Don’t be astounded by the name ‘Telangana Sona’. It’s the name of the new ‘guest’ that has reached the paddy fields in the ‘rice bowl’ of Kerala - Palakkad.
This new paddy variety has gained fame and international honour for higher immunity and a good harvest. It has started becoming popular in our State too.
The breed was cultivated for the first time in the State in the fields of Sudheer Raj, a young farmer, at Elappully Pattathalachi.
Even as other paddy varieties were severely affected by common paddy diseases, including rice blast and others (Ola karichil, Munja etc in local parlance), Telangana Sona survived, bloomed, and wears a green look with raw paddy.
The rice variety popular internationally is also known as ‘Chittimallelu’.
Sudheer Raj cultivated the variety in 3.5 acres of land after arranging for irrigation and other technical facilities himself, with the support of Elappully Krishi Bhavan. The seeds were brought from Hyderabad.
The seeds aged 120 days were sown in a scientific manner; a seedbed was prepared and the seedlings were replanted after that.
A harvest of 4 tonnes of paddy per acre is expected. The paddy of Telangana Sona which fetches Rs 90 per kilogram would be husked and packed as rice.
The Krishi Bhavan plans to distribute these packets of Telangana Sona rice through several farm groups, said agriculture officer B S Vinod and Agricultural assistant V Vijumon.
Sudheer Raj had experimented with a different paddy variety called ‘Mappila Samba’ in the last season, in 4 acres of barren land, and had tasted success then too.
With his Telangana Sona experiment also finding success, more farmers are preparing to cultivate the new variety.
‘Ideal’ rice for diabetics
Telangana Sona is the rice variety that has been developed with an aim to cater to diabetic patients who are generally reluctant to have rice and rice-based foods, to prevent the rise in their blood sugar levels.
The medicinal properties of this rice variety has been proven through various scientific experiments.
The magazine ‘American Journal of Food and Nutrition’ has published the goodness and advantages of this rice variety.
If this rice, which belongs to the cereal group with the least glycemic index, is consumed for three months at a stretch, it can reduce blood sugar levels.
It is the most beneficial for diabetics. Compared to other rice varieties, Telangana Sona has only 51 per cent of glucose.
Rich in zinc
Vadakkancherry Krishi Bhavan is all out with zinc-rich paddy cultivation. Two varieties developed by the Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad – DRR Dhan 45 and DRR Dhan 48 - were brought to Vadakkancherry.
The paddy varieties are being cultivated on a trial basis by Madhusoodhanan from Paruvassery Padashekharam (fields) and Anil Kumar from Thekkethara Padashekharam. The variety has a cultivation period of 135 to 140 days.
It has immunity towards the common paddy diseases locally called Kathir veezhcha, Ola Karichil, and Pola cheeyal. The paddy cultivated by using DRR Dhan 45, and DRR Dhan 48 variety seeds have up to 27 PPM zinc.
It has been scientifically proven to prevent diseases caused by zinc deficiency and to help resolve the lack of adequate nutrition.
