The Agriculture Department anticipates an increase of over 5,000 hectares (ha) in the total area of kuruvai cultivation in Thanjavur district this year.
Last year, the shutters of Stanley Reservoir were opened only in the middle of August to help samba cultivation. Farmers managed to raise kuruvai crop on about 37,167 ha using groundwater and occasional showers.
This year, with the State government announcing that the shutters of Mettur dam will be lifted on June 12, as scheduled, they have started preparatory works. Transplantation has been carried out in about 13,480 ha already.
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The renewed vigour displayed by farmers — after a gap of nearly eight years — has raised hopes among officials that kuruvai cultivation will be taken up in another 29,745 ha during the season.
Also, 183 tonnes of paddy seed have been procured by farmers and 270 tonnes of seeds have been stocked at agriculture extension centres (AECs). Adequate quantity of fertilizers have also been moved to societies and private shops, official sources said.
Meanwhile, farmers seem content with CO51 paddy though the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai, has come out with a new variety, ADT53.
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While the stock at AECs largely contains CO51, other varieties such as ASB16, ADT42 and ADT37 are also available at the centres with quantities less than 10 tonnes for distribution in case farmers opt for them.
ADT53 is also a short-term variety of 105-110 days and will be suitable for kuruvai/summer crop seasons in the delta region and sornavari and navarai seasons in other districts in the State, TRRI said in a press release.
Further, it is also a contingent samba variety that can be cultivated in the event of any delay in release of water from Mettur beyond October so as to enable harvest before closure of the dam.
Though ADT43, with its yield capacity and quality and special features such as non-lodging with high milling output, and CO51, another high yield variety, still remain the popular choice of farmers, ADT53 has recorded an average yield of about 10% and 14% higher than the other two. Rich in zinc and iron, it has shown resistance to pests such as stem borer and leaf folder and diseases like blast and sheath blight.
The medium slender grain of ADT53 has milling output of 65% with good cooking parameters like soft gel consistency. It is a derivative of ADT43/JGL384 cross and developed through pedigree selection by combining yield as well as grain quality, according to the institute.