Skip to content

Pusa Basmati 1121 Photo: Vie Studio · Pexels License · source ↗

Pusa Basmati 1121

Pusa Basmati 1121 (PB 1121) is an evolved basmati rice variety developed at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, and notified in 2003. It pioneered the extra-long-grain segment of Indian basmati and now accounts for the single largest share of basmati exports from India, dominating shipments to the Gulf, Iran and the EU.

Key characteristics

  • Released by: ICAR-IARI, New Delhi (Dr V P Singh and team), 2003
  • Duration: ~140-145 days (long, kharif)
  • Grain length (milled, cooked): 8.0-8.4 mm raw, 19-21 mm after cooking - the highest elongation among basmati lines
  • Aroma: classical basmati 2-AP aroma
  • Yield: 4.5-5.5 t/ha (lower than non-basmati but commands a 2-3x price premium)

Cultivation

PB 1121 is grown across the GI-notified basmati tract: Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and parts of Delhi. Nursery is sown in mid-May to early June and 25-30 day seedlings are transplanted (Transplanting Paddy) into puddled fields in late June. Nitrogen is restricted to 100-120 kg/ha to avoid lodging and grain-quality dilution; phosphorus and potash follow soil-test recommendations. Increasingly, Punjab farmers establish PB 1121 via direct seeding (Rice Dsr Direct Seeded Rice Punjab) to save groundwater.

Pest and disease profile

PB 1121 is moderately susceptible to bacterial leaf blight (Bacterial Leaf Blight Paddy), false smut (False Smut Paddy) under late-rain panicle exsertion, and stem borer (Stem Borer Paddy, Yellow Stem Borer Paddy). The BB-resistant backcross derivative Pusa Basmati 1718 was specifically released to replace PB 1121 in BB-endemic blocks. Tall stature predisposes the crop to lodging if N is excessive.

Adoption and use

PB 1121 covers an estimated 65-70% of Indian basmati area and earns the largest share of the country's roughly USD 5 billion annual basmati export revenue, sold predominantly through APEDA-registered exporters under the GI tag "Basmati Rice". Aged PB 1121 commands a substantial price premium in Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE for its extraordinary cooked-grain elongation. Procurement in the basmati tract is largely private-trade and not under MSP (Rice Msp Procurement States).

See also Pusa Basmati 1509, Pusa Basmati 1718, Rice Dsr Direct Seeded Rice Punjab, Rice Msp Procurement States, Transplanting Paddy.

Sources

  1. Pusa Basmati 1121. ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
  2. Basmati Rice. APEDA Basmati Export Development Foundation.