Agri varsitydevelops high-quality protein maize hybrid variety

The Regional Research Station of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), Karnal, has developed a high yielding, high-quality protein maize (HQPM) variety 28 for fodder purposes.

This hybrid has been released and notified for cultivation in the central zone of India comprising the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for kharif season by the central sub-committee on crop standards and release of varieties for agricultural crops.

Vice-Chancellor Prof BR Kamboj said the new hybrid HQPM 28, apart from giving higher yield, is nutritionally rich and resistant to maydis leaf blight disease and moderately resistant to major insect fall army worm (FAW) under artificial infestation conditions. This hybrid will give a boost to the silage industry having a fodder yield potential of 550-600 quintals/ha. This hybrid gives 352 quintals/ha green fodder yield and 79 quintals/ha dry matter yield with higher per day productivity for green fodder yield (6.1 quintal/ha/day). HQPM 28 becomes ready to harvest in just 60 -70 days after sowing.

The VC said it was also rich in quality parameters such as protein in plant (8.7 per cent), acid detergent fibre (42.4 per cent), neutral detergent fibre (65 per cent) and in vitro digestibility (54 per cent) that made HQPM 28 superior in digestibility traits compared to the existing hybrids. He congratulated the scientists of Regional Research Station, Karnal, for this achievement and called upon them to continue their efforts in future as well.

Director of Research, Rajbir Garg, said being a three-way cross hybrid, HQPM 28’s seed production was economical. Being a QPM hybrid, it was nutritionally rich having double the content of essential amino acids — lysine and tryptophan — as compared to normal maize, he said.