MACS 4028: Wheat variety
Features of MACS 4028:
- The wheat variety has a high protein content of about 14.7%.
- It has better nutritional quality having zinc 40.3 ppm, and iron content of 40.3ppm and 46.1ppm respectively.
- It has good milling quality and overall acceptability.
- It is a semi-dwarf variety, which matures in 102 days.
- It has shown the superior and stable yielding ability of 19.3 quintals per hectare.
- It is resistant to stem rust, leaf rust, foliar aphids, root aphids, and brown wheat mite.
Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, have developed a biofortified durum wheat variety MACS 4028.
Key points:
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has also tagged this variety under the Biofortified category during the year 2019.
- The MACS 4028 variety is included by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) programme for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
- It will help to alleviate malnutrition in a sustainable way and can boost the Vision 2022 “Kuposhan Mukt Bharat”.
- It will also help to tackle the hidden hunger in the rural areas of India.
What is Biofortificantion?
- Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology.
- Biofortification differs from conventional fortification in that biofortification aims to increase nutrient levels in crops during plant growth rather than through manual means during the processing of the crops.
What is Hidden hunger?
- Hidden Hunger is a state of deficiency in humans of essential vitamins and minerals (referred to collectively as micronutrients).
- Due to not getting proper micronutrients, it impacts the growth and development of the body.
About ARI:
- The Institute was founded in 1946 as the Maharashtra Association for the Cultivation of Science Research Institute.
- It was renamed in 1992 as the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in honour of Professor Dr. Shankar Purushottam Agharkar.
- The ARI is an autonomous research institution fully funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Government of India, since 1966.
- It operates under the overall umbrella of the Maharashtra Association for the Cultivation of Science (MACS).
- The institute is committed to the promotion of science and technology with emphasis on high standards of research and development activities.