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The Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (AN- GRAU) has released a few varieties of rice that are suitable for Andhra Pradesh.
How many rice varieties are there in India ?
We know that 200,000 varieties of rice are present in India. Rice has been our mainstay for thousands of years. The diversity of rice in India is among the richest in the world. Basmati rice is distinctive for its unique aroma and 27 recorded varieties are grown in India.
Today’s News :
The varieties are MTU 1271, BPT 2846, ВРТ 2841 and NLR 3238. The ANGRAU has kept the foundation seed of most sought-after varieties, and those varieties that are suitable for soil conditions and withstand pests.
When contacted, AN- GRAU Principal Scientist T. Srinivas said that MTU 1271 variety was developed as an alternative to BPT 5204, which is popularly known as ‘Samba Mahsuri’.
The MTU 1271 is a high-yielding variety, non-logging, semi- dwarf, and the crop duration is 140 days. The variety is suitable for Kadapa, Kurnool, Chittoor, Tirupati, Nandyal and coastal districts such as Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Vizianagaram. The MTU 1271 yields 2.8 to 3 tonnes per acre on an average, he said.
The BPT 2846 variety is also another alternative to the Samba Mahsuri. It yields two tonnes per acre on average. The BPT 2841 duration is 130-135 days. It yields 2.4 tonnes per acre. A single polish rice is likely to fetch ₹200 per kg on digital marketing. It is suitable for all places. A new variety of paddy, NLR-3238, developed by scientists at Agriculture Research Station, Nellore, is yielding good results on par with the popular variety BPT 5204.
As per the action plan for 2024 Kharif, 24 types of crops are part of the action plan, while paddy would be a major crop as it is esti- mated to be cultivated in 15.12 lakh hectares against the total crop coverage.