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Pusa Vivek QPM-9 Improved (Pusa QPM-5) maize hybrid Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

Pusa Vivek QPM-9 Improved (Pusa QPM-5) maize hybrid

Pusa Vivek QPM-9 Improved is a single-cross quality protein maize hybrid jointly developed by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi and ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS), Almora. It was the first biofortified maize hybrid in the world to combine quality-protein endosperm (high lysine and tryptophan) with provitamin-A enrichment, released by the Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards in 2017. In the IIMR product catalogue it is also numbered as the Pusa QPM-5 lineage.

Why it matters

QPM hybrids correct the lysine-tryptophan deficit of normal maize (Hqpm 1 Iari Quality Protein Maize), but vitamin-A deficiency remains independently severe in maize-eating tribal populations of central India. Pusa Vivek QPM-9 Improved stacks the opaque-2 allele with the crtRB1 allele (carotenoid β-ring hydroxylase-1) recovered through marker-assisted selection, raising grain provitamin-A from <2 µg/g to 8.15 µg/g while retaining QPM amino-acid quality. It is one of the flagship biofortified crops promoted by ICAR under the National Mission on Nutritional Security.

Key facts

  • Released: 2017 by the Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards (notified S.O.665(E))
  • Breeders: ICAR-IARI New Delhi and ICAR-VPKAS Almora
  • Type: single-cross hybrid, opaque-2 + crtRB1 stack
  • Recommended zone: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, J&K hills; also fits north-western plains
  • Duration: 90-95 days (kharif at mid-elevation)
  • Yield potential: 6.0-6.5 t/ha; on-farm 4.5-5.5 t/ha
  • Provitamin-A: 8.15 µg/g (versus ~0.5-2.0 µg/g in normal maize)
  • Lysine in protein: ~4.0%; tryptophan: ~0.9%

Agronomy

Adapted to mid-hill agro-ecologies (1000-1800 m) but also performs well in the Indo-Gangetic plains. Seed rate 18-20 kg/ha at 60 × 20 cm. Fertiliser: 120:60:40 NPK kg/ha in hill cultivation, 150:75:60 in plains, with N split. Zinc fertilisation (25 kg ZnSO4/ha) is recommended on hill soils to capture full provitamin-A expression and to limit grain micronutrient interactions. Harvest at physiological maturity (black-layer formation) and rapid drying to 14% moisture preserve carotenoids.

Pests and diseases

Reasonably resistant to turcicum leaf blight (Exserohilum turcicum), banded leaf and sheath blight, and downy mildew. Susceptible to fall armyworm (Maize Faw Spodoptera Frugiperda National) and to charcoal rot under terminal moisture stress. Storage pests (Sitophilus zeamais) cause significant carotenoid loss within 4-6 months of ambient storage, so the variety is best consumed within one season.

Adoption and use

Promoted in Uttarakhand, HP and tribal blocks of Jharkhand under nutrition-sensitive agriculture programmes; grain is procured by ICDS supplementary-feeding kitchens in some districts. Because carotenoid content degrades quickly post-harvest, the variety is positioned as a food and household-level fortification crop rather than a commodity-trade maize.

See also: Vivek Qpm 9 Maize, Hqpm 1 Iari Quality Protein Maize, Hqpm 5 Quality Protein Maize, Hqpm 7 Quality Protein Maize, Maize Crop Overview, Maize Faw Spodoptera Frugiperda National, Maize Poultry Feed Link India.

Sources

  1. IARI innovative technologies 2017 — Pusa Vivek QPM 9 Improved. ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute. https://www.iari.res.in/files/Latest-News/2017/IARI_Innovative_Technologies_2017-19102017.pdf
  2. Notified maize hybrids catalogue. ICAR-IIMR, Ludhiana. https://iimr.icar.gov.in/?page_id=2247