PAU develops new ‘Punjab Basmati 7’ variety

Punjab Science & Technology

08-Apr-21

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Aiming at diversification and preservation of depleting underground water table, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has developed a new variety of basmati, ‘Punjab Basmati 7’ for commercial cultivation in the upcoming season in the state.
This variety has been developed by involving the strongly scented traditional basmati variety, ‘Basmati 386’, and the most popular basmati variety, ‘Pusa Basmati 1121’. Being a major export item, the ‘Queen’ of rice, basmati, is making a significant impact on our national economy. During 2019-20, about 44.54 lakh metric tonnes of basmati, amounting to Rs 31,025.87 crore, was exported to different countries”.
‘Punjab Basmati 7’ yielded consistently better than the check varieties in the multi-locational trials. Overall, it has an edge of 11.4 and 6.1 per cent, respectively, over the popular basmati varieties, Pusa Basmati 1121 and Pusa Basmati 1718. It gives an overall yield of 48.58 quintals per hectare (19.4 quintals per acre).
‘Punjab Basmati 7’ matures about one week earlier than the check varieties, Pusa Basmati 1121 and Pusa Basmati 1718, and also has medium height (111 cm).
‘Punjab Basmati 7’ is resistant to all 10 pathotypes of bacterial blight pathogen prevalent in Punjab, while the most popular variety, Pusa Basmati 1121, is susceptible to the disease.
The specific feature of ‘Punjab Basmati 7’ is that like traditional basmati varieties, it possesses a strong aroma. The other characteristics like grain dimensions, milling quality and cooking quality are comparable to the most popular Basmati variety, Pusa Basmati 1121.
In research trials under direct seeded conditions, ‘Punjab Basmati 7’ gave 17.7 per cent higher yield than the check variety, Pusa Basmati 1121, hence it has also been recommended for planting under direct sowing technology to save water.
Qualities such as higher yield, shorter duration, strong aroma and good milling feature make ‘Punjab Basmati 7’ a viable alternative for basmati growers and other stakeholders.