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Pusa Basmati 1718 Photo: Maddy Freddie · Pexels License · source ↗

Pusa Basmati 1718

Pusa Basmati 1718 (PB 1718) is a marker-assisted bacterial-leaf-blight (BB) resistant version of Pusa Basmati 1121, bred at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, and notified for the basmati GI tract in 2017. The variety carries the Xa13 and Xa21 resistance genes pyramided into a PB 1121 background, preserving the parent's signature extra-long-grain cooking quality while eliminating routine BB losses.

Key characteristics

  • Released by: ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, 2017
  • Duration: 137-140 days (slightly shorter than PB 1121)
  • Plant type: semi-tall, comparable to PB 1121
  • Grain: extra-long slender, 8.0-8.4 mm, cooking elongation matches PB 1121 (~19 mm)
  • Resistance: BB-resistant (Xa13 + Xa21 pyramid)
  • Yield: 4.5-5.0 t/ha, often 0.5-1.0 t/ha above PB 1121 in BB-endemic blocks because of avoided disease loss

Cultivation

PB 1718 is grown under the same package of practices as PB 1121: mid-June nursery, late-June to early-July transplanting (Transplanting Paddy), 100-120 kg N/ha, balanced P-K. The variety also performs well under direct-seeded rice (Rice Dsr Direct Seeded Rice Punjab) in Punjab, where many farmers have switched from PB 1121 to PB 1718 specifically to drop preventive BB sprays.

Pest and disease profile

PB 1718 is highly resistant to bacterial leaf blight (Bacterial Leaf Blight Paddy) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae across the predominant Indian BB pathotype groups. Susceptibility profile for false smut (False Smut Paddy), stem borer (Yellow Stem Borer Paddy) and brown planthopper (Brown Planthopper Paddy) is otherwise similar to PB 1121.

Adoption and use

In BB-endemic districts of central Punjab (Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala) and Haryana (Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra), PB 1718 has progressively displaced PB 1121 since 2018-19. Grain enters the same APEDA-channelled basmati export trade under the "Basmati Rice" GI tag and is graded indistinguishably from PB 1121 milled rice. Seed multiplication is handled by IARI, Punjab and Haryana state seed corporations, and the National Seeds Corporation.

See also Pusa Basmati 1121, Pusa Basmati 1509, Bacterial Leaf Blight Paddy, Rice Dsr Direct Seeded Rice Punjab, Transplanting Paddy.

Sources

  1. Pusa Basmati 1718. ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
  2. Improved Basmati Varieties. APEDA Basmati Export Development Foundation.