MTU 1010 (Cottondora Sannalu)
From Andhra Pradesh — the short-duration workhorse of the delta belt, valued for freeing the field early enough for a rabi crop behind it.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Paddy (Rice)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 120–125 days
- Seed rate
- 12–16 kg per acre for the nursery of a high-yielding variety, against 5–6 kg for a hybrid. About 320 sq m of nursery bed raises enough seedlings for one acre (ICAR-NRRI advisory, which lists MTU 1010 for shallow lowland transplanted rice)
- Expected yield
- 55–65 q/ha under irrigated conditions
- Suitable soil
- Clay / black soil
- Disease resistance
- Moderate blast tolerance
- Release
- Released around 2000 (IET 15644) · Andhra Pradesh Rice Research Station (APRRS), Maruteru, ANGRAU
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
MTU 1010 (Cottondora Sannalu, IET 15644) was bred at the Andhra Pradesh Rice Research Station, Maruteru (ANGRAU) and released around 2000 as a shorter-duration alternative to varieties like Swarna. It matures in about 120 days with a long, slender grain type that mills prefer. It also combines good tolerance to brown planthopper with wide adaptability across wet and dry seasons. Those traits made it one of India's most widely grown "mega-varieties," reportedly cultivated on more than a tenth of the country's total rice area at its peak.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick MTU 1010 if you want the field free in about 120–125 days so a rabi crop can follow, and you want a long slender grain that mills prefer. It gives 55–65 q/ha under irrigation and does best in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Its weak point is bacterial blight, which it gets badly, and it has only moderate blast tolerance. Do not pick it for blight-prone or blast-prone fields. Choose Swarna instead if blight tolerance matters more than time; Swarna takes 145–150 days.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeSow the nursery through the second fortnight of June, once the pre-monsoon rain has wet the land (ICAR-NRRI advisory for Odisha)
- Seed rate12–16 kg per acre for the nursery of a high-yielding variety, against 5–6 kg for a hybrid. About 320 sq m of nursery bed raises enough seedlings for one acre (ICAR-NRRI advisory, which lists MTU 1010 for shallow lowland transplanted rice)
- Sowing methodRaise a wet-bed nursery on beds 10 cm high and 1.2–1.5 m wide, with an irrigation and drainage channel 30–45 cm wide between beds. Treat the seed with Trichoderma powder at 10 g/kg before sowing
- FertilizerOn less fertile land, give the nursery 0.5–1.0 kg N with 0.5 kg P2O5 and 0.5 kg K2O for every 100 sq m of wet bed at land preparation (ICAR-NRRI)
- HarvestingAbout 120 days from sowing to maturity — noticeably shorter than Swarna, freeing the field earlier for a rabi crop behind it
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Management notes
- Watch for bacterial blight through the season, especially after wind-driven rain — this is the variety's documented weak point
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Short-to-medium duration (about 120 days) frees the field early enough for a rabi crop behind it — a real advantage over longer-duration varieties like Swarna
- Long, slender grain type that mills and traders prefer over Swarna's bolder grain
- Good brown planthopper tolerance and wide adaptability across wet and dry seasons and multiple states
Things to consider
- Highly susceptible to bacterial blight — needs closer disease watching than blight-tolerant varieties such as Swarna
- Only moderate blast tolerance — not a fit for blast-prone tracts without added management
- Bred and best proven in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka; performance outside that belt is less established
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Andhra Pradesh
- Telangana
- Karnataka
Fitting a rabi crop behind a 120-day rice
This is the reason the delta belt plants MTU 1010. At 120–125 days it clears the field weeks before Swarna at 145–150 days, and those weeks are what let a rabi crop go in on time instead of late.
Do the arithmetic backwards from your rabi sowing date. Count the days your next crop needs to be sown by, add about a week for draining, harvest and field preparation, and that gives you the last safe transplanting date for the rice. If the date does not fit, the gain is lost and a longer variety would have served you as well. The one thing not to relax on is bacterial blight: this variety is badly hit by it, so avoid flooding the field deep, keep nitrogen split, and do not clip the seedling tips when transplanting in a season when blight has already been seen nearby.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Paddy (Rice) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IR 64 | Medium-duration kharif rice with good eating quality | 115–120 days | 55–60 q/ha | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh |
| MTU 1010 (Cottondora Sannalu)this page | Short-duration irrigated rice; rabi crop after | 120–125 days | 55–65 q/ha under irrigated conditions | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka |
| Pusa Basmati 1121 | Export-grade extra-long basmati; price over yield | 140–145 days | 35–40 q/ha — basmati trades yield for grain quality | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi |
| Pusa Basmati 1509 | Early basmati when water or time is short | 120–125 days | 40–48 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Sahbhagi Dhan | Rainfed uplands with an unreliable monsoon | 100–110 days | Up to 40 q/ha (rainfed) | Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh |
| Swarna (MTU 7029) | Rainfed lowland in eastern India; steady yield in a poor-water year | 145–150 days | 45–55 q/ha under rainfed lowland | West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Uttar Pradesh |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Paddy (Rice) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Paddy (Rice) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Paddy (Rice) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Paddy (Rice) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Paddy (Rice) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Paddy (Rice) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Paddy (Rice) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is MTU 1010 (Cottondora Sannalu) rice?
A medium-duration rice variety bred at the Andhra Pradesh Rice Research Station, Maruteru and released around 2000 — one of India's most widely grown "mega-varieties."
How many days does MTU 1010 take to mature?
About 120 days from sowing to maturity — noticeably shorter than Swarna.
Is MTU 1010 resistant to bacterial blight?
No — it is highly susceptible to bacterial blight, its main documented weak point, though it has good tolerance to brown planthopper.
What is the grain type of MTU 1010?
A long, slender grain type that mills and traders generally prefer.
Which regions are suitable for MTU 1010?
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, where it is best proven; it is also grown more widely across India.
MTU 1010 or Swarna: which should I sow?
MTU 1010 takes about 120–125 days and Swarna takes 145–150 days, so MTU 1010 clears the field earlier for a rabi crop. Swarna tolerates bacterial leaf blight, but MTU 1010 is highly susceptible. Choose MTU 1010 for an early harvest and slender grain. Choose Swarna for rainfed lowland where blight is a risk.
Can I grow a rabi crop after MTU 1010?
That is the main reason farmers choose it. It matures in about 120 days, which is noticeably shorter than Swarna, so the field is free earlier. The right rabi crop and sowing date depend on your area, so ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
Can I grow MTU 1010 outside Andhra Pradesh?
It is best proven in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Its performance outside that belt is less established, so try a small plot first and ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra before sowing a large area.
What yield should I plan for with MTU 1010?
55–65 q/ha under irrigation. That figure assumes assured water and a full fertiliser dose. On a rainfed field or with less input, plan lower and treat the top of the range as what a good year gives you, not as the starting point.
Is MTU 1010 safe in a blast-prone area?
It has moderate blast tolerance only, so it is not a variety to lean on where blast comes every year. Scout the crop from tillering through booting, especially after cloudy, humid spells, and ask your KVK what spray the state recommends this season.
Sourced from: Marker assisted pedigree breeding based improvement of the Indian mega variety of rice MTU1010 for resistance against bacterial blight and blast and tolerance to low soil phosphorus — PLOS ONE / PMC, Agro-Advisory Service, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack (June 2024): transplanted kharif rice — variety list including MTU 1010, nursery area and bed layout, seed rate for varieties and hybrids, seed treatment and nursery fertiliser. editorial policy.