ICRISAT to come out with 'BT' Chickpea, Pigeonpea

Hyderabad, Oct 9 (UNI) The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will soon come out with transgenic Chickpea and Pigeonpea varieties resistant to pod-borers, its Director General William D Dar said today.

''We are working on BT Chickpea and Pigeonpea. I hope that by the time I retire (2009), the Institute will be able to come with BT varieties'', he said, while participating in the Farmers Day celebrations organised by the ICRISAT.

It was also working on gentically-modified groundnut varieties resistant to Indian peanut clump virus and 'Rosesette' virus in Sub-Saharan Africa, he said.

Impressed with the 'Asha 86564', groundnut variety developed by the institute and introduced in Sri Lanka, Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister N Raghaveera Reddy, who was the chief guest, announced that the large-sized peanut variety would be shortly released in the state as it was best suited to the drought-prone Anantapur.

Thanks to the world's first hybrid Pigeanpea developed by the institute, a revolution had ushered in its cultivation not only in India but also in China, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, its director recalled.

With the development of Kabuli variety Chickpea KAK-2 by the institute, farmers in the state were able to increase their income by 60 million US Dollar per annum in the state, he noted.

The ICRISAT had entered into partnership with a private firm to produce ethanol from sweet Sorgham.

UNI SM JJ VD RK1802