MI-Resistant Mustard Hybrids

MI-Resistant Mustard Hybrids

WHY IN NEWS?

• India is set to begin large-scale cultivation of Imidazolinone (IMI)-resistant mustard hybrids during the 2026-27 Rabi season.

• This move is a strategic response to the severe threat posed by the Orobanche (Broomrape) weed, which causes significant mustard yield losses across key states like Rajasthan and Haryana.

• By boosting domestic productivity, this technology aims to reduce India’s dependence on edible oil imports, which cost nearly ₹1.6 lakh crore in 2024-25.

ABOUT OROBANCHE WEED:

• Parasitic Nature: It is a root parasitic weed that lacks chlorophyll, meaning it cannot produce its own food. It attaches to mustard roots and siphons off water and nutrients from the host plant.

• Economic Threat: It acts as a “super sink” for nutrients, often causing stunted growth, wilting, and in severe cases, total crop failure (yield losses of up to 50%).

• Persistence: A single plant produces thousands of microscopic seeds that can remain viable in the soil for up to 20 years, making eradication extremely difficult.

HOW IMI-RESISTANT HYBRIDS WORK:

• Selective Control: These mustard varieties are bred (through conventional mutation breeding, not GM technology) to be resistant to Imidazolinone (IMI) class herbicides.

• The Process: When a farmer applies the recommended IMI herbicide (like Kifix®), the parasitic Orobanche weeds are eliminated, while the genetically adapted mustard crop remains completely unaffected.

• Benefits: This “precision weeding” reduces the heavy manual labor required during the Rabi season and ensures stable, higher farm incomes.