The University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore is all set to release six new crop varieties, including a hybrid variety of paddy and blast-resistant variety of ragi in the next six months.
Announcing this at a press conference in Bangalore on Wednesday, UAS-B Vice-Chancellor K. Narayana Gowda said the varieties had been developed after several years of research and field trials. Now, clearance had been obtained for releasing these varieties for commercial cultivation in the State.
Researchers interested
Dr. Gowda said the new paddy variety, KRH-4, had already evoked curiosity among researchers in different parts of the country.
Explaining the features of the new varieties, UAS-B Research Director H. Shivanna said KRH-4 paddy would yield 7.8 tonnes a hectare which was 12 per cent higher than the earlier variety of KRH-2. This variety has been recommended for growing in irrigated areas of old Mysore.
Ragi
The KMR-204 variety of ragi, to be released shortly, is blast-resistant and brick red in colour, he said.
Sesame GT-1 variety is known for its high oil-yielding potential that can go up to 54 per cent.
Another proposed variety is pigeon pea (BRG-10-2) that is suitable for late planting, especially in the cases of delayed monsoon.
Other varieties
The other two proposed varieties are vegetable cowpea AV-5 and Fodder Oats OS-6. The Fodder Oats, recommended for cultivation in irrigated areas, has high crude protein content.
