Madhuban Gajar

Why in news?

The biofortified carrot ‘Madhuban Gajar’ was developed by Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya a farmer scientist from Junagadh district, Gujarat.

About Madhuban Gajar

• The Madhuvan Gajar is a highly nutritious carrot variety developed through the selection method with higher β-carotene content (source of Vitamin A) and iron content.
• The carrot variety possesses a significantly higher root yield and plant biomass
• It is being planted in an area of over 200 hectares in Junagadh has become the main source of income to the local farmers.
• The variety is being cultivated in more than 1000 hectares of land in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh during the last three years.
• Conventional crop breeding techniques are used to identify varieties with particularly high concentration of desired nutrients. These are cross-bred with varieties with other desirable traits from the target areas (such a virus resistance, drought tolerance, high yielding, taste) to develop biofortified varieties that have high levels of micronutrients.

Prelims Question

Q. Recently in news, consider the following statements regarding ‘Madhuban Gajar’

1. It is a biofortified crop variety developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

2. It has high nutrient content but low yield and biomass compared to traditional variety.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question