Participatory evaluation of Rice Variety Cafeteria held in Lakhimpur

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: A two-day long Participatory Evaluation Programme of Rice Variety Cafeteria was held under Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) at Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), North Lakhimpur on Thursday and Friday.

The programme started with an inaugural speech by Dr Prabal Saikia, Chief Scientist, RARS, North Lakhimpur. Addressing the participants, the Chief Scientist threw light upon different rice varieties, such as Stress Tolerant Rice Varieties, Premium Quality Rice varieties, Semi Deep Water rice and Deep Water Rice varieties and High Yielding varieties grown in the Randomized Block Design in the cafeteria. The programme was organized to enable different stakeholders or farmers to select a suitable variety of their preference based on qualitative as well as quantitative characters and agro-climatic region before released in large-scale production as outlined by Dr D. Choudhury, Principal Scientist (PBG).

Dr PK Pathak, Senior Scientist & Head, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Lakhimpur was present in the programme along with Scientists from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Regional Agricultural Research Station, Extension functionaries from DAO-ATMA, FPC members and farmers. Dr NK Tyagi, Specialist, Seed and Vivek Kumar, Specialist, Extension under IRRI along with Jutika Das, Project Scientist, APART, explained the entire process of evaluation in the Cafeteria. Participants went for on spot evaluation of the 24 rice varieties in three replications of 72 plots at Research and Seed production farm of RARS, North Lakhimpur

The farmers shared their preferred qualitative characteristics as medium plant height, uniform tillering, maximum number of grains per panicle, more effective tiller, etc.

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