India’s ICAR panel shortlists 23 new wheat varieties for commercial release
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has approved 28 new wheat and barley varieties for seed release, including 23 wheat and all five barley varieties submitted. Key wheat varieties PBW 906 and PBW 915 were cleared for central and North-East zones. Timely adoption is crucial as India targets 119 million tonnes of wheat in 2025.
A key panel of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has approved a total of 28 new varieties of wheat and barley for the seed sub-committee to consider for release. This comes when the wheat sowing season is set to begin.
The Varietal Identification Committee (VIC), convened in August under ICAR’s Assistant Director General SK Pradhan, reviewed requests for 46 new varieties of wheat and barley. According to the meeting minutes, 28 were “identified” for approval by the Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards, Notification & Release of Varieties (CSN&RV). This selection includes 23 new wheat varieties out of 41 requested and all five new varieties of barley submitted by government institutes and private sector companies.
The approval process this year is reportedly under stricter scrutiny, after Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed displeasure on farmers not adopting the numerous varieties released commercially. He reportedly questioned the rationale behind commercially releasing varieties that farmers ultimately do not grow.
Of the four wheat varieties the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) sought clearance for, only two were identified for approval: PBW 906 and PBW 915. PBW 915 is noted for its yield advantage and resistance to wheat rusts in the North-East Plain Zone, while PBW 906 is ideal for the central zone, also offering higher yield and rust resistance.
Similarly, the VIC identified seven of the 11 wheat varieties developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and only two of the six from the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), though all three of IIWBR’s barley varieties were cleared.
The Centre in May had notified 13 new varieties of wheat (including three by Pusa, two by IIWBR, and one by PAU) and three of barley for commercial cultivation.
“Last time some varieties were notified for Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, where wheat is normally not grown,” said Pramod Kumar, former President of the Roller Flour Millers Federation of India. “There should be a study to find out if those varieties are successful during trials, why farmers were reluctant to adopt those. The government needs to seriously consider expanding wheat area as consumption has been exponentially growing, outpacing production.”
India’s wheat production for the 2024-25 crop year is estimated at a record high of 117.51 million tonnes (mt), with an official procurement of 30 mt. With the government targeting an output of 119 mt this year, experts believe that timely approval and the adoption of higher-yielding, climate-resilient seeds will be crucial. This prompt clearance will allow seed companies to start growing breeder seeds this year.
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Source : Ukr Agro Consult
