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To VL Gehun 953-a high yielding variety was released by Uttarakhand seed SubCommittee and notified by Central SubCommittee on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Variety for commercial cultivation under irrigated inorganic production conditions of Uttarakhand Plains and timely sown irrigated organic production situations of Uttarakhand hills. It recorded (3.34 tha-1) 7.46% higher grain yield compared to the best check VL Gehun 907 under irrigated organic conditions of Uttarakhand hills. Likewise, it produced (4.47 tha-1) 6.93% higher grain yield compared to the best check PBW 343 under irrigated situations of Uttarakhand Plains. It provided greater level of resistance to both stripe and leaf rust and recorded average coefficient of infection (ACI) of 0.27 for stripe rust and 2.0 for leaf rust under artificial inoculation situations, respectively. It contains 10.4 % average protein and 82.8 kghl-1 hectoliter weight, therefore, possessing good quality for chapatti making with good flour recovery. The large scale demonstrations conducted in different districts of Uttarakhand has proved its acceptability among the farmers. The spread of this variety in entire Uttarakhand state (Hills under organic and Plains under inorganic conditions) is anticipated to enhance wheat productivity of the state. In addition, it would also help in curtailing the rust inoculum both in hills as well as plains of Uttarakhand owing to its better resistance.

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Wheat is a major rabi crop grown in hills of Uttarakhand although still under subsistence farming at a majority of the places. Consequently, there is a great scope of increasing the production and productivity in the region with scientific interventions. Frontline demonstrations (FLDs) of improved high yielding varieties viz., VL Gehun 907 and VL Gehun 953 were conducted by ICAR-VPKAS, Almora during rabi 2014-15, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 covering a total of 252 farmers. The yield and economic returns of FLD plots were compared with the corresponding farmers' practices. Results revealed that technology index was much lower for VL Gehun 953 (range 8.2 to 23.6) than VL Gehun 907 (range 27.9 to 44.4) at farmers' field which shows that VL Gehun 953 has more potential to achieve higher yield levels under hill conditions. Both the varieties recorded higher gross returns, net returns and B:C ratio in demonstrated plot. The profitability analysis exhibited that VL Gehun 907 with B: