Punjab varsity focuses on better crop yields

At Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, focus of the crop breeding programme stands shifted from productivity enhancement to breeding for "quality, stress tolerance and better yields". This has been necessitated because of the changing face of agriculture.

Since its inception, PAU has developed and released as many as 522 improved varieties of different crops, which have found home within and outside the state as well as abroad.

The success story of plant breeding programme at PAU revolves around wheat, paddy, sugarcane and cotton. But this is not be all and end all.

Statistically, PAU has so far recommended 45 wheat, 25 rice, 18 sugarcane and 29 cotton varieties, which have found wide acceptability. The endeavour is to constantly upgrade and improve upon these varieties by developing in them resistance to various diseases and also to increase production.

In a note to Parliamentary Secretary (Agriculture) Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, PAU stated that the performance of its wheat and rice varieties had been very well in the market.

As per PAU, the production of wheat, which was around 1.74 million tonnes in 1961, just at the beginning of the green revolution, increased to 14.68 million tonnes in 2004-05, registering an increase of 742.42 per cent.

Similarly, rice production shot up from 0.23 million tonnes to 10.44 million tonnes in 2004-05 in the same period, registering an increase of 4457.64 per cent.

The production of cotton bales, which was 0.71 million tonnes (1960-61), rose to 2.09 million tonnes in 2004-05, marking an increase of 194.32 per cent.

The production of sugarcane (gur), which was 0.49 million tonnes in 1960-61, rose to 0.54 million tonnes in 2004-05, increasing by 11.11 per cent.

The per hectare productivity of wheat in 2004-05 was 4,316 kg in comparison to 1,244 kgs in 1960-61. Rice is 3,943 kg as against 1,009 kg in 1960-61, whereas, per hectare productivity of cotton has increased from 270 kg in 1960-61 to 697 kg in 2004-05. While of sugarcane (gur) rose from 3,654 kg to 6,207 kg a hectare.

This incredible production enhancement has been largely due to varieties and technologies developed by PAU. The note to the parliamentary secretary (agriculture) gives thumbnail sketches of some of the new wheat varieties like PBW 502, PBW 509 and durum wheat PDW 274 and PDW 291.

PAU's focus on rice shows that in non-basmati category, improved genotypes of rice are being developed for high yield potential, tolerance to logging and resistance to diseases.

In basmati category, efforts are afoot to combine high yield and better grain quality. Given the rigorous cycle of testing, varieties evolved, developed and released by PAU cover large tracts in Punjab at any given point of time.

This is true in case of sugarcane as well, where scientists are engaged in developing varieties with high sugar per unit area, one early maturing and have high level of tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

The research programmes of the varsity, despite financial constraints, are aimed at ameliorating the agricultural economy of the region.