DRR Dhan 54

Background:

In the present scenario of the changing climatic conditions, water scarcity poses a major challenge to Indian agriculture, a major staple food crop widely consumed by Indians. Rice is cultivated across various ecosystems like anaerobic, rain-fed and aerobic conditions. Conventionally puddled transplanted rice requires water of around 5000 liters to produce one kg of yield and the requirement of a large amount of water, labour intensive, energy-oriented, pollution from herbicide and fertilizers, degrading soil base, burning of rice residues and greenhouse gasses emissions which are detrimental to the environment, in order to grow rice under limited water condition with no yield penalty, and with the low cost of cultivation, an alternative system called aerobic system of rice cultivation where rice is grown under non-puddled and non-flooded soil conditions. This system is based on direct dry seedling establishment and optimum need-based irrigation throughout rice cultivation. This system saves about 50-60% of irrigation water Moreover, it is reported that varieties suitable for the aerobic type of cultivation also possess the ability to withstand intermittent drought spells with minimum or no yield loss. In order to address this issue DRR Dhan 54 was developed which is suitable for direct seeded aerobic cultivation in water limiting conditions.

Technology Details:

DRR Dhan 54 is an is a high yielding multiple disease resistant culture with desirable grain quality traits suitable for cultivation under direct seeded aerobic conditions in water limiting areas of Haryana, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand, Gujarat and Telangana. The variety has thick and strong culm with semi dwarf stature which accounts for lodging resistance, medium green foliage and deflexed compact panicle with strong secondary branching. It is an early variety with 115 to 120 days’ crop duration with the average yield of the variety is 5.26 t/ha, with a yield range from 4.25 to 5.61 t/ha. The variety is released and notified for the cultivation under aerobic conditions of Telangana, Haryana, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Gujarat. The variety has short bold grain with a high head rice recovery (HRR) of 65.3% and recorded desirable cooking quality traits in terms of intermediate amylose content (AC) (21.6%), GC of 44mm, ASV of 4.0, white kernel appearance and very occasional chalkiness. The variety can be grown in the areas of limited water availability so can be taken up in water scarce areas. It can be grown under both irrigated and aerobic condition without compromising much on yield. It has got resistance to multiple diseases like leaf blast, sheath rot, RTD and false smut and moderately resistant to neck blast, bacterial leaf blight, brown spot and glume discoloration.

PPV&FRA Registration No: REG/2022/0013