LCV free chilli Variety: ICAR, IIHR

ICAR - Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) Bengaluru, has developed a pepper hybrid that is resistant to leaf curl virus

After lots of research and efforts finally scientists at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR), Bengaluru, have developed a unique chilli hybrid which is resistant to leaf curl virus (LCV) disease which is a big problem for farmers and growers.

Leaf curl virus disease is the face of the most devastating disease in terms of occurrence and yield loss by chilli growers. LCV is transmitted by the wheat plant and in affected plants causing leaf twisting, resulting in stunted plant growth, LCV is a major disease faced by chilli growers, where crop damage in affected areas is up to 90 percent. Might be possible. We are releasing five LCV resistant chilli hybrids for commercial farming in the upcoming Kharif crop season of 2021, said IIHR Director, MR Dinesh.

At different level of research in India

We have developed about 55 hybrids through the traditional breeding method after examining the germ from various locations. Five of these hybrids have kept promise and are showing continued resistance to LCV and are now being commercialized, Madhavi Reddy K, Head, Head of Vegetable Crops Division at IVHR Bangalore, one of the scientists in developing LCV resistant Lead the team.

For the first time in the country, pepper seed, private seed sector, including multinational companies, are showing interest in IIHR hybrids, Reddy said, adding the chilli seed market is estimated at over 150 tonnes per year. Reddy said that out of this, the hybrid seed market is about 100 tonnes and the open pollinated variety is around 50 tonnes. The value of chilli seed market is believed to be around 400 crores.

Reddy said that IIHR has proposed a project to shift the technology to the popular biadgi chilli variety, which is known for its color and low sharpness. "We have approached the Karnataka horticulture department to shift this technique to the biadgi chilli variety and are awaiting their response," Reddy said.

Chilli is a major commercial cash crop grown by farmers and production of both green and red varieties is increasing. According to the second advance estimate, India's green chili production during 2019-20 was 38.51 lakh tonnes. This is higher than the previous year's production of 37.83 lakh tonnes.

The area under green chillies stood at 3.64 lakh hectares during 2019-20 as against 3.77 lakh hectares in the previous year. The production of red or dried chilli during 2019-20 was estimated at 17.02 lakh tonnes, slightly lower than the previous year's 17.43 lakh tonnes.

The export value of chilli in India during 2019-20 was 4,840 crore, which was 3.3 percent higher than the previous year's ₹ 4,685 crore. In terms of quantity, chilli exports were estimated at 6.22 lakh tonnes as against 5.41 lakh tonnes in the previous year. Chilli exports have increased by 40 percent in value and volume by 56 percent since 2015-16.

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