India’s first F1 hybrid basmati rice, and two other improved varieties, have been released by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).
According to a report in the Times of India, the new rice varieties improve upon IARI’s popular Pusa Basmati 1 with better grain quality and higher yield potential.
Panjab Singh, director of IARI, commented that the RH-10 rice variety, cleared by the varietal release committee, can yield up to 45% more than Pusa Basmati 1. It has a yield potential of 7 tons/hectare, and an average yield of 5 tons.
Singh revealed that two other improved basmati rice varieties are being developed for regions such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttaranchal. Pusa Sugandh 2 and Pusa Sugandh 3 both yield between 11-17% more than Pusa Basmati 1 and are also more disease-resistant.
