Muktoshri: arsenic-­resistant rice

Muktoshri: arsenic-­resistant rice

• Researchers have developed and commercialized a rice variety that is resistant to arsenic. Several studies have shown that arsenic from groundwater and the soil can enter the food chain through paddy
• West Bengal is among the States with the highest concentration of arsenic in groundwater, with 83 blocks across seven districts having higher arsenic levels than permissible limits. 
• The new rice variety, Muktoshri — also called IET 21845— was developed jointly by the Rice Research Station at Chinsurah, coming under West Bengal’s Agriculture Department and the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, over several years. Gazette notification for the commercial use of Muktoshri was issued by West Bengal last year.
• The State government’s decision to make the seeds available for cultivation came after successful trials in both the wet season and the dry season in different blocks of the State. The trials were done in areas with arsenic contamination in groundwater, particularly in Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Bardhaman and Murshidabad.
• This variety absorbs very less amount of arsenic from soil and water than the other varieties of rice. The variety yields 5.5 metric tonnes per hectare in the Boro season and 4.5 to 5 metric tonnes per hectare in the Kharif season, respectively
• The work on developing the variety started in 2006 and by 2013 the scientists were successful
• In Nadia, arsenic contamination is a major health problem. So far about 150 farmers are cultivating the variety and it is going to increase in the next few years,
• The rice was long and thin, and aromatic. Across the State, thousands of farmers have started cultivation, even in areas where arsenic in groundwater is not an issue, because of the aroma and the yield. 
• According to the World Health Organization, longterm exposure to arsenic, mainly through drinking water and food, can lead to poisoning. Skin lesions and skin cancer are the most characteristic effects.

Source: The Hindu