May 20: The International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics has released 735 highly-nutritious and drought-tolerant crop varieties developed using germplasm and breeding materials in 78 countries, including Andhra Pradesh in India, significantly contributing to increased income and better nutrition of resource-poor people in the dry land tropics.

In Anantapur, where over 50 per cent of farm income comes from groundnut, the new variety ICGV 91114 from Icrisat increases yield by 23 per cent and is characterised by its “drought tolerance, higher-value large seeds, more uniform harvest maturity, disease tolerance and greater palatability of haulms (straw) for livestock”.

Cows fed on these haulms produce 11 per cent more milk. By 2020, the impact of this variety in Anantapur is projected to increase to 35 per cent from 0.75 million ha of groundnut, according to the Icrisat director, Mr General William D. Dar. Using Icrisat germplasm and breeding materials, 735 varieties or hybrids have been released — sorghum (242), pearl millet (163), groundnut (145), chickpea (120), and pigeon pea (65). Of these, 347 are in Asia (198 in India), 319 in sub-Saharan Africa (183 in east and southern Africa and 136 in west and central Africa) and 69 in the rest of the world.