Goa Dhan 5 rice variety undergoes large-scale farmer trials | Goa News
Panaji: The new flood-resilient rice variety developed for Goa’s saline-prone khazan lands, Goa Dhan 5, is moving closer to official release, with extensive multi-location trials currently under way across the state. This Kharif season, scientists from the Old Goa-based ICAR-CCARI have distributed one tonne seeds to farmers across the state as part of the final stage of testing required before commercial release.“If the results are satisfactory, we will submit the application for release around Jan or Feb 2027,” said senior scientist KK Manohara.TOI had reported in July 2024 that Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her Budget speech that year that 32 climate-resilient varieties will be released by India, one of which is Goa’s new rice variant, the Goa Dhan 5.One of the features of Goa Dhan 5 is its strong resistance to lodging, the bending or collapse of rice plants caused by heavy rain and strong winds. According to researchers, the variety possesses a strong culm, or stem base, which helps the crop remain upright even under adverse weather conditions.The ongoing trials have been conducted across several locations, including Divar Island, Chorao island, Cumbarjua and other khazan farming villages. Farmers have received varying quantities of seed depending on the size of their fields, with some cultivating plots of 2,000sqm and others up to 4,000sqm.The development of Goa Dhan 5 began in 2019 through a breeding programme involving a cross between Goa Dhan 1, which was in turn derived from the traditional Korgut variety, and CSR-27, a rice variety released by the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), Karnal, Haryana. However, the breeding work started in 2019, formal testing of the variety commenced in 2022.“Last year, when around 700kg of seed were distributed during a Krishi Sankalp campaign programme in Goa, participating farmers recorded yields ranging between 4 and 4.5 tonnes per hectare,” he said.The current season’s trials will provide crucial second-year performance data, which researchers plan to submit to the State Variety Release Committee early next year.Researchers expect to have a clearer picture of the variety’s performance by Oct, when data from the ongoing farmer trials becomes available. Officials from the State Variety Release Committee are also expected to inspect trial plots before taking a final decision.
