New Shalimar Wheat

Why in News?

Recently, the scientists at SKUAST-Kashmir developed new wheat varieties to stabilise the rice–wheat cropping cycle in Kashmir.

• Wheat – It is a rabi crop sown in October and harvested in early summer.
• Wheat varieties from sub-tropical regions matured late (June–July), disrupting the rice–wheat rotation.
• In Kashmir, rice is the dominant kharif crop, requiring fields to be vacated by May–June.
• New Wheat Varieties –
  • Shalimar Wheat-4 (SW-4)
  • Shalimar Wheat-3 (SW-3)
• Key Features – Early Maturity – Fits into the rice–wheat cropping system.
  • SW-4 – Matures by the last week of May.
  • SW-3 – Matures by the first week of June.
• High Yielding –SW-3 has potential productivity of up to 38 quintals per hectare.
• Cold Tolerance – Agronomic traits and cold tolerance similar to earlier wheat varieties.
• Disease Resistance – Resistant to yellow rust, a fungal disease-causing stunting and yield loss in Kashmir.
• Biofortification (SW-3) – Iron and zinc content more than 40 ppm and protein content 12%.
• Altitude Suitability – Suitable for mid-altitude regions up to about 1,850 m above sea level.
• Dual Use – Wheat grown for grain and fodder, important for winter livestock feed.
• Process – Conventional Breeding – Developed through cross-breeding and selection.
• Testing Process – Pedigree selection (selection of the best generation of plants), multi-location testing, and farmer field trials.
• Timeline – Development and validation took 9–10 years.
• Significance – Enables timely rice transplantation, strengthens food security and farmer livelihoods, reduces rust-related crop losses, and benefits remote farmers through seed distribution.

Reference

TH | New Shalimar Wheat