DBW 187 (Karan Vandana) wheat Photo: Dhally Romy · Pexels License · source ↗

DBW 187 (Karan Vandana) wheat

DBW 187, released as Karan Vandana in 2019, is a bread wheat variety bred at ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), Karnal for the North-Eastern Plains Zone (NEPZ). It is best known for combining high yield potential with strong resistance to yellow rust and brown rust, making it one of the most popular IIWBR releases of the past decade.

Key features

Breeder: ICAR-IIWBR, Karnal
Notification year: 2019
Zone: North-Eastern Plains Zone (NEPZ) — Eastern UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha (plains)
Duration: 120-125 days
Average yield: 51-57 q/ha; potential up to 75 q/ha under timely-sown irrigated conditions
Grain: amber, bold, high test weight (~42 g/1000 grains)
Protein: ~12 percent
Resistance: triple rust resistance — yellow rust, brown rust, stem rust; tolerant to Karnal bunt

Cultivation zones

DBW 187 is recommended for timely-sown, irrigated conditions in NEPZ. Sowing window is 5-25 November with 100 kg seed/ha at 22.5 cm row spacing. NPK 150:60:40 kg/ha is the standard schedule. Five to six irrigations are needed — at CRI, tillering, jointing, flowering, milking and dough stages. Farmers in Eastern UP and Bihar moved to DBW 187 after the older HD 2967 began breaking under yellow rust pressure in some pockets.

Pests and diseases

The variety carries adult-plant resistance against all three wheat rusts and tolerates Karnal bunt and loose smut. Aphids and termites still need monitoring in dry sowing. Foliar disease pressure is low compared to HD 2967.

Adoption

DBW 187 has been one of the fastest-spreading IIWBR releases in NEPZ. State seed corporations of UP, Bihar and Jharkhand carry breeder seed every season. It is also being grown experimentally in late-sown pockets of Punjab and Haryana on farmer demand.

Sources

Compendium of Wheat Varieties Notified in India. ICAR-IIWBR Karnal.
DBW 187 Karan Vandana variety page. ICAR-IIWBR Karnal.