On September 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate India’s first non-GM (genetically modified) herbicide-tolerant rice cultivars.
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute created the two new rice types, Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985. (IARI).
On the same day, the Prime Minister would dedicate 35 crop varieties with distinctive qualities, including these rice varieties, to the nation via video conferencing at all ICAR Institutes, State and Central Agricultural Universities, and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) in a pan India programme.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate the newly constructed campus of the National Institute of Biotic Stress Management Raipur to the nation during the event, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Both Pusa Basmati in 1979 and 1985 were created, according to the study, by crossing existing popular cultivars with ‘Robin’ (Pusa 1121 and Pusa 1509, respectively). The latter is a mutant line generated from Nagina 22, a drought-tolerant upland rice variety.
S Robin, a rice breeder from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, recognised it for Imazethapyr-tolerance, according to the report. Farmers can spray Imazethapyr, a broad-spectrum herbicide, on the varieties Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985 because they have a mutant acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene.
This eliminates the need for nurseries, where paddy seeds are nurtured into young plants before being removed and transplanted in the main field 25-35 days later.
Paddy transplantation requires a lot of time and water. The seedlings must be transplanted into a field that has been “puddled” or tilled in standing water. The plants are irrigated virtually daily for the first three weeks or so after transplanting to maintain a water depth of 4-5 cm.
When the crop is in the tillering (stem development) stage, farmers continue to water every two to three days for the next four to five weeks. Paddy transplantation normally necessitates around 30 irrigations, each of which consumes about 5 hectare-cm of water (one hectare-cm equals 100,000 litres).
Puddling takes up around 15 hectare-cm on its own. Overall, DSR is expected to use 30% less water, save Rs 3,000 per acre in labour costs, and save 10-15 days due to the lack of nursery preparation.
However, DSR’s effectiveness is contingent on an efficient herbicide solution, such as the development of Imazethapyr-tolerant cultivars.
Imazethapyr, which is effective against a variety of broadleaf, grassy, and sedge weeds, can’t be used on regular paddy since the chemical can’t tell the difference between the crop and the invasive plants.
In rice, the ALS gene codes for an enzyme (protein) that synthesises amino acids for crop development and growth.
The herbicide sprayed on normal rice plants binds to the ALS enzymes, preventing amino acid synthesis. The DNA sequence of the ALS gene in the new basmati cultivars has been changed using ethyl methanesulfonate, a chemical mutation.
As a result, Imazethapyr no longer binds to the ALS enzymes, and amino acid synthesis is unaffected. Plants can now “tolerate” herbicide application, resulting in just weeds being killed.
In response to labour constraints and diminishing water tables, farmers in Punjab and Haryana are already using direct planting of rice (DSR). DSR has been applied to almost 6 lakh of the total 44.3 lakh hectares of rice land in the two states this year.
Also Read: Role Of Telecommunication In Agriculture Production.
