The governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan were directed by the Supreme Court on Tuesday to ensure that the burning of crop stubble is stopped immediately.
The Supreme Court mentioned a particular kind of paddy, mostly grown in Punjab, was seen as a major cause of stubble burning and the resultant pollution problems in the NCR.
There is not a clear mention of the variety but the reference was likely to Pusa-44. Even the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had said that this variety would be banned from next year.
It is a long-duration variety that takes 155-160 days to mature, from the time of nursery sowing of seeds to the harvesting of grain.
This crop leaves very little time for field preparation to sow their wheat crop, ideally before mid-November because this Pusa-44 variety is transplanted in mid-June and is ready for harvesting only towards late October.
Because of this farmers resort to burning the standing stubble and loose straw that remains after harvesting using combine machines.
Pusa-44 makes an attractive option to farmers because it is a high-yielding variety 35-36 an acre. The stubble of this variety is what’s burned during the start of November every year causing severe pollution.
But now the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) is claiming that it has bred an improved version of Pusa-44 that yields just as much and matures in only 120-125 days.
It is called Pusa-2090 which is a cross between Pusa-44 and CB-501 which is an early maturing rice line and is extensively grown in East Asia.
This variety has officially been identified for cultivation in Delhi and Odisha and is likely to be approved in Punjab and Haryana as well.
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