Disease resistant variety

By Our Agriculture Correspondent

A SHORT - duration, high yielding green gram variety with built- in resistance to yellow mosaic disease has been developed by the scientists at the Regional Research Station (RRS) of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) at Virinjipuram, Vellore district in Tamil Nadu. This non-shattering and non-lodging variety has field resistance to stem fly and pod borer as well.

The new variety has been released for commercial cultivation by farmers by TNAU recently under the name "VRM (Gg) 1". A pure line selection from K 851, is particularly suited for growing in Vellore and Thiruvannamalai districts in both kharif and rabi seasons. It has recorded an average yield of 979 kg per hectare, which is 22.5 per cent more than that of KM 2 and 23.9 per cent higher than Vamban 1, according to the scientists. The land should be thoroughly worked to get fine tilth, and about 12.5 tonnes of ripe farmyard manure should be incorporated with the final ploughing. The seeds should be treated with Trichoderma viride at 4 g per kg seeds or with Pseudomonas fluorescence at 10 g per kg seeds. In addition, three packets of COG 15 rhizobium culture should be used for treating the seeds required to cover a hectare. The rhizobium culture slurry may be prepared in rice gruel, and the treated seeds should be dried in shade for about 15 minutes prior to sowing.

For rainfed crop in red soils, the seed should be hardened by treating with 0.01 per cent manganese sulphate solution for four hours and then shade drying. The seeds are sown just before the monsoon or in optimum soil moisture regime. The seeds should be dibbled at an espacement of 30 cm between rows and 10 cm within the row.The crop should be weeded manually twice, and integrated pest management strategies should be adopted to protect the crop serious pests.

The crop responds well to foliar application of nutrients on the 15 th day, 25 th day and 40 th day after sowing. Flower dropping can be avoided and good pod setting encouraged by spraying with growth regulators such as NAA at 40 ppm (parts per million) at the time of flowering and after a fortnight interval. The plants should be harvested when 80 per cent of the pods are mature and should be stacked for a few days before thrashing.

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Section  : Science & Tech
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