'Longest Rice Variety Developed'

Chief Scientist Soil Salinity Research Institute Pindi Bhattian Muhammad Ashfaq Anjum has claimed that longest rice variety "al-Khalid Basmati" has been developed and now it is ready for cultivation at farm level

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2023 ) :Chief Scientist Soil Salinity Research Institute Pindi Bhattian Muhammad Ashfaq Anjum has claimed that longest rice variety "al-Khalid Basmati" has been developed and now it is ready for cultivation at farm level.

Talking to APP at Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) Faisalabad, he said that agri scientist Khalid Bhatti had been working on new rice variety for the last 15 years. However, he succeeded in introducing new variety "al-Khalid Basmati" in 2022 which has extra-long grain in the world, he claimed.

Elaborating characteristics of new rice variety, he said that al-Khalid Basmati could easily be sown in the soil which has medium salinity.

Its crop does not fall on the ground due to its extraordinary logging resistance whereas it could also be harvested through machine easily, he added.

He said that per acre yield of al-Khalid Basmati was recorded as 60 to 70 maunds and this variety was most suitable for the soil of Sindh and Punjab.

"Earlier, our scientists had developed a rice variety 'Shaheen Basmati' which was giving maximum yield for the last 20 years," he said and added that the seed of new rice variety (al-khalid basmati) is also expected to be available for farmers from April 2023 through designated centers only.