Sonalika is a high-yielding variety (HYV) of which crop?

Sonalika is a famous high-yielding, semi-dwarf variety of wheat, released in India in 1967. Along with Kalyan Sona, it was one of the varieties that raised wheat yields in India.

About Sonalika:

It was developed from breeding material received from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico, and selected and tested by Indian scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, and other centres.

It has attractive amber-coloured grains, which consumers preferred over the red grains of some early Mexican varieties such as Lerma Rojo.

It matures early, which made it suitable for late sowing and for the rice-wheat cropping system.

It was widely grown in northern and eastern India and also adopted in other countries.

Other important wheat varieties of the period:

• Lerma Rojo 64-A and Sonora 64: the original Mexican semi-dwarf varieties imported in large quantities in 1965-66.
• Kalyan Sona: an amber-grained variety released in 1967, very widely grown in Punjab.
• Later varieties such as HD 2329, PBW 343 and HD 2967 became popular in subsequent decades.

High-yielding varieties (HYVs):

• HYVs are improved crop varieties that give much higher yields than traditional varieties when supplied with adequate water and fertilisers.
• Semi-dwarf HYVs of wheat and rice have short, strong stems that do not fall over (lodge) under the weight of heavy grain.

HYVs of rice:

IR8, developed at IRRI in the Philippines and released in 1966, was the first "miracle rice". Jaya, Padma and later many other varieties were developed in India.

Wheat in India:

• India is the second largest producer of wheat in the world, after China.
• Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
• Wheat is a rabi crop, sown in winter and harvested in spring.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Rice HYVs include IR8, Jaya and Pusa Basmati varieties.
• ✗Maize HYVs include Ganga, Deccan and various single-cross hybrids.
• ✗Bajra hybrids include HB-1 and many later hybrids.