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Genetic resources

HUR105 (Malviya Sugandhit Dhan 105), a new, high-yielding, scented, drought-tolerant rice variety for cultivation in eastern India
R.P. Singh and Chaitali Sen Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, India Email: ravi_piyush@rediffmail.com

Key words: rice, drought tolerance, scented variety, yield improvement, quality traits The Indian subcontinent is well known for its wealth of aromatic rice, of which scented types are exclusive because of their aroma and excellent cooking quality. India, the home of scented rice, has a monopoly in basmati rice exports, giving the country substantial foreign exchange earningsas much as US$433 million. Traditional scented cultivars are tall (140160 cm or more), are poor grain yielders, and have a tendency to lodge under high doses of nitrogenous fertilizers, but they possess aroma and excellent cooking quality. Breeding efforts aim to develop short, high-yielding aromatic varieties with drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance, while retaining the good quality traits of traditional scented ones. This study was conducted under the All-India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP) at the Agricultural Research Farm, BHU, Varanasi, during the 2000-03 wet seasons. Through mutation breeding, HUR105 (Malviya Sugandhit Dhan 105) was derived from MPR7-2 with EMS treatments consisting of 0.01 to 0.05 M doses. Comprehensive yield evaluations were carried out in field trials to select good plant types from the M2 generation onward. Further, HUR105 was compared with major commercial scented basmati varieties such as Pusa Basmati 1, Taraori Basmati, and Basmati 370 in field trials using a randomized block design with three replications. This variety (IET18415) was tested in the AICRIP varietal trials coordinated by the Directorate of Rice Research (DRR), Hyderabad, in four traditional basmati rice-growing provinces (six locations) and three nontraditional basmati-growing areas (five locations) during the 2003 wet season. A simultaneous experiment assessed its yield performance in Uttar Pradesh at nine locations in state varietal trials from 2003 to 2005. It was also tested for disease and insect pest resistance in both state and AICRIP varietal trials.
2012

International Rice Research Notes (0117-4185)

Genetic resources
During wet seasons, HUR105 outyielded check variety Pusa Basmati 1 by 24.6% over 3 years (mean basis) and showed 48.3% (eastern region), 12.6% (western region), 8.7% (central region), and 10.7% (bundlekhand region) higher grain yield than Pusa Basmati 1. HUR105 outyielded check Basmati 370 in all locations, with an average increase of 83.6% within 3 years (Table 1). This promising line consistently outyielded all other recognized basmati check varieties over all locations in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) trials (Table 2). The physicochemical and cooking quality of HUR105 were compared with those of national check varieties Pusa Basmati 1, Taraori Basmati, and Haryana Basmati using 13 quality-related traits. The results showed comparable performance of HUR105 in terms of grain quality (DRR 2003): kernel length of 6.68 mm and kernel breadth of 2.01 mm, kernel elongation ratio of 1.51, good aroma, and very sweet taste. Scent development in rice kernels is believed to occur at low temperatures (below 25 C), but HUR105 has the unique feature of scent development at temperatures as high as 4045 C and as low as 10 C. In the boro season, CRRI scientists observed scent development in the field (first week of May 2009 at 43 C). In addition, this temperature-insensitive variety is cultivated throughout the year, showing 80% or more seed setting at 4045 C as well as at 10 C in the late wet/boro/summer season. It showed resistance/moderate resistance to different diseases in the 2003 AICRIP screening nursery. HUR105 was tested in farmers fields during the 2009 wet-season (a severe drought year in UP) frontline demonstrations. This variety showed high drought tolerance and had a yield advantage of 1325% over check variety HUBR2-1 (AICRIP 2009). Besides having high grain yield and good cooking quality, it also tolerates drought, bacterial leaf blight, leaf and neck blast, brown spot, and stem borers in the field. The highly scented HUR105 is an erect, semidwarf (105115 cm in height) variety with 130135 d to maturity and a sturdy plant stature, which makes it tolerant of lodging. In addition, it has intermediate amylose content and an alkali spreading value with high head rice recovery. Because of its medium maturity (135 d), it is a suitable crop for a rice-wheat rotation.

2012

International Rice Research Notes (0117-4185)

Genetic resources

Table 1. Yield performance of HUR105 in trials conducted at regional agricultural training and demonstration stations (Uttar Pradesh), during the 2003-06 wet seasons.
Variety Locations where tested (no.) 22 21 18 10 8 26 5 Yield (t ha1) 2003 2004 2005 Overall mean yield (t ha1) Increase over check (%) Pusa-Basmati 1 Basmati 370 83.5 65.8 58.2 66.5 69.5

HUR105 HUR7-2 Vallabh 21 (Q) NDR6168 NDR9830144 Pusa Basmati 1 (check) Basmati 370

4.27 3.99 3.69 3.81 3.15 1.23

4.14 3.61 3.73 3.90 3.37 2.12

3.97 3.59 3.25 3.59 3.42 3.53

4.13 3.73 3.56 3.75 3.81 3.31 2.25

24.6 12.6 7.4 13.1 15.1

2012

International Rice Research Notes (0117-4185)

Genetic resources

Table 2. Comparative yield (t ha1) performance of HUR105 in state varietal trials at regional agricultural testing and demonstration stations in 2006.
Entry Varanasi HUR105 HUR7-2 Vallabh 21 (Q) NDR6168 NDR983 144 Pusa Basmati 1 (check) LSD(0.05) 5.29 4.91 3.08 3.67 5.48 3.18 Eastern region Azamgarh 4.28 4.18 2.70 3.24 4.39 2.87 Barabanki 5.20 4.13 3.62 3.52 5.36 3.91 Meerut 3.97 4.08 4.52 4.22 3.38 3.92 Western region Mathura 5.25 5.09 5.16 4.86 4.12 4.35 Barielly 4.07 3.57 3.22 3.14 3.83 3.53 Central region and bundlekhand Hardoi 2.26 2.57 3.27 3.50 1.43 3.01 Etawah 4.46 4.28 2.75 3.64 3.19 Jhansi 1.87 1.84 2.40 2.65 1.69

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2012

International Rice Research Notes (0117-4185)

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