TNAU develops high-yield paddy variety that is resistant to drought, floods

While Delta farmers have been reeling under crop failure due to drought conditions, a section of farmers have overcome the prevailing situation by cultivating an improved high-yielding version of paddy, which can withstand drought as well as floods, that was developed by the Department of Rice of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore.

TNAU incorporated the Sub-1 gene (submergence- drought tolerant gene) with the traditional CR 1009 (Ponmani) paddy variety in 2015 and was notified by the government of India. The variety yields at least 70 to 80 per cent of the normal yield. TNAU conducted research trials at 54 places and recorded an average yield of 5,759 kg per hectare, while in 15 locations the yield was 6,000 kg per hectare.

“This is an improved version of CR 1009 with Sub 1 gene conferring submergence tolerance at seedling level for 15 days immediately after transplantation and the development was monitored by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines,” said, Dr P Jeyaprakash, Professor and Head, department of Rice, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, TNAU. 

The professor said that the newly developed paddy can withstand 15 days in submerge conditions and can withstand the drought condition with limited moisture condition which is certainly the need of the hour for farmers in the state. The new variant displays moderate resistance to brown spot, blast, brown plant hopper (BPH) and white backed plant hopper (WBPH). 

This long duration variety is suitable for samba season for the long duration rice cultivating tracts of Tamil Nadu which are prone to floods and drought. The variety possesses short bold rice with high milling percentage and head rice recovery. The rice contains high amylose with intermediate gelatinisation temperature and soft gel consistency which is suitable for making idlis, the professor said.

In one such location, around four farmers from Needamangalam in Tiruvarur cultivated the improved version of CR 1009 sub 1 variety in around 50 acres of land on a trial basis and the results were remarkable. “I cultivated the 1009 sub 1 variety in 10 acres of land. The 155-day period paddy had given me 40 gunny bags of rice (each bag contains 60 kg) per acre and the input cost for the paddy was Rs 18,000 per acre which is also less compared to the traditional variety,” S Govindasamy, a farmer from Mannargudi told DTNext.