Pariksha SaathiICAR's Soybean Harvest Day: New Varieties NRC 268 and NRC 270 Show Yields Near 20 Quintals/Hectare Despite Poor Weather
The ICAR-National Soybean Research Institute in Indore held a Soybean Harvest Day on 9 October 2026 to assess two improved soybean varieties it has developed, NRC 268 and NRC 270, the Agriculture Ministry said on 13 October. Preliminary data from one-acre harvests of each variety showed yields of around 20 quintals per hectare despite adverse weather this year, well above India's current average soybean productivity of about 10-11 quintals per hectare. Trials conducted by the Institute and the All India Coordinated Research Project on Soybean indicate that improved varieties and production technologies can achieve 15-20 quintals per hectare generally, and up to 22-25 quintals per hectare under favourable conditions. ICAR Director General Dr M. L. Jat said the results were encouraging precisely because they came despite a difficult weather year, and that systematic, multi-year data collection from such events would help guide future research to raise national soybean productivity.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) was established on 16 July 1929 as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, following a recommendation of the Royal Commission on Agriculture. It now functions as an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Reference: ICAR’s official ‘About Us’ page
Check yourself: was ICAR always known by its current name?
No — it was established in 1929 as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research and was later renamed the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Revision task: from this release, note which specific institute (ICAR-National Soybean Research Institute, Indore) developed NRC 268 and NRC 270, and separate that from the standing facts about ICAR’s own founding above.
Test yourself
Which institute developed the improved varieties NRC 268 and NRC 270 and held a Harvest Day on 9 October 2026 to assess them?
Show the answer
Answer: ICAR-National Soybean Research Institute, Indore
ICAR-NSRI Indore reported yields near 20 quintals per hectare from the two varieties despite poor weather, against India's average soybean productivity of about 10-11 quintals per hectare.
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