and owing to a shorter length, it prevented flattening of crop during rain, hailstorm or strong winds.
A group of eight farmers from Burj Dhilwan village were sitting in a Mahindra pick-up with sacks of the PUSA basmati 1718 seed were heading towards their home after purchasing them. Each farmer had bought 4 to 8 kg of the new seed. The counter was just close to their jeep where considerably many farmers were waiting in a queue to purchase the new basmati seed.
Jarnail Singh, a farmer, said, “Owing to bacterial leaf blight (jhanda rog), the yield of paddy was not satisfactory as a sizeable portion of the crop used to get damaged due to the disease. Through awareness drives, Agriculture Department officials informed farmers that the of seed of a new basmati variety will be launched in the state ahead of the next paddy season which will not only protect the paddy crop from the disease, but also prevent it from flattening during rain and hailstorm owing to its comparatively shorter length.”
Talking to Bathinda Tribune, Dr Tarsem Singh Dhillon, Director Seeds, PAU, Ludhiana, said, “The PUSA Basmati 1718 rice seed has been launched in the state for the first time. We have been conducting tests of the seed for sometime at the PAU. It is a genetically modified rice seed of the PUSA 1121 basmati variety which now has additional genes to counter the disease. A total of 17 quintals (1,700 kg) of basmati 1718 seed was bought by farmers at the fair on Friday.”
Dr Dhillon added, “The yield of the new seed is also comparatively higher than the existing breeds of the basmati rice seed. Ripening of the seed also take lesser time than other seed varieties (approx 144). Since, this is the launching year for the 1718 basmati seed, we have decided to sell a fixed quantity and if results are satisfactory, we will replicate it on a larger scale in the coming years.”
On an average, the yield from 8 kg of the 1718 basmati seed is 17-18 quintals of paddy sown in the one acre area as compare to PUSA 1121 basmati seed that yield 14 quintal of paddy from same area.
