Nellore’s ARS develops promising new Rice variety — NLR 3648
This development marks a significant step towards strengthening local agriculture, improving yield stability and reducing dependence on out-of-state rice varieties.
Nellore: The Agriculture Research Station (ARS) in Nellore, operating under Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), has introduced a new high-yielding rice variety named NLR 3648.
Scientists believe this high-yielding variety will encourage local farmers, who had shifted to Telangana-developed rice varieties like KNM 1638 and RNR 15048 due to fluctuating market prices, to return to cultivating regionally developed seeds.
NLR 3648 is a short-duration (130 days) fine-grain, photo-insensitive and dwarf variety suitable for all major rice-growing seasons — early Kharif, Kharif and Rabi — making it a versatile choice for farmers across the southern zone of Andhra Pradesh.
The ARS has been consistently addressing regional agricultural needs by developing several early-duration and photo-insensitive varieties like NLR 30491, NLR 33358, NLR 34449 and NLR 3354, all tailored for early Kharif and Rabi seasons.
NLR 3648 continues this tradition with added advantages. It grows up to 90 cm — making it manageable and non-lodging. It is resistant to blast disease and photo-insensitive, which means that it can be cultivated year-round, unaffected by day length.
It is a high-yielding variety going by the paddy output. Farmers reported an average of 3.5 puttis to 4 puttis per acre (one putti equals 850 kg), translating to approximately 7 tonnes per hectare during field trials with mini-kits provided by ARS, Nellore, said Dr Sreelakshmi Chintala, a senior scientist at ARS.
She said NLR 3648’s adaptability to local climatic conditions and its ability to thrive across different seasons make it a strong candidate for widespread cultivation.
“The seed has already entered its first year of testing during the 2024-25 Rabi season in both the southern and north coastal zones of Andhra Pradesh,” she said.
With the early Kharif 2025 season approaching, ARS has sought ANGRAU’s permission to distribute seeds or mini-kits to farmers. “We encourage farmers to experiment with NLR 3648 in smaller plots and experience its performance firsthand,” Dr Sreelakshmi added.
This development marks a significant step towards strengthening local agriculture, improving yield stability and reducing dependence on out-of-state rice varieties.
