Iran uses nuclear technology to produce drought-resistant rice
Kian, a new rice variety developed from the native Tarom through targeted mutagenesis, offers both high yield and quality. It delivers 3 tons/ha under drought and up to 6 tons/ha with irrigation—far outperforming Tarom Mahali, especially in dry conditions. Officials credit high-yield seeds and modern methods for boosting Iran’s rice output to a record 2.7 million tons.
This rice variety was obtained through targeted mutagenesis methods and originated from the popular local native variety Tarom. Key features of this variety include high resistance to drought, maintaining cooking quality, excellent aroma and flavor, and high yield. Unlike many high-yielding modified varieties that sacrifice quality for quantity, Kian has created a good balance between quantity and quality.
The yield of this variety is impressive in different conditions; in drought conditions, in brings about 3 tons of paddy per hectare, and in normal irrigation conditions, it yields nearly six tons of paddy per hectare.
In comparison, the native variety Tarom Mahali yields about 3.5 to 4 tons per hectare under normal conditions at best and only 600 kg per hectare under drought conditions, which means that in the worst case, Kian produces five times more yield than Tarom Mahali under drought conditions.
In a relevant development in November, an Iranian official underlined the use of high-yielding seeds and modern methods for rice cultivation, saying that the amount of rice production in the country had reached 2.7 million tons.
“The use of high-yielding seeds, leveling of lands and the use of new cultivation methods have increased the amount of rice production in Iran,” said Sohrab Sohrabi, the executor of the plan to increase rice cultivation in Iran.
Facilitating the production and development of the second crop or retoon is one of the policies of the Agriculture Ministry to increase the productivity of rice production, and this method consumes less water,” he added.
“With the adopted measures, the amount of rice production reached 2,700,000 tons which is a huge record in rice production,” Sohrabi said.
Source : Genetic Literacy Project
