Swarna Sukha Dhan: A high yielding, multiple stress tolerant rice variety with desirable grain quality traits

Abstract

Under the climate change scenario, frequent occurrence of drought has been identified as key to low productivity of rice in rainfed as well as water limiting irrigated areas in eastern India. A high yielding, multiple stress (drought, disease, and insect pest) tolerant rice variety, Swarna Sukha Dhan (IET 24692) has been released and notified for commercial cultivation under direct seeded condition in drought prone rainfed midland to upland ecology of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. This rice variety is of short duration (110-115 days), high yielding (4.0-4.5 t/ha), multiple stresses tolerant with desirable grain and cooking quality traits. Quality wise, this variety possesses high hulling recovery (78.4%), milling (70.9%), head rice recovery (68.4%) with desirable intermediate amylose content (22.32%), alkali spreading value, desirable GC with very occasionally chalkiness indicating good cooking quality. Grains of this variety contain 23.1 ppm zinc and 11.8 ppm iron. Swarna Sukha Dhan shows moderate resistance to leaf blast, brown spot, bacterial leaf blight, brown spot, false smut, and rice tungro diseases and stem borer, leaf folder, brown plant hopper and whorl maggot insect pest. Adoption of this variety increases net income of farmers by `15000-20000/ha over the local cultivars. This variety has potential to increase rice productivity in drought prone rainfed as well as limiting irrigated areas and thus it will contribute to achieve the goal of
doubling the income of farmers besides ensuring the food self sufficiency at regional as well as national level.