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Sahbhagi Dhan (drought-tolerant rice) Photo: Dibakar Roy · Pexels License · source ↗

Sahbhagi Dhan (drought-tolerant rice)

Sahbhagi Dhan is a short-duration drought-tolerant aerobic rice variety developed jointly by ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, and notified in 2010. It targets rainfed uplands and bunded medium-lands of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where drought spells of 10-21 days routinely depress rice yields by 30-50%.

Key characteristics

  • Released by: ICAR-NRRI Cuttack and IRRI, notified 2010 (CVRC)
  • Pedigree: IR 74371-70-1-1 (drought-tolerant donor crossed with Rajeshwari)
  • Duration: 100-110 days (short, escape-by-earliness plus tolerance)
  • Plant type: semi-dwarf, ~95 cm
  • Grain: long bold, white, intermediate amylose
  • Yield: 3.5-4.5 t/ha under normal moisture; 1.5-2.5 t/ha under drought (vs near-failure for sensitive checks)
  • Drought tolerance: tolerates 10-14 days of vegetative-stage water deficit and 7-10 days of reproductive-stage stress

Cultivation

Sahbhagi Dhan is suited to direct-seeded rainfed uplands (Dry Direct Seeded Rice) and to bunded medium-lands that lose ponded water repeatedly. Sowing aligns with monsoon onset in mid-June, with seed drilled at 25-30 kg/ha into rabi-fallow soils. Nitrogen schedule is moderate (60-80 kg N/ha) because high N under intermittent moisture worsens drought injury. The variety also performs in transplanted irrigated conditions but loses its yield advantage over high-input lines.

Pest and disease profile

The variety shows moderate resistance to blast (Paddy Blast Disease) and is susceptible to brown spot (Brown Spot Paddy) under nutrient-poor uplands, where adequate K and zinc reduce symptom severity. Stem borer (Stem Borer Paddy) pressure depends on local kharif cropping pattern and is managed with cultural and need-based chemical control.

Adoption and use

Sahbhagi Dhan has been adopted on rainfed uplands across the central and eastern Indian rice belt, with district demonstrations led by NRRI and the State Departments of Agriculture in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. State procurement under MSP (Rice Msp Procurement States) supports market disposal of the short-grain crop. The variety is one of the flagship outputs of the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) project.

See also Drr Dhan 75, Rice Dsr Direct Seeded Rice Punjab, Dry Direct Seeded Rice, Mtu 1010, Rice Msp Procurement States.

Sources

  1. Sahbhagi Dhan: A Drought-Tolerant Rice Variety. ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack.
  2. Sahbhagi Dhan. International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).