Agriculture scientist claims to have developed world’s highest rice yield variety

MANSEHRA:

A Hazara-based agriculture scientist claims to have developed the world’s highest rice yield variety. This specific rice plant’s leaves would remain green even after the maturity of grains due to prolonged photosynthetic activity and therefore they could also be used as fodder.

Dr Fida Muhammad Abbasi, a professor of Genetics at Hazara University, told The Express Tribune on Thursday, that the existing varieties do not produce more than five tons per hectare, however the new variety would yield 12 tons per hectare. These would also mature 20 days earlier than the existing local species. Talking about benefits of early maturity, he said it would enable farmers to cultivate potatoes soon after the rice harvest.

Abbasi said that agriculture scientists from across the globe including China and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have been striving to genetically engineer a productive variety- Green Super Rice. He said existing panicles produce about 250 to 300 grains while the remaining grains are empty.

He started work on the project about nine years ago and carried out breeding experiments on the existing local rice plants including wild rice Oryza longistminata, JP-5, Basmati 385 and KS-282. After making all possible crosses and selection,
he claims that the rice plant has been successfully developed.

Describing the traits of the newly developed variety, he said that the its leaves would remain green due to continuous photosynthetic activity and increase the number of grains per panicle from 600-700. The length of the panicle has also been increased up to 40-47cm, which is a world record.

Abbasi called the new variety environment friendly due to its prolonged photosynthetic activities and resistance to bacterial blight. If grown on 10 acres of land, the newly discovered variety would fulfil the need of rice growers of the entire Hazara District, he added.

The new variety would be ready for sowing and marketing by next year. Regarding government support for the project the professor said that the Directorate of Science and Technology Pakistan approved a grant of Rs 400,000 for the project, after repeated requests, which he had still not received.

Abbasi said, “I bore all the expenses of the research myself and my hard work has finally borne fruit.” He said that the IRRI had invited him to Taiwan for discussing the new development.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2011.