Biofortified wheat varieties developed by Karnal institute among top choices

Karnal, October 11

Advertisement

Biofortified wheat varieties DBW-303, DBW-327 and DBW-332, developed by the scientists of ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (ICAR-IIWBR), Karnal, are in demand among farmers and seed growers of the region.

Around 20,000 farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have registered for various wheat varieties for the upcoming season.

Of them, the maximum farmers have chosen these varieties. Several farmers have also booked multiple varieties. Besides, farmers had also booked DBW-187 and DBW-222, said Dr CN Mishra, senior scientist, crop improvement division of ICAR-IIWBR.

The DBW-327 and DBW-332 varieties were released recently, while the DBW-303 variety was released in 2021.

“We got good response from farmers. They showed interest in these varieties by getting themselves registered on the portal, which was open for only five days,” he added.

The director said the DBW-187 variety was also a biofortified variety with higher iron content and could be grown in any wheat growing reason. “The DBW-222 variety is a lodging tolerant variety and suitable for northern plain regions having an average yield of 61 quintals per hectare in timely sown conditions,” the director added.

“We will distribute the booked seed to farmers from October 14 to 21 except for holidays on October 15 and 16. Seed will be distributed district-wise. Farmers have been informed about their schedule for collecting seed,” said the director.