Date:28/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/28/stories/2007092860280300.htm

Other States - Orissa

OUAT seeks registration of two oilseed varieties

Satyasundar Barik

Application submitted to registrar

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT) on Thursday submitted its first application for registration of two oilseed varieties with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Right Authority, India (PPV&FRA).

If the varieties were registered successfully with the authority, the OUAT would get exclusive commercial right over the propagating material of the ‘protected’ variety.

The university authorities submitted a token application to R. K. Trivedi, Registrar of PPV&FRA, who was here to attend the seminar to make scientists aware on registration of new varieties being developed by them.

The names of the oilseed varieties are Uma and Nirmala, which were developed in 1993 and 2003 respectively. Uma is a novel sesame mutant having high oil content and could be grown in short period. It had already been released to the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Bihar, said OUAT scientist U. C. Kar.

Nirmala is pest-resistant sesame having high yielding capacity. This was the first white seeded variety developed by the OUAT. The varieties would go through DUS (Distinct, Uniformity and Stable) test before they were approved by the authority.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Trivedi said, “Except research institutes, farmers and communities can approach the authority to register their unique varieties to reap commercial benefits.”

OUAT has so far released more than 110 varieties out of which more than 50 varieties on rice, 13 varieties on oil seeds and 13 on vegetables.

“We have released varieties in almost all crops including ginger, turmeric and mango-ginger. Fortunately some of our rice varieties are popular in other States, some abroad,” Dean of OUAT Research Wing Dibakar Naik said.

‘Birthplace of rice’

He said even one of the rice varieties released by them landed in Cambodia. “Orissa is the birthplace of rice, we have number of germplasm from which we have developed some improved varieties earlier and we can use it for future research for genetic improvement of rice,” Mr. Naik said.

He said the university had already submitted about 300 local rice varieties with the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources to document and register their uniqueness.