Developed by the scientists at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Ambalavayal of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), the improved variety was released for commercial cultivation in the name of Deepthi, a few years ago. Developed by pureline selection from the local variety Edavaka, the new variety has been found to have positive traits for growing in the high ranges. It is resistant to Udbatta disease and moderately resistant to blast and pests like leaf-roller and stem-borer. It has moderate tolerance to drought. Deepthi is a semi-tall (128 cm) photo-insensitive variety with dark green foliage. It produces about eight effective tillers. It has an average grain yield of 4 tonnes per hectare and a straw yield of 4.74 tonnes in 155 days (seed to seed). The 1000-grain weight of the variety is 29.3 g, according to the scientists. It is suitable for planting in both the first and second crop seasons. It is a medium-duration variety (150-160 days) and it produced red-kernelled rice with good cooking quality. In the higher ranges, farmers prefer this variety to the others because of its earliness and high yielding capacity. (Courtesy-The Hindu) |
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