India develops salt-tolerant hybrid organic rice variety.
Currently, rice farmers in the saline water areas of the northern districts of the states, especially Kathmandu, can grow new salt-tolerant organic rice varieties developed under the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) organic crop breeding program in Pilikkode, Kashmir, India.
This new hybrid organic rice variety, named Ezhome-4, is the only one transferred for cultivation in the current saline ecological zone of the northern region, particularly the Kattampally area. It is one of two hybrid organic rice varieties recently transferred commercially by RARS, part of The Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). According to RARS scientists, Ezhome-4 is the result of a series of breeding programs since 2002. They believe this new variety is perfectly suited to the naturally saline-prone Kaipad area, as well as other non-saline wetlands.
Indian breeders report that these hybrid organic rice varieties yield high productivity in both the Kaipad and Kattampally regions. Average yields are around 5.1 tonnes/ha in the moderately saline Kaipad organic ecological zone (this is very high considering the average rice yield across India is very low at only 3.59 tonnes/ha; while in Vietnam it is 5.53 tonnes/ha according to FAOSTAT, 2011, updated July 2015). Average straw yield is 10 tonnes/ha. Another new organic rice variety, named “Jaiva”, is suitable for normal, non-saline wetlands.
According to Dr. Vanaja (one of the breeders of these organic hybrid rice varieties), the organic rice varieties were first introduced at an international conference on organic farming systems when a paper on them was presented. She said that the paper was also published in the International Journal of Organic Agriculture in 2013.
The "Jaiva" hybrid rice variety is also the result of breeding programs conducted 13 years ago and has been successfully tested in field trials by farmers. The average rice yield of this variety is 5.2 tons/ha and straw production reaches 9 tons/ha under completely organic farming conditions.
Reportedly, studies on these two new varieties lasted for 13 years and were conducted at the RARS Research Station and at the Panniyur Research Station.
According to the National Agricultural Extension Center
