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PBW 1 Zn — zinc-biofortified wheat Photo: Arjun Tapealla · Pexels License · source ↗

PBW 1 Zn — zinc-biofortified wheat

PBW 1 Zn is a zinc-biofortified bread wheat variety bred at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and notified in 2017 for the North-Western Plains Zone. It was developed under the HarvestPlus-CGIAR biofortification programme with CIMMYT germplasm and is one of India's first commercially deployed zinc-biofortified wheats.

Key features

  • Breeder: PAU, Ludhiana (with CIMMYT and HarvestPlus support)
  • Notification year: 2017
  • Zone: NWPZ — Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, Rajasthan
  • Duration: 151 days (timely-sown irrigated)
  • Average yield: 51.7 q/ha; potential ~62 q/ha
  • Grain zinc: 40.6 ppm — about 8-10 ppm above conventional varieties
  • Grain iron: ~40 ppm
  • Grain: amber, medium-bold; chapati quality good
  • Resistance: moderately resistant to yellow rust and brown rust

Cultivation

PBW 1 Zn is timely-sown irrigated. Sowing window 25 October to 25 November. Seed rate 100 kg/ha at 22.5 cm row spacing. NPK 150:60:40 kg/ha with N split as 50 percent basal, 25 percent at CRI and 25 percent at tillering. Five to six irrigations are needed (CRI, tillering, jointing, flowering, milking, dough). Zinc accumulation is supported by adequate soil Zn — apply 25 kg ZnSO4/ha basally on zinc-deficient soils.

Nutritional rationale

Zinc deficiency affects over 30 percent of children in northern India and contributes to growth retardation and weak immunity. Conventional wheat carries 25-32 ppm grain zinc; PBW 1 Zn raises that to 40.6 ppm and reaches roughly two-thirds of the WHO daily zinc target from a typical wheat-based meal. Because zinc biofortification is genetic — built into the seed — there is no extra cost to the farmer or consumer.

Adoption

PBW 1 Zn is being multiplied by PAU Ludhiana, ICAR-IIWBR Karnal and partner ATMA agencies. HarvestPlus India runs farmer awareness and seed-village programmes in Punjab, Haryana and UP to support adoption. It is being promoted alongside WB 02 (the iron+zinc biofortified release) under the Government of India's Poshan Abhiyaan nutrition mission.

See also: WB 02 Iron-Zinc Biofortified, HD 3226 Pusa Yashasvi, PBW 725, HD 3086 Pusa Gautami.

Sources

  1. Compendium of Wheat Varieties Notified in India. ICAR-IIWBR Karnal.
  2. Biofortified Varieties. ICAR.