Flood Resistant Paddy: Assam | 13 Jul 2020

Why in News

Recently, farmers from Golaghat district in Assam have cultivated new flood resistant paddy varieties to shift from the traditional ones.

• The varieties called Ranjit Sub1, Swarna Sub1 and Bahadur Sub1 have been used by about 60% farmers of the West Brahmaputra area.

Key Points

• Farmers in flood-prone areas of Assam have been harvesting the water-resistant Swarna Sub1, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Manila-based International Rice Research Institute, since 2009.
• But the switchover from traditional varieties of paddy has been slow.
  
  • The flood-resistant varieties including Ranjit Sub-1 were reintroduced in 2018.
• Significance:
  
  • Resist Submergence: The new rice varieties can resist submergence for up to two weeks, and significantly do not get damaged by the heavy flood.
    
    • However, comparison with the traditional varieties is difficult as they get damaged in the flood.
  • Greater Yield: Enriched with the ‘submergence’ (sub in short) gene, the varieties can yield up to five tonnes per hectare on an average.
  • Reduction in Crop Loss: Some 1,500 farmers cultivate on about 950 hectares in crop-yielding areas which have been impacted by the regular flood. Therefore, rice varieties can reduce flood-caused crop loss substantially.
  • Regeneration: These varieties can get regenerated again in case damaged by the flood, hence ensure maximum productivity.

Source: TH