Kathmandu, August 3:

The Variety Approval, Release and Registration Sub-committee under the Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC) has released four varieties of oilseeds after a decade-long research conducted by the Nepal Oilseeds Research Programme.

The varieties released were Preeti and Unnati of mustard, and Baidehi and Rajarshi of groundnut. Preeti has been recommended for irrigable fields of the Terai and the valley, while Unnati can be cultivated in non-irrigable areas of the west Terai and the valley. However, the groundnut varieties have been recommended for Terai and the inner Madhesh.

According to NARC spokesperson Bhola Man Singh Basnet, the varieties were released after 17 years of research. The sub-committee claimed that the new varieties have higher productivity, greater quantity of oil and protein.

“These varieties have already become popular with farmers because they can resist aphids (pests) to some extent. It was also found that the use of sulphur and boron in micronutrients further increases the produce of mustard.”