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The Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A & N Islands) has developed a salt-tolerant rice variety that could be a boon for rice cultivation in island territories as also in many coastal areas of the mainland. The variety BTS-24 has been found most promising, producing a stable yield of 3.7 tonnes per hectare under saline soil conditions and 4-4.5 tonnes per hectare under normal soil condition. It is a medium-duration variety of 125 days, semi-dwarf of 95-100cms.in height, flowering in 90 days. BTS-24 is also moderately tolerant to yellow stem borer, an emerging insect pest in South and South-East Asia.
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