Wheat variety Inqalab-91 has yet a potential of high yielding which may be cultivated by the farmers of central and southern Punjab on large scale, to achieve better individual yield as well as to enhance national wheat output, not only in current Rabi season but also continue its sowing in next two to three years.
This observation was made by wheat breeders and agriculture experts at a meeting held here on Thursday at Punjab Seed Corporation (PSC) headquarters. Managing Director PSC Brigadier Aman Ullah Khan Niazi (Retd) said: "we must be careful while disseminating agriculture technology messages through print and electronic media."
He pointed out that the mass scale media campaign regarding rust attack on wheat varieties Inqalab-91 and Bhakkar-2002 has created an alarming situation which confused the general farmers of even irrigated areas, while the fact is that the rust attack was only seen on above two varieties on limited scale in only two Barani belt districts of Attock and Rawalpindi and in some hilly areas of NWFP, after heavy rains before the harvesting stage.
In rest of the areas of Punjab and other three provinces no such attack was reported.
Director Wheat Ayub Agriculture Research Institute Faisalabad Dr M. Aqil Khan stated that Inqalab-91 is the best wheat variety, which has resistance against leaf rust and kernel bunt, therefore the farmers of central and southern Punjab should confidently continue its sowing on large scale as there would be no substitute of said variety even in next two to three years.
Sh. Maqsood Ahmad Director Agri, Research Centre Bhakker said that variety Bhakkar-2002 has also shown excellent yield results in recommended areas, thus its cultivation in Thal and other recommended irrigated areas should continue till evolving of new strain having better potential to replace this high yielding variety.
Dr Arshad Gill, Director, Agriculture Research Institute Bahawalpur and Director Plant Protection Dr Ahmad Saleem were of view that sowing of wheat variety AS-2002 should be restricted in dry areas of Multan, Bahawalpur and DG Khan divisions, where treated seed of said variety should be supplied in order to control the attack of Kernal bunt.
Abdul Shakoor Shad, DMD PSC, said the target for the production of wheat seed in consultation with the agriculture breeders has been fixed, according to which, next year PSC would produce wheat seed 550,000 maunds of variety.