Karnal scientists behind barley variant

Parveen Arora

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Tribune News Service

Karnal, August 11

The Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) here took nine years to develop a new barley variety, DWRB-219, which was officially released by PM Narendra Modi, along with 108 other seed varieties, at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi today.

Designed for both irrigated and limited irrigation conditions, scientists claim that the new barley variety will enhance productivity in several regions, particularly the North-Western Plains Zone (NWPZ). The zone includes Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan (excluding Kota and Udaipur divisions), Western UP (except Jhansi division), Jammu and Kathua districts, Paonta valley and Una districts of Himachal Pradesh, and the Terai region of Uttarakhand, said Dr Ratan Tiwari, Director, IIWBR. The average yield of the variety, said Dr Om Vir Singh, incharge of the barley division of the institute, was 54.49 quintals per hectare and took only 132 days to mature. The average yield of other varieties was 50 quintals per hectare and matured in nearly 140 days.

DWRB-219 had superior malt quality and was resistant to rust, a common disease. It was moderately tolerant to lodging and contained a protein content of 11.4 per cent. “This two-row variety is suitable for malt purposes and farmers can get good returns as it promises higher yields, better disease resistance and improved quality,” he said, adding November was the best time to sow it.

“Our principal scientists, including Dr Lokendra Singh, Dr Joginder Singh, Dr Chuni Lal and Dr RPS Verma took nine years to develop this variety,” he added.

Meanwhile, the IIWBR, which is also a nodal centre of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Wheat and Barley at the national level, has recommended the newly released wheat varieties, HI-1665 (known as Pusa Gehun Sharbati) and Pusa Gehun Gaurav HI-8840 developed by the ICAR-IARI Regional Station, Indore.

HI-1665, also known as Pusa Gehun Sharbati, is one such variety with high yield, superior grain quality and can be classified as a biofortified variety. “It can be cultivated in MP, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. It is suitable for timely sown conditions along with restricted irrigation. The average yield is 33 quintals per hectare and matures in 110 days. It is tolerant to heat and drought and is bio-fortified with higher grain zinc content,” said IIWBR Director. Recommended for Maharashtra, Karnataka and plains of Tamil Nadu, HI-8840 had average grain yield of 30.2 quintals per hectare and was resistant to stem and leaf rusts, he added.