Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched two advanced soybean varieties, specifically designed to provide higher yields and enhanced pest resistance. These new varieties are expected to help Indian farmers achieve greater yields, even under adverse weather conditions. By adopting these improved varieties, farmers can boost their crop production and income while also ensuring better crop quality due to increased pest resistance. Here’s a closer look at the unique features and yield potential of these soybean varieties.
NRC 197 is an advanced soybean variety developed by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. This variety is ideal for the regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and is suited for rainfed Kharif season cultivation. NRC 197 yields approximately 16.24 quintals per hectare and takes around 112.67 days to mature. The variety is non-shattering, tolerant to lodging, and resistant to pest attacks, particularly stem fly. Additionally, it exhibits high resistance to semilooper and moderate resistance to Spodoptera litura.
NRC 149 is another advanced soybean variety developed by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore. This variety is suitable for regions such as Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, the northeastern plains of Uttar Pradesh, the plains of Uttarakhand, and eastern Bihar. Like NRC 197, NRC 149 is also suited for the rainfed Kharif season. It has a yield potential of 24.0 quintals per hectare and matures in 127 days. The variety is non-shattering, non-lodging, and highly resistant to stem fly, leaf defoliators, white fly, YMV (Yellow Mosaic Virus), pod blight, and Rhizoctonia aerial blight.
By adopting these advanced soybean varieties, farmers can enhance their crop yield while benefiting from increased protection against pests and diseases, thereby ensuring greater profitability and more sustainable farming practices.
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