Agri scientists identify 8 varieties of wheat for better yield

Hisar, Aug 24 (PTI) Agriculture scientists have identifiedeight varieties of wheat and one of barley across the country,officials of the Haryana government said today. This was informed at the ’55th All India Wheat & BarleyResearch Workers’ meet which concluded here today. About 500participants including scientists from all over the countrytook part in the four-day event. To increase the productivity of wheat, the plenary sessioncame with the recommendation of eight wheat varieties and onebarley variety in various zones of India, officials of theHaryana Agriculture Department said. In North-Eastern Zone consisting of the states, namely,UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal (excluding hills), Orissa,Assam, two varieties -HD 3171 and K 1317 were identified onthe basis of their superiority of yield along with resistanceto leaf rust and leaf blight diseases, they said. In the Central Zone’s Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Gujarat, Kota and Udaipur divisions of Rajasthan and Jhansidivision of UP, a pasta product making variety HI 8759 (d) wasidentified because of its superiority in yield along withresistance to rusts and nutrient quality, they added. For Peninsular Zone comprising Maharashtra and Karnataka,a durum wheat variety -3949 (d) and a variety for chapatimaking – HI 1605 were identified. For North Western Plain Zone, the variety -PBW 723 wasidentified because of resistance to yellow rust races overparental variety PBW 343. In addition, a barley variety — DWRB 123 was identifieddue to superiority in yield and quality. On this occasion the books on various aspect of wheatimprovement were released and awards were given to the groupsof scientists for their outstanding work in the fields ofwheat and barley research, the official said. PTI COR CHSABI