Punjab’s devastating floods have inadvertently created a natural laboratory for testing flood-resistant maize crops, providing crucial data for scientists working to restore 1.9 lakh hectares of damaged farmland across the state.
International agricultural research organisation CIMMYT was already field-testing 10 maize hybrid varieties at its Ludhiana facility when floodwaters struck, submerging agricultural land across 1,400 villages in the state. Four of the experimental hybrids had been specifically developed for water-logging tolerance.
“God is testing those hybrids,” said Dr B M Prasanna, Managing Director of the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), told reporters here.
“Within a few weeks, we will come to know the difference between a water-logging tolerance hybrid from a susceptible hybrid.”
The floods came just two weeks after Punjab’s additional chief secretary had approached CIMMYT-BISA, requesting development of improved maize hybrids with three specific traits: …
​Punjab’s devastating floods have inadvertently created a natural laboratory for testing flood-resistant maize crops, providing crucial data for scientists working to restore 1.9 lakh hectares of damaged farmland across the state.
International agricultural research organisation CIMMYT was already field-testing 10 maize hybrid varieties at its Ludhiana facility when floodwaters struck, submerging agricultural land across 1,400 villages in the state. Four of the experimental hybrids had been specifically developed for water-logging tolerance.
“God is testing those hybrids,” said Dr B M Prasanna, Managing Director of the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), told reporters here.
“Within a few weeks, we will come to know the difference between a water-logging tolerance hybrid from a susceptible hybrid.”
The floods came just two weeks after Punjab’s additional chief secretary had approached CIMMYT-BISA, requesting development of improved maize hybrids with three specific traits: …Â
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