New paddy varities in making to cut back urea use by 50%: IRRI scientist

Secretary (Agriculture) of Telangana M. Raghunandan Rao felicitating IRRI-DDG Ajay Kohli as Samarendu Mohanty (far left), V-C of PJTAU Aldas Janaiah (second from left) look on in Hyderabad on Tuesday (March 4, 2025).
| Picture Credit score: By Association

HYDERABAD

Use of urea in cultivation of paddy within the coming years is predicted to come back down by nearly 50% as new forms of paddy – being developed with half of the urea getting used now – with out impacting the yield would turn into accessible, stated Ajay Kohli, Deputy Director Common (Analysis) of the Worldwide Rice Analysis Institute (IRRI), Philippines.

Talking at a seminar on “Rice Analysis for Higher Future” organised by Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural College (PJTAU) in Hyderabad on Tuesday (March 4, 2024), he stated intense analysis was in progress in growing new paddy varieties that will eat very much less urea, the nitrogen-rich fertilizer, with out affecting the yield.

Such varieties would additionally enhance soil well being as additionally that of human well being because the fertilizer residue each in soil and within the grain was harming people, he stated including that IR-8 and IR-64 varieties developed IRRI had been very talked-about within the Asian continent together with in India. Such high-yielding varieties had helped nations akin to India to realize meals safety by scaling up manufacturing largely.

Professor of Observe at PJTAU Samarendu Mohanty, a world meals prize award winner, stated there was a must encourage paddy cultivation to fulfill the wants of the South-East Asian nations as it will additionally assist enhance farmers’ revenue. Institution of recent expertise rice mills for high quality manufacturing of rice would additionally assist enhance farmers’ revenue, he felt.

Director of Indian Rice Analysis Institute, Meenakshi Sundaram, Director (Analysis) of PJTAU Balaram and others additionally spoke. Later, Secretary (Agriculture) M. Raghunandan Rao felicitated Dr. Kohli within the presence of Dr. Mohanty, Vice Chancellor Aldas Janaiah and others.