Ludhiana, April 24 -- The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), since 2012, has released a series of short to medium duration rice varieties that have seen widespread acceptance among farmers. Satbir Singh Gosal, vice-chancellor, PAU, said, "During the ongoing kharif 2024 season, these varieties were sown across nearly 74% of the total rice cultivation area in the state, with PR 126 and PR 131 alone accounting for 43% and 19% of the coverage, respectively."

Experts at PAU said that these varieties help curb the decline in groundwater levels and reduce the number of stubble-burning cases. Experts highlighted that these varieties aslo have shorter growth duration resulting in less straw generation and provide a wider window for residue man...