PJTSAU, IRRI enter into MoU to develop rice varieties

Hyderabad: Professor Jayashakar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) and the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to take collaborative research projects on rice in the State.

PJTSAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr V Praveen Rao, said the IRRI Director General, Dr Mathew Morrell, visited the university on Saturday. As part of the same, the IRRI would organise programmes for the faculty of PJTSAU on advanced breeding technologies and mutual Student, faculty exchange between them.

Besides, both the institutes would initiate collaborative research projects in developing new rice varieties which would be resistant to salinity, drought, pest and disease.

Market demand rice varieties like low glycaemic index which are more commonly preferred by the diabetic patients would also be developed, the Vice-Chancellor said.

IRRI and PJTSAU would prepare the action plan for rice varieties in view of the large-scale irrigation projects in the State. The research programmes would be taken up on efficient water usage in rice cultivation and thrust would be given on Kharif rice varieties, he said.