TIRUCHI
The Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai, has released a new short duration rice variety christened, ADT 53.
“The new variety is of 105-110 days duration, which will suit the requirements of farmers for kuruvai or kodai (summer) seasons in the delta districts and sornavari or navarai seasons in other districts of Tamil Nadu,” said V. Ravi, Director, TRRI.
Dr. Ravi said the variety can also be raised during the samba season in contingency situations when water is released late from Mettur dam and canals get water beyond October.
He described the release of the variety as yet another milestone in the century-old institute in Aduthurai. Though several short duration varieties such as ADT 36, ADT 37, ASD 16, ADT 45 and CO 51 are predominant in kuruvai and kodai seasons in borewell or filter point areas in the delta districts, the ADT 43 variety released in 1998 still remains popular among rice farmers due to its grain quality, millers and consumers, he said.
The release of the new ADT 53 variety is a boon to the farmers as it is superior to the ADT 43 variety in terms of yield and quality. Besides, the new variety is “non-lodging” and has high milling output.
ADT 53 variety is a cross derivative of ADT 43 / JGL 384 and developed through pedigree selection by combining yield as well as grain quality.
The new variety has been tested in all locations with the culture name AD 07073. In 242 locations across Tamil Nadu, the variety recorded a mean productivity of 6334 kg per hectare in pre-release stage. This average yield is 10 % higher than the yield of ADT 43 and 14% over CO 51, Dr.Ravi said.
At Alanganallur in Madurai district, the variety recorded the highest grain yield of 9875 kg / ha indicating its high yield potential. The non-lodging compact plant type with medium compact dense panicles attracted many farmers to grow it recurrently in their fields. In addition, ADT 53 has rich content of Zinc (26.1 ppm) and Iron (14.70ppm).
The variety has also shown resistance to pests such as stem borer, leaf folder and diseases such as blast and sheath blight. “The variety produces medium slender grain and has 65 % milling out-turn with good cooking quality parameters such as soft gel consistency and moderate gelatinization temperature,” Dr. Ravi said.
