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DBW 222 (Karan Narendra) wheat Photo: Chander Mohan · Pexels License · source ↗

DBW 222 (Karan Narendra) wheat

DBW 222, marketed as Karan Narendra, is a high-yielding bread wheat variety released by ICAR-IIWBR Karnal in 2021 for the North-Western Plains Zone (NWPZ). It is positioned as a successor to HD 2967 — same timely-sown irrigated niche but with higher yield potential and a broader resistance profile.

Key features

  • Breeder: ICAR-IIWBR, Karnal
  • Notification year: 2021
  • Zone: North-Western Plains Zone (NWPZ) — Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, Rajasthan, parts of Uttarakhand and HP
  • Duration: 140-145 days
  • Average yield: 61-66 q/ha; potential up to 82 q/ha
  • Grain: amber, bold; test weight ~43 g/1000 grains
  • Protein: ~12 percent
  • Resistance: high resistance to yellow rust and brown rust; moderately resistant to Karnal bunt

Cultivation

DBW 222 is timely-sown irrigated only — sowing window 25 October to 15 November. Seed rate 100 kg/ha at 22.5 cm row spacing. NPK 150:60:40 kg/ha with split nitrogen — 50 percent basal, 25 percent at CRI, 25 percent at tillering. Five-six irrigations through the season (CRI, tillering, late jointing, flowering, milking, dough). Yield response is best on medium-heavy loam soils with assured tube-well irrigation.

Pests and diseases

DBW 222 was bred with explicit selection for resistance to current yellow rust races, including the 78S84 group that has dented older varieties such as HD 2967 in pockets of Punjab and Haryana. Brown rust resistance is equally strong. Aphids, root aphid (Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominalis) and termites are routine pests; monitor and treat with imidacloprid 17.8 SL seed treatment.

Adoption

DBW 222 is currently the IIWBR flagship for NWPZ alongside DBW 303. Punjab State Seed Corporation, Haryana Seed Development Corporation and IFFCO together push breeder and certified seed each season. It is increasingly the recommended replacement for HD 2967 in Punjab-Haryana districts where rust resistance breakdown has been reported.

See also: DBW 187 Karan Vandana, DBW 303 Karan Vaishnavi, HD 2967, PBW 725.

Sources

  1. Compendium of Wheat Varieties Notified in India. ICAR-IIWBR Karnal.
  2. DBW 222 Karan Narendra variety page. ICAR-IIWBR Karnal.