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Indian Council of Agricultural Research develops first hybrid of Indian mustard

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New Delhi, India
August 28, 2008

Source: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

The scientists of National Research Centre on Rapeseed-Mustard, Bharatpur in Rajasthan have developed a hybrid of Indian mustard namely NRC Sankar sarson (NRCHB 506) through heterosis breeding using moricandia cytoplasmic genetic male sterility system.

This is the first mori candia CMS based hybrid of Indian mustard in India and important milestone in Brassica research programme of the country.

The developed hybrid was identified for release primarily for Rajasthan and U.P. states. Dr. K. H. Singh, Senior Scientist and key breeder of this NRC Sankar sarson hybrid, reported that the hybrid had shown superiority for oil yield by a margin of about 26, and 20 per cent over existing popular varieties of the region viz., Maya and Varuna, respectively in 11 trials across 5 states.

The yield recorded in yield evaluation trials was up to 32 q /ha at some of the location. This hybrid is of medium maturity duration of 133 days, medium tall 190 cm and has 40.6 per cent high oil content. It has shown wide adaptability.

Dr. Arvind Kumar, Director of National Research Centre on Rapeseed-Mustard under Indian Council of Agricultural Research informed, the development of hybrid in Indian mustard which is the second most important oilseed crop of the country would help in enhancing the productivity of this crop.

He further added, it would be instrumental in bringing the self sufficiency in the edible oils in country. The hybrid NRC Sankar sarson was identified for release by Varietal Identification Committee chaired by Dr. P. L. Gautam DDG (Crop Science), ICAR during 15th Annual Group Meeting of All India Coordinated Research Project on Rapeseed-Mustard held at OUAT, Bhubaneswar recently.

In the group meeting, another hybrid namely DMH 1 developed by Dhara Vegetable Oil and Food Co. Ltd was also identified for release for Punjab, Haryana and parts of Rajasthan. Besides, Six varieties including four of mustard (B. juncea), LES-1-27 (Low erucic acid) for zone II and III (Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Rajasthan, UP and MP), RB-50 (Rainfed condition), RGN-145 (Late sown conditions) for zone II (Punjab, Haryana and parts of Rajasthan); NRCHB-101 (Late sown conditions) for zone III (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, parts of Rajasthan) and one of B. napus, ONK-1 for zone I (Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir) and one of B. rapa var. yellow sarson, YSH-0401 have also been identified for release.

Rapeseed-Mustard is an important oilseed crop commodity contributing 26.1 and 29.1% respectively to the total oilseed hectarage and production in India. During 2005-06 the productivity of rapeseed-mustard was about 2.3 times i.e. from 483 kg/ha to 1117 kg/ha, as compared to that of 1967-68 with five fold increase in production. There has been a remarkable increase in rapeseed-mustard production and productivity during the last two decades. The area and production under rapeseed-mustard was 6.33 mha and 6.69 mt during 2006-07 with a productivity of 1057 kg/ha.

Bharatpur in Rajasthan based National Research Centre on Rapeseed-Mustard also has under its umbrella, All India Coordinated Research Project-Rapeseed-Mustard with 21 research and 18 verification centres at present across the country.

 

 

 

 

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