Officials recommend new varieties of pulses seeds procured from Kanpur research institute

A demonstration plot of varieties blackgram varieties in Thanjavur district.

The Department of Seed Certification and Organic Certification has raised demonstration plots of a few disease-resistant varieties of greengram and blackgram in Thanjavur district by procuring seeds of the disease-resistant varieties from the Indian Institute of Pulse Research in Kanpur.

The initiative was an attempt to encourage farmers to take up greengram and blackgram cultivation, without the fear of yellow mosaic virus attacks, which had caused extensive damage to the crops in the district over the past few years. Because of disease attack on the crops over the past couple of years, several farmers have avoided raising greengram and blackgram and even switched over to other crops, official say. Some had tried varieties, which were raised in other States, by purchasing seeds from private dealers at high rates. But these too were susceptible to diseases and did not provide good yield.

On an average, blackgram and greengram were raised on about 35,000 hectares (including the area covered as inter and bund crops). However, the area under coverage had been on the decline due to the disease attack in recent years.

Keeping this in view, seed certification officials got in touch with the ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulse Research in Kanpur and procured seeds of about 20 varieties. Demonstration plots were raised in Thanjavur, Pattukottai, and Kumbakonam blocks in the district. With integrated plant protection measures, a few of the varieties had been found to be disease-resistant and suitable for the delta region, the officials said.

One of the greengram varieties, LGG 600, has come up well and reached the flowering stage on the 28th day with uniform growth. The variety is expected to be ready for harvest in 60 days as against 65 to 85 days taken by other varieties. The variety is suitable for machine harvest, a major advantage for farmers given the shortage of labour, the officials said.

Similarly, a blackgram variety, Kota 5, was found disease-resistant. A few farmers had already tried the Kota 3 variety which had been raised on about 20 acres in Orathanadu belt and the crop was also good, they said.

Officials said that the crops on the demonstration plots were being closely monitored and after the harvests, they would recommend the suitable and disease resistant varieties for the delta farmers for next season. They would continue to support farmers in procuring the seeds, officials said.

At a Field Day held recently at a demonstration plot at Vengarayankudikadu near Thanjavur, G. Vidya, Joint Director of Agriculture, and D. Gopalakrishnan, Assistant Director of Seed Certification, Thanjavur, explained the salient features of the blackgram and greengram varieties raised on the demonstration plots to farmers and other officials.