Varanasi: Banaras Hindu University has transferred the technology of HUM 27, a high-protein, heat-resilient mungbean variety, to Olympus Crop Care Ltd., paving the way for large-scale seed multiplication and eventual commercial availability for farmers.Developed by the department of genetics and plant breeding of the university’s Institute of Agricultural Sciences, HUM 27, also known as Malaviya Jankranti, combines key farmer-friendly traits including high protein content, heat tolerance, short crop duration, bold seeds and resistance to mungbean yellow mosaic virus. The variety was officially released in Sep 2023 through a Gazette notification issued by the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare.The university signed an MoU on Thursday to transfer the technology formally to the private sector undertaking. The agreement was signed by BHU registrar Rajan Srivastava and Lakshmi Narayan Das Gupta, marketing head of Sood Seed Pvt. Ltd, representative of Olympus, in the presence of Vice-Chancellor Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi.The breeder of HUM 27, Anil Kumar Singh, highlighted the variety’s potential for summer cultivation, informing that the variety was developed to help farmers make productive use of the short interval between major cropping seasons. Its heat tolerance, short duration, bold seed size and high protein content make it suitable for efficient and climate-resilient farming.HUM 27 can withstand temperatures of up to 45°C, making it suitable for cultivation during the summer window between Rabi and Kharif seasons. Farmers with assured irrigation can use otherwise fallow fields after harvesting crops such as wheat or mustard. The recommended sowing period is Mar 10 to 25.The variety matures in 62 to 76 days and has an average productivity of 9 quintals per hectare, with recorded maximum productivity of 18 quintals per hectare. Its compact plant height of around 44 cm helps reduce lodging. The bold, shiny green seeds weigh about 5 g per 100 seeds, offering strong potential for grain and processed-food markets.HUM 27 contains 28.9% seed protein, strengthening its nutritional value. It has also shown high resistance to mungbean yellow mosaic virus and recorded more than 15% yield superiority over existing mungbean varieties in the region.Olympus will now undertake seed multiplication before introducing the variety to the market. The technology transfer is part of BHU’s efforts to take agricultural research and plant-breeding innovations from the laboratory to the field for the benefit of farmers.
