Rice research institute experts urge delta farmers to choose paddy varieties suited for local conditions
With kuruvai cultivation under way in a few pockets of the delta and most areas still awaiting favourable conditions, scientists at the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai, have urged farmers to plan ahead for samba and thaladi seasons using region-specific, low-input paddy varieties.
TRRI Director K. Subrahmaniyan told The Hindu that variety selection must align with the delta's soil and climate. Citing TPS 5, a commonly used variety here, he said while it matures in 100 days elsewhere, it takes 125 days in the delta — causing delayed harvests, higher pest incidence, and increased costs. He warned against sowing short-duration varieties during samba season, calling it a common but expensive error.
He expressed concern over continuous cropping, especially thaladi immediately after kuruvai, which denies the soil a recovery phase. 'Without rest or organic enrichment, fertilizer response keeps falling,' he said. 'Twenty years ago, 10 kg of fertilizer gave results. Now, even 100 kg often falls short due to depleted soil health.'
To rebuild soil fertility, he recommended green manure crops such as Sunn Hemp and Daincha, to be incorporated before flowering. A well-managed green manure crop can contribute up to 130 kg of nitrogen per hectare and 20–30 tonnes of biomass. 'Only 10–15 kg of seed per acre is enough, and incorporation should be done 45–60 days ahead of kuruvai,' he said. Pulse cultivation after samba, he added, can improve soil health and help break pest cycles.
R. Manimaran, professor with expertise in pulses breeding, hybrid rice at TRRI, recommended kuruvai varieties such as ADT 53, 55, 56, and 57 — of which ADT 57 is suitable for direct sowing and ADT 55 offers Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) tolerance. ADT 53 is a good alternative to ADT 43 for parboiled rice, and ADT 59 is preferred for idly rice.
For saline and coastal tail-end areas, TRY (Tiruchi Rice) varieties 1 to 5 are ideal. For Samba, ADT 51 (155 days) and ADT 52 (145 days) are recommended, with ADT 52 noted for its strong non-lodging ability during adverse weather.
For flood-prone delta areas, he recommended CR1009 Sub 1, which can withstand up to 15 days of submergence during early growth.
For thaladi (October sowing), ADT 54 (an alternative to improved White Ponni), ADT 58, and ADT 60 — all in the 125–135 day medium-duration group — were recommended for their consistency when sown within the right window.
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The Hindu
6 hours ago
- The Hindu
Rice research institute experts urge delta farmers to choose paddy varieties suited for local conditions
With kuruvai cultivation under way in a few pockets of the delta and most areas still awaiting favourable conditions, scientists at the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai, have urged farmers to plan ahead for samba and thaladi seasons using region-specific, low-input paddy varieties. TRRI Director K. Subrahmaniyan told The Hindu that variety selection must align with the delta's soil and climate. Citing TPS 5, a commonly used variety here, he said while it matures in 100 days elsewhere, it takes 125 days in the delta — causing delayed harvests, higher pest incidence, and increased costs. He warned against sowing short-duration varieties during samba season, calling it a common but expensive error. He expressed concern over continuous cropping, especially thaladi immediately after kuruvai, which denies the soil a recovery phase. 'Without rest or organic enrichment, fertilizer response keeps falling,' he said. 'Twenty years ago, 10 kg of fertilizer gave results. Now, even 100 kg often falls short due to depleted soil health.' To rebuild soil fertility, he recommended green manure crops such as Sunn Hemp and Daincha, to be incorporated before flowering. A well-managed green manure crop can contribute up to 130 kg of nitrogen per hectare and 20–30 tonnes of biomass. 'Only 10–15 kg of seed per acre is enough, and incorporation should be done 45–60 days ahead of kuruvai,' he said. Pulse cultivation after samba, he added, can improve soil health and help break pest cycles. R. Manimaran, professor with expertise in pulses breeding, hybrid rice at TRRI, recommended kuruvai varieties such as ADT 53, 55, 56, and 57 — of which ADT 57 is suitable for direct sowing and ADT 55 offers Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) tolerance. ADT 53 is a good alternative to ADT 43 for parboiled rice, and ADT 59 is preferred for idly rice. For saline and coastal tail-end areas, TRY (Tiruchi Rice) varieties 1 to 5 are ideal. For Samba, ADT 51 (155 days) and ADT 52 (145 days) are recommended, with ADT 52 noted for its strong non-lodging ability during adverse weather. For flood-prone delta areas, he recommended CR1009 Sub 1, which can withstand up to 15 days of submergence during early growth. For thaladi (October sowing), ADT 54 (an alternative to improved White Ponni), ADT 58, and ADT 60 — all in the 125–135 day medium-duration group — were recommended for their consistency when sown within the right window.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Health matters newsletter: The whole truth about weight-loss drugs
On 'weight loss' drugs and their impacts, the scorching heat and sleep apnoea, what persists after a Covid-19 infection, AI in healthcare, and more. Universally, a certain class of drugs have come to be superstars in recent times. The GLP-1 class of drugs, with their capacity for weight loss, though originally conceived and developed for diabetes, has suddenly become the toast of the season, for one reason - their weight loss properties. With celebrities like Elon Musk flaunting their use of these drugs, semaglutide and more recently, tirzepatide, reached homes even before the results of rigorous control trials were ready for publication. While over the months, the trials have indicated good overall results, both for weight loss and blood sugar control, a new field study offers a more realistic estimate of how these GLP-1 receptor agonists work in real time. A recent study, done in the U.S. indicated that these New 'weight-loss' drugs have lower impact in real life compared to clinical trial results. In a paper published in the journal Obesity, Hamlet Gasoyan et al accessed electronic health record data from a large health system in Ohio and Florida to identify adults with overweight or obesity without type 2 diabetes who started with injectable semaglutide or tirzepatide between 2021 and 2023. The researchers observed that treatment discontinuation and use of lower maintenance dosages might reduce the likelihood of achieving clinically-meaningful weight reduction in patients on these drugs. This is something that diabetologists in India agreed with, instinctively. In a randomised control trial, there is incentive and constant reminders to take the drugs. 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The Hindu
14-06-2025
- The Hindu
Good grounding in basic concepts helped to do well in NEET, says Karnataka topper
Good grounding in the basic concepts in Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects helped in doing well in NEET this year, said Nikhil Sonnad from Expert PU College Mangaluru. With 670 marks and 99.999 percentile, Mr. Sonnad had All India Ranking of 17 and is Karnataka topper in NEET. Mr. Sonnnad, whose parents are doctors in Vijayapura, hopes to get admission in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. About his preparations for NEET, which was tough this year, Mr. Sonnad said he focused on strengthening of basics in the three science subjects. 'The questions were fresh ones and not seen in earlier papers. For questions in Biology, answers were lengthy. As I was strong on basics, I could answer questions effortlessly,' Mr. Sonnad told The Hindu on phone from Vijayapura. Mr. Sonnad is the eldest of the two children of Neurosurgeon Siddu Sonnad and ophthalmologist Meenakshi Sonnad. Other colleges Of the students from Excellent PU College, Moodbidri, Nuthan Krishna topped with score of 599, followed by Khushi Vinay Rachoti (588), Rohit Kamath (582), Sohan Yadal (572) and C.P. Likhith (570). Among students from Sharada Vidyanikethana PU College, Pratham topped with 505 marks, followed by Adarsh (474), H.Y. Punya (466), Alisha (451), and Vedanth (432). From Creative PU College Karkala, Udupi, S.D. Sumanth Gowda topped with 596 marks, followed by S.N. Prajwal (588) and H.V. Rajesh (583).
