Varanasi : In a landmark achievement towards benefiting the society with its lab-grown innovations, Banaras Hindu University has licensed a new rice variety to the industry for its mass production and distribution among farmers across the country and beyond. The varsity has developed the Malaviya Manila Sinchit Dhan-1 (MMSD-1) rice variety over 18 years of continued research and development, in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Manila, Philippines. This high yield and disease resistant rice variety has been licensed to Trimurti Plant Sciences Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad. An MoU for the purpose was signed and exchanged between BHU and the industry partner on Saturday on the BHU campus in the presence of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi. With the development, BHU attempts to make its Agri-tech innovations accessible to farmers and the common public across the nation. This academia-industry collaboration has been materialised with the constant efforts of the Banaras Hindu University’s Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer Cell.

Registrar Prof. Arun Kumar Singh, signed the MoU for the university, while Mr. Amit Kumar Shukla, Deputy General Manager, Trimurti Plant Sciences, signed the understanding for the firm. The agreement has been made under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model, where the university will be developing the necessary technology, and TriMurti will act as the distributor.

The Vice-Chancellor congratulated all the scientists involved in developing MMSD-1, and encouraged them to engage in further innovation for other crops as well. Doing so may revolutionize the agricultural production of India, he said. He also suggested that in the line of Kisan Melas, the university can invite and host industries for pitching and transferring various agricultural products it has developed.

The major characteristics of the variety, developed under the leadership of Prof. Shravan Kumar Singh, Head, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, include:

• It performs well in conditions of transplanted as well as Direct Seeded condition (DSR).
• It provides high yield (55 to 64 Q./ha) in less time (115 to 120 days), in transplanted condition.
• It performs excellently in the climatic conditions of states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha.
• It requires little water.
• Its grains are attractive, long, and slender, fetching a higher market price.
• Its grain breakage is lesser in comparison to other long grain varieties and it has 63.50% Head Rice Recovery (HRR).
• It has 26.30% amylose content, producing a sweet taste and improving its cooking quality.
• It has a semi dwarf plant (105-110 cm) and a sturdy stem. Hence, it is a lodging tolerance variety.
• Its fresh produce is sticky. However, upon aging, its slender, long grain type makes it fit for certain dishes, like Pulao and Biryani for example.
• It is moderately resistant to major rice diseases, like Leaf Blast, Brown Spot, False Smut, and major insect pests like Stem Borer, Leaf Folder, Case Warm, Whorl Maggot, etc.
• Its early maturity makes it suitable for intensive cultivation like Rice – Green Pea – Wheat – Summer Moong, or Rice – Green Pea – Mustard – Summer Moong.
• It gives an opportunity for the timely growth of the subsequent crops, thereby enhancing subsequent crop produce as well.

Upon the agreement, the university shall provide the company with a stock of Breeder Seeds of the MMSD-1 variety, which will then go through the production cycle in TriMurti’s in-house facilities. The produce will then be distributed to farmers in India and abroad through the company’s marketing channels.

The Lead Breeder of this variety, Prof. Shravan Kumar Singh said that the variety has been released and notified by the Government of India in 2025 for the major rice growing states Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha. He informed that the variety has all good characteristics to enhance the income of Indian farmers.

Prof. Birinchi Sarma, Coordinator, Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer Cell, BHU, said that it is the second agricultural product from the university that is being licensed. He added that this agreement will provide the quality seeds of MMSD-1 to the farmers on an easy access basis.

Present on the occasion were, Prof. U.P. Singh, Director, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Prof. Rajnish Kumar Singh, Coordinator, Legal Cell, Prof. Geeta Rai, Member, IPRTT-Cell, Dr. Akanksha Singh, Co-Breeder of the variety, and Mr. Aman Srivastava, Trimurti Plant Sciences.

TriMurti Plant Sciences Pvt. Ltd. is a renowned crop genetics and hybrid seed company operating across 18 states in the country. It is a major player in field and vegetable crops such as maize, cotton, pearl millet, watermelon, and gourds. The firm specializes in conventional breeding as well as Biotechnology-assisted solutions, and is operational in countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Vietnam as well.