Experts deliberate on rice, maize improvement programmes

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 28

A special meeting was held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) to review and re-orient rice and maize improvement programmes in light of paddy straw management, crop diversification and water saving.

The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice Chancellor, PAU, was attended by Navtej Bains, director of research; JS Mahal, director of extension education; KS Thind, additional director of research (crop improvement); GS Mangat, head, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics; and faculty of rice and maize sections of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics.

It was decided during the meeting that the rice breeding programme would stop working on the varieties of long duration and would rather focus on medium maturity duration (110 days) (post-transplanting duration). Also, the seed production of PR 122 (which takes 117 days to mature) would be stopped from 2020. More emphasis would be laid on breeding varieties suitable for direct seeding (DSR).

In view of spread of basmati cultivation from the traditional zone to new areas, where manual harvesting is not practiced, it was decided to promote cultivation of shorter duration Pusa basmati 1509 rather than long duration Pusa basmati 1121. PAU is in the process of developing new strains of basmati which matures a week earlier than Pusa basmati 1121. These are at the final stage of testing and if found suitable, multiplication and release will be accelerated. PAU will also actively pursue the deregisteration of Pusa 44, the longest duration variety of rice (130 days, post transplanting).

Diversification away from rice is urgently required in the present situation, for which important steps that need to be taken for strengthening maize were discussed during the meeting. The maize breeding work at PAU was sought to be strengthened by provision of two additional posts (Maize Breeding) for strengthening research on long duration hybrids and speciality (pop, sweet, baby, waxy, high oil) maize each, and one post for research on precision agronomy at main campus at Ludhiana by diverting positions from other crops.

The maize research team will also associate scientists from Farm Engineering departments to provide improved farm mechanisation and processing technologies. Likewise, one scientist each at Regional Research Stations at Gurdaspur and Ballowal Saunkhri will be associated with maize as their priority area of research.

During the meeting, it was also decided to work with farmers for implementation of improved package of maize cultivation practices aimed at narrowing the gap in economic returns vis-à-vis rice. Interventions will include quality seeds and precise sowing with pneumatic planters) to ensure optimal plant followed by effective pest management to ensure higher yield.