India, May 4 -- Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has developed a new high-yielding non-basmati paddy variety, PR133, after seven years of research and field trials. The variety will be introduced in the upcoming kharif season, with the state agriculture department tasked with promoting it for limited sowing in the first year.

Experts said the non-basmiti PR133 is resistant to all 10 prevalent pathotypes of bacterial blight in Punjab. It recorded an average yield of 30.5 quintals per acre during trials conducted across university fields and farmers' farms, according to PAU agronomist Buta Singh Dhillon.

"PR133 possesses long, slender, clear, translucent grains with high total and head rice recovery. This variety produces high-quality...