Masuri (or Mashuri) is a rice that we have come to think of as desi–but it is anything but. It is an indica-japonica from the crossing program at the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) in Cuttack, developed in the 1950s. Mahsuri’s parents are Taichung-65 x Mayang Ebos 80/2, and it is extensively planted in Malaysia and also in Andhra Pradesh, and grows in Bangladesh as Panjam, Burma as Manawhari, and Nepal as Masul. In Gujarat, it is grown extensively in Navsari and Dangs, where we first encountered it as a desi grain.
So how did a breeder-released variety with exotic parentage come to be thought of as a desi rice used even by local communities in far-flung areas? Scroll down to read what we’ve found.
Description
THE CULTURAL & ECOLOGICAL LIFE OF THIS RICE
Mahsuri, Masuri, Mashuri — and all the derivative rices we know as Sona/Swarna-Masuri, or Mangala-Masuri are improved varieties (crosses) developed by Indian Paddy breeding stations. Masuri is a 1950s rainfed varietal from the CRRI in Cuttack, which was not attractive to breeders as “it is tall, prone to lodging and pre-harvest sprouting, has a droopy flag leaf, and is susceptible to several diseases, including blast” [IRRI knowledge bank source].
But Masuri has a cooking quality that is much appreciated in many parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, and Malaysia: medium-slender grains; high in amylose starch, and yet unlike other typical high-amylose rices like basmati, soft even after cooling.
Likewise, Mangalamahsuri is PTB 53, developed at the Pattambi Regional Agricultural Research Station in Kerala [Source]. The very popular Swarna Masuri (or Sona Masoori) was another descendant developed at the Maruteru Research Station in Andhra Pradesh, from the cross Vasista/Mahsuri (IR8/Slo 13//Taichung 65/Mayang Ebos 80). This variety is short-statured and highly responsive to N/nitrogen fertilization–a fact that casts doubt on its native/desi status [our heirloom seeds may grow bushy but otherwise do not respond well to fertilization].
Masuri is not, however, usually listed as an improved variety even in official sources [for example in this listing of Kerala rices], and many communities treat and think of it as desi. How could this be? There are a few reasons we think you should know about.
- Many rice varieties developed in the pre-Green Revolution years (1950s) by local paddy breeding stations were produced by methods farmers might themselves have used, for example crossing. They were adopted easily as “improved native” fairly early on.
- Masuri in particular was not attractive to breeders because it was tall and prone to lodging — growing features that typically characterize native folk rices. It was also productive under low-input conditions — most HYV rices later would produce only when treated with prescribed amounts of fertilizer. It’s possible that the variety was not distinguished as such from native rices for the reason that it resembled them.
- “Although initially not released after its initial testing, it began to spread rapidly out of breeders’ trials and was disseminated from farmer to farmer. By the early 1970s it was the most widely-grown rainfed rice variety in Asia” [IRRI knowledge bank source]
Masuri was thus like a rice that escaped the breeders’ testing grounds and spread via farmer networks, further obscuring its exotic origins. It went desi, we could even say!
MASURI’S DESI LIFE
Masuri requires fields that can hold water, but this is not unusual in itself [most HYVs need specific forms of irrigation]. Hence, it grows well towards the rain-rich southern districts of Gujarat. Masuri or Desi Masuri, as the farmers of Dang, Valsad, and Navsari call it, was one of the earliest rice to arrive at Shalikuta’s kitty. It was rice that we met at numerous farmers’ larders and local eateries promoting ingenious cuisine. “When it comes to offering rice to our ancestors, it must be native rice because that is the rice they have eaten and enjoyed. We can’t offer them hybrids. Hence, we grow native rice varieties our ancestors grew from the seeds they have left for us. Apart from everything else Masuri offers, this is one of the reasons we grow Masuri even if it is on a small patch of land,” Sureshbhai Bhusara, based in Dang’s Pangarbari village, had told us during one of our 2019 trips to his village.
“Masuri looks like Kolam rice, but it is way better in taste, and that is one of the reasons farmers who cultivate native rice for their consumption and sale continue to grow Masuri,” opined Kishorbhai Gavit, founder of Dang-based Sanket Natural Farm.
Masuri is a thin, small, mildly aromatic, long-lasting rice that matures up to 150 days. On the one hand, when most farmers are moving away from growing guava/long-duration rice, it is surprising to see a variety like Masuri thrive on farms and people’s plates. “There are multiple reasons for that. Masuri is an easily digestible rice suitable for each age group in the family, and since it isn’t an expensive rice, the farmers find it easy to sell. The yield is almost at par with those from any high-yielding variety/hybrid variety, plus it has properties to keep the pests at bay, which most native rice varieties attract a lot due to their inherent sweetness. It can thrive even if the farm remains waterlogged for four months,” Kishorbhai Gavit mentioned during our telephone conversation.
NUTRITIONAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
- None known, as of now
CULINARY USES
- The mouthfeel of Masuri is very comforting; it satiates us,” the locals opined when asked about their continued preference for growing Masuri rice.
- The new rice is glutinous, making it perfect for congee/porridge, raabdi, and rotla/rice flatbreads.
- As it ages, Masuri grows harder, making it as apt as table rice.
WHO GROWS THIS RICE & WHERE CAN I BUY?
If you are going to use Masuri, get it from a good source!
- Sanket Natural Farm based in Ahwa, Dangs – Kishorbhai Gavit – +919426164526
- According to most farmers we met during our research they sell the Masuri crop directly to rice mills in their regions.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
- Masuri listings among “Paddy Varieties of Kerala“
- Dalrymple, Dana G. 1986. Development and Spread of High-Yielding Rice Varieties in Developing Countries. Washington DC, Agency for International Development.
- IRRI Knowledge Bank, “Case study: the spread Mahsuri, a widely-adopted rainfed rice variety in South Asia” [Accessed August 10, 2024]
- IRRI Knowledge Bank, “Case study: Swarna, the successor variety to Mahsuri“
Additional information
| Region of Origin | West |
|---|---|
| Grain Shape | small or fine |
| Grain Colour | White |
| Fragrance | Light aroma |
