KALANAMAK RICE

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Context

• Indian Agriculture Research Institute has successfully tested two new dwarf varieties — Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652 — in Uttar Pradesh that give double the yield.

About Kalanamak

• Kalanamak is a scented rice of Nepal and India.
• Kalanamak rice is a non-basmati rice with medium slender grain length.
• It is a traditional variety of paddy with a black husk and a strong fragrance.
• It is considered a gift from Lord Buddha to the people of the Sravasti when he visited the region after enlightenment. Thus, this variety has been in cultivation since the original Buddhist period (600 BC).
• It is popular in Himalayan Tarai of Nepal i.e., Kapilvastu, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, where it is known as the scented black pearl.
• The four varieties of Kalanamak are KN 3, Dwarf Kalanamak 101, Dwarf Kalanamak 102 and Kalanamak Kiran.
• Kalanamak rice was granted the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag in 2012 by the Government of India.

Health Benefits

• Kalanamak rice is rich in micronutrients such as Iron and Zinc. Therefore, this rice is said to prevent diseases borne out of nutrient deficiencies. Regular intake of Kalanamak rice is said to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
• It has 11% protein, almost double that of common rice varieties. It has low Glycemic Index (49% to 52%) making it relatively sugar Free and suitable for diabetics.
• It also contains antioxidants such as anthocynin which is useful in preventing heart disease and also helps in improving the health of the skin. It has also been found helpful in regulating blood pressure and blood-related problems.

Promotion

• The government of India came out with its Nutri-Farm scheme in 2013, with the aim to promote food crops that offer critical micronutrients to improve nutrition status of the vulnerable section of society. Kalanamak rice was one of the nutri-crop selected for this scheme.

The problem of Low acreage

• Until the 1990s, the variety made up more than 10% of total rice cultivation area in Siddharthanagar. However, acreage growing this variety in this district declined to <0.5% of total rice cultivation during 2002.
• Acreage under this variety has declined sharply, pushing it towards extinction, for reasons including:

• Panicle blast epidemics in 1998 and 1999.
• Tall stature of the crop causing lodging.
• Long-time harvest (6 to 7 months).
• Poor quality seeds and research support.
• Kalanamak Rice has been prone to lodging, a reason for its low yield. Lodging is a condition in which the top of the plant becomes heavy because of grain formation, the stem becomes weak, and the plant falls on the ground.

New Varieties

• To address the problem of lodging, the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has successfully developed two dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice. They have been named Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652.
• For the old variety, the length of the plant is 140 centimetres, and for the new variety it is between 95-100 centimetres. The problem with the traditional variety of Kalanamak paddy is that it’s tall and prone to lodging, which badly impacted grain filling and quality. The yield, as a result, fell drastically, and the market for the rice dwindled, too. New Dwarf varieties will address the issue.
• The yield of the new varieties is double that of the traditional variety. Productivity has gone up to 4.5 to five tonnes per hectare as against 2.5 tonnes in the case of traditional Kalanamak.
• Another issue was attack of blight bacterial disease. It has also been addressed by inducting blight tolerant genes.
• The aroma of the new breed is higher and nutritional qualities are also excellent.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/fragrant-and-nutritious-kalanamak-rice-buddhas-gift-to-people-gets-new-powers-and-name/article66069818.ece