Malviya Manila Sinchit Dhan-1: BHU-IRRI's High-Yield Rice Variety Launching Soon

This early ripening and high-yielding variety is expected to hit the markets in Uttar Pradesh shortly. The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) approved the introduction of this variety during its 58th Annual Rice Group Meeting on May 4 and 5 at Assam Agricultural University Jorhat, Assam.

According to a spokesperson from BHU, this rice variety is the result of 15 years of hard work by Prof Shravan Kumar Singh and his team of BHU scientists, including Jayasudha S, Dhirendra Kumar Singh, Akansha Singh, and IRRI scientists Arvind Kumar and Vikash Kumar Singh.

The Government of Uttar Pradesh's Department of Agriculture has recommended the release of this new variety after three years of testing across the state.

This particular rice variety matures quickly when transplanted and has a plant height of 102 to 110 cm, maturing within 150 to 120 days. It has a greater grain output of 55 to 64 quintals per hectare, and the hulling, milling, and head rice recovery percentage is 79.90, 68.50, and 63.50, respectively.

The rice is classified as Long Fine Grain, with a long grain length of 7.0 mm and a fine width of 2.1 mm. It is also resistant to or tolerant to important diseases and insects like brown spots, bacterial leaf blight, false smut, stem borer, leaf folder, brown planthopper, and gall midge.

This new rice variety is expected to be available for farmers from the 2024 Kharif season, and Prof Singh believes that it will help farmers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha to double their income. With higher grain yield, shorter duration, Long Fine-grain type of premium quality, and other good qualities, this variety is sure to be popular among farmers in the region.

Overall, the introduction of this new rice variety is a significant step towards increasing crop yield and improving the livelihood of farmers. The hard work of BHU and IRRI scientists has paid off in the form of this high-yielding, early-ripening rice variety that is sure to make a positive impact on the farming community.