Karan Vandana - A New Hybrid Wheat Variety | 16 Sep 2019

A new hybrid wheat variety Karan Vandana is soon to be launched across the country.

  • It is also known as DBW-187.
  • It is rich in protein and iron.
  • It has high heat tolerance across the country.
  • It is resistant to yellow rust and wheat blast which causes widespread losses.
  • It will reduce unit costs for farmers as well as return higher yield than normal varieties.
  • It can be cultivated only in areas under full irrigation support.
  • It has been developed by the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Yellow Rust

  • Yellow rust is a fungal disease that manifests as powdery yellow stripes on leaves.
  • These yellow stripes hinder photosynthesis and stunt the growth of the plant.
  • Higher temperature combined with rains during wheat growing season aid the growth and spread of the disease.
  • All the wheat-growing states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, the Tarai region of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and the low lying areas of Jammu and Kashmir are susceptible to the disease.

Wheat Blast

  • Wheat Blast is a fungal disease.
  • It prevents maturation of the actual grain which affects reproduction by causing the host to produce fewer seeds.
  • It can infect huge areas of cultivation resulting in more than 75% yield loss.

Source: BL