North Eastern Himalayan Region Research Articles

Productivity and profitability of rice (Oryza sativa) varieties as influenced by age of seedlings in north-eastern Himalayan region

An experiment was conducted during boro (rabi) season of 2012–13 and 2013–14, at Gerua, Kamrup, Asom, India, to study the effect of different age of seedlings on growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties. Ten treatment combinations of 2 different duration rice varieties, i.e. ‘Chandrama’ (175 days) and ‘Naveen’ (155 days), and 5 ages of seedlings (40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 days) were tested. ‘Chandrama’ rice recorded significantly higher grains/panicle and 1,000-seed weight as well as grain yield (5.93 and 6.50 t/ha) over ‘Naveen’ rice. Days to 50% flowering decreased with the increment in age of seedling by 2–10 days, whereas total maturity duration increased by 6–28 days. In case of age of seedlings, 40 and 50 days old seedlings showed higher values of growth and yield attributes that reflected in grain yield. There was gradual yield decrease with increment in the age of seedling due to reduced values of tillers/m2 , filled grains/panicle. The yield penalty was non-significant in case of long-duration rice variety ‘Chandrama’, while in case of ‘Naveen’, there was significant reduction in grain yield when seedling age exceeded beyond 60 days. ‘Naveen’ rice with 40 and 50 days old seedlings recorded significantly higher grain yield over 70 and 80 days seedlings respectively. Earlier farmers using their own local rice landraces which were long duration and less affected by age of seedling but with development of new semi-dwarf, medium-duration rice varieties need to be transplanted at optimum age of seedling. Thus, the age of seedling can be extended up to 60 days for those rice varieties having long duration (>175 days) while for short duration (<155 days), it should not be extended beyond 50 days.

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis in Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) collections from northeastern Himalayan region

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis in Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) collections from northeastern Himalayan region

Geospatial Analysis of Seismotectonics for Microearthquake Hazard Zonation in Kohima District, Northeastern Himalayan Region of India

Geospatial Analysis of Seismotectonics for Microearthquake Hazard Zonation in Kohima District, Northeastern Himalayan Region of India

Anthropogenic climate change accelerating monsoon hydrological hazards in Northeastern Himalayan region of India: geospatial approach

Anthropogenic climate change accelerating monsoon hydrological hazards in Northeastern Himalayan region of India: geospatial approach

Effect of nutrient management practices on zinc concentration and grain, straw yield of Paddy

Rice is the predominant staple crop in developing countries in which zinc i.e., one of the essential micronutrients required in small amounts (5-100 mg/kg) in plant is mostly found deficient. The experiment was conducted with different nutrient sources along with microbial inoculants in the kharif season, 2016 at the research farm of ICAR research complex for the Northeastern Himalayan region situated at Barapani, Meghalaya in split-plot with three types of nutrient management practices viz,. organic, integrated nutrient management and inorganic (RDF) in the main plot and three microbial inoculants viz., Azospirillum, zinc solubilizing bacteria and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria in a subplot in split plot design replicated thrice. Grain yield and Zn uptake was found highest in INM and Azospirillum+PSB+ZnSB. On the other hand, Zn content was found highest in organic source and in Azospirillum+PSB+ZnSB.

Evaluation of millets for physio-chemical and root morphological traits suitable for resilient farming and nutritional security in Eastern Himalayas.

Millets are nutritionally superior and climate-resilient short-duration crops and hold a prominent place in cropping sequences around the world. They have immense potential to grow in a marginal environment due to diverse adaptive mechanisms. An experiment was conducted in an organic production system in the North Eastern Himalayan foothills of India for 3 consecutive years by evaluating high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of different millets, viz., finger millet, foxtail millet, little millet, barnyard millet, proso millet, and browntop millet, along with local landraces of finger millets (Sikkim-1 and Sikkim-2; Nagaland-1 and Nagaland-2) to identify stable, high-yielding, and nutritionally superior genotypes suited for the region. Among the various millets, finger millet, followed by little millet and foxtail millet, proved their superiority in terms of productivity (ranging between 1.16 and 1.43 Mg ha-1) compared to other millets. Among different varieties of finger millets, cv. VL Mandua 352 recorded the highest average grain yield (1.43 Mg ha-1) followed by local landraces, Nagaland-2 (1.31 Mg ha-1) and Sikkim-1 (1.25 Mg ha-1). Root traits such as total root length, root volume, average diameter of roots, and root surface area were significantly higher in finger millet landraces Nagaland-1, Nagaland-2, and Sikkim-1 compared to the rest of the millet genotypes. The different millets were found to be rich sources of protein as recorded in foxtail millet cv. SiA 3088 (12.3%), proso millet cv. TNAU 145 (11.5%), and finger millet landraces, Sikkim-1 and Nagaland-2 (8.7% each). Finger millet landrace Sikkim-2 recorded the highest omega-6 content (1.16%), followed by barnyard millet cv. VL 207 (1.09%). Barnyard millet cv. VL 207 recorded the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content (1.23%), followed by foxtail millet cv. SiA 3088 (1.09%). The local finger millet landraces Sikkim-1 and Sikkim-2 recorded the highest levels of histidine (0.41%) and tryptophan (0.12%), respectively. Sikkim-1 and Nagaland-2 recorded the highest level of thiamine (0.32%) compared to the HYVs. These findings indicate that finger millet has great potential in the organic production system of the North Eastern Himalayan Region (NEHR) of India, and apart from HYVs like VL Mandua 352, local landraces, viz., Nagaland-2 and Sikkim-1, should also be promoted for ensuring food and nutritional security in this fragile ecosystem.

Impact of Climate Change on Fruit Production: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in Northeast Himalayan Region

Numerous horticulture crops, both well-known and less well-known underutilized fruit crops native to this region, are grown in abundance in the north-eastern Himalayan region. If grown to their full capacity, these crops will produce significant revenue and contribute to the local economy. There is however, a decrease in their availability even before being fully exploited due to losses resulting from many factors including climate change and related variability. The primary consequence of climate change, among many others, is the changes in the agro-ecological region that are observable in some places where there is the replacement of native fruits, many of which originated at higher elevations, with low chilling-required fruits. In the Ukhrul district of Manipur (Northeast India), the abundance of many local temperate crops of the Prunus species such as peaches, plums, cherries, pears, bird cherry (Prunus nepalensis) and others like walnut, wild apple (Docynia indica), Pyrus pashia, Myrica spp., Rhus semialatus, Rubus spp., Eleagnus spp., Elaeocarpus floribundus, Spondias axillaris, etc. are reduced and being replaced by low chilling requiring crops like kiwi, avocado, low chilling apples (Anna, Golden Dorsett, HRMN 99) and area under these crops particularly kiwi is increasing. In household gardens at higher altitudes, tropical fruits like mango, banana and guava are now thriving; in the past, the harsh winter frosts made it impossible even for the seedlings to survive. Despite employing rootstocks that are more resistant to higher temperature, kiwi is replacing the apple-growing regions in the foothills of Bomdila and Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh, since the requisite quality is not achieved.

Effect of organic manures and lime on nutrient availability and soil enzyme activity under upland rice in North Eastern Himalayan Region

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of various nutrient sources and lime on nutrient availability and soil enzymatic activities in upland rice in North Eastern Himalayan region, Meghalaya. The experiment was laid out in FRBD (Factorial Randomized Block Design), with three replications and twelve treatment combinations (Control, 100% RDN through inorganic means, 100%RDN through FYM, 50%RDN through FYM+50%RDN through Vermicompost (VC), 50%RDN though FYM+50%RDN through Poultry manures (PM), 50%RDN though FYM+50%RDN through Pig Manures (SM), each treatment alternatively supplemented with lime @ 400 kg/ha). Available N, P, K, Fe, Zn were significantly higher in 50% FYM + 50% SM followed by 50% FYM + 50% PM over control. Enzyme activities as observed for dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate and soil microbial biomass carbon were significantly higher by 78.6%, 47.0% and 44.5% in 50% FYM + 50% SM at harvest. Urease enzyme activity was highest in 100% inorganic at flowering. The increase in enzyme activity due to liming was not found.

Cross-Cultural Comparative Analysis of Technological Gap between Tribal Pineapple Growers of Meghalaya, India

The varied agro-climatic condition of Meghalaya favours cultivation of different horticultural crops, particularly different fruit crops, and pineapple is the most notable of them. The present study was conducted on 200 tribal pineapple growers of Meghalaya in the North Eastern Himalayan region of India in the year 2017-2018. The article highlighted the technological gap among pineapple growers with special emphasis on the differences in agro-economic, socio-psychological and extension-communication characteristics between the Khasi and the Garo tribes of Meghalaya in the north-eastern Himalayan region of India. The average level of the technological gap of Garo farmers (61.78%) was slightly higher than that of Khasi farmers (57.85%). The Mann-Whitney U test reported that the mean scores of the technological gap for the farmers of West Garo Hills and Ri Bhoi were indicating a significant difference in the technological gap between the farmers of these two tribes. The study suggested the need to understand the differential characteristics of these tribes and to introduce location-specific technologies to minimize the technological gap and increase pineapple production in these tribal areas.

Allelopathic Effects of Schima khasiana and Michelia champaca on Germination and Growth of Some Legume and Cereal Crops of North Eastern Himalayan Region

Allelopathic influences of Michelia champaca and Schima khasiana were tested in bioassay on two cereal crops (maize-Zea mays and paddy-Oryza sativa), and two legume food crops (rice bean- Vigna umbellata and soybean- Glycine max). The aqueous leaf extracts of fresh dried leaves of above tree species suppressed the growth of test crops. The study revealed that Michelia champaca and Schima khasiana are least toxic to germination, growth and yield of various test crops. Although, germination and growth of paddy and soybean was adversely affected by aqueous extracts of tree species, however, magnitude of toxicity was very less which is evident from the dry matter production of various test crops. Rice bean and maize have been found resistant to phytotoxicity. It is therefore; well evident from the data that maize, paddy, rice bean and soybean can be grown successfully in the proximity of Michelia champaca and Schima khasiana.

Chemical composition, antioxidant activity and bioactive constituents of six native endangered medicinal orchid species from north-eastern Himalayan region of India

Orchidaceae is one of the largest and most diversified group of flowering plants within the families of angiosperm. Medicinal properties of orchids are less explored, but it is drawing significant attention of the scientific communities recently. The north eastern Himalayan region of India is well-known orchid hotspot with prevalence of two-third of total orchid species of the country. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the phytochemical composition of six native, endangered medicinal orchid species of this region namely Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium moschatum, Dendrobium densiflorum, Acampe papillosa, Coelogyne nitida and Arundina graminifolia . The nutritional as well as phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of the extracts were analyzed by spectrophotometric methods. Minerals were estimated by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and flame photometer. Quantification of phenolics and bioactive metabolites from methanol extracts of the selected orchid species were carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) methods. Results revealed that Dendrobium moschatum contained highest total carbohydrate (6.49 g 100g −1 ) and protein (11.30 g 100g −1 ). Dendrobium densiflorum was rich in total flavonoid content (35.54 mg quercetin equivalent QE 100g −1 ) and total alkaloid content (11.70 g 100g −1 ). It also showed highest 2, 2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging activity (64.4 µg ml −1 ). Acampe papillosa exhibited maximum total phenol content (4.09 g gallic acid equivalent GAE 100g −1 ), tannin (3.17 g tannic acid equivalent TAE 100g −1 ) and saponin (7.20 g 100g −1 ) content whereas Coelogyne nitida showed 281.7 µg ml −1 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity. Iron, zinc, copper, manganese, sodium, potassium and calcium contents were higher in the Dendrobium species compared to other medicinal orchids under study. Quercetin (4518.3 mg kg −1 in Dendrobium moschatum ) and catechin (1211.1 mg kg −1 in Dendrobium densiflorum ) were the major phenolic compounds present abundantly in these orchid species. Metabolite analysis by GCMS showed presence of total twenty-six major bio-active compounds (like dendroban-12-one, embramine, scoparone etc.) in these six orchid species. The current study presents scientific evidence in support of the traditional therapeutic application of the studied orchid species and proves that these are potential sources of biologically and pharmacologically active ingredients. • Phytochemical composition analysis and bio prospecting of six medicinal orchids were carried out . • Dendrobium leaves are rich in carbohydrate and minerals but stems are rich in protein content. • Dendrobium densiflorum is rich in flavonoid, alkaloid, zinc, bio active compounds and antioxidant activity. • Acampe papillosa is rich in total phenol, total tannin and total saponin content . • Coelogyne nitida exhibits higher antioxidant activity due to higher quercetin content.

Productivity, quality and profitability enhancement of French bean, okra and tomato with seaweed extract application under North-Eastern Himalayan condition

In the North-Eastern Himalayan region (NEHR) of India, use of chemical fertilizer is minimal due to the unavailability of synthetic inputs, remoteness and inaccessibility. Vegetables are very much favored to grow under organic farming practices in these areas due to high market prices and demand. Seaweed extract is organic and is utilized in various vegetable crops across the globe for multifarious benefits. Therefore, there is a huge potential for the application of seaweed extract by virtue of organic areas. Fresh Kappaphycus alvarezii (K sap), Gracilaria edulis (G sap) and GA3 free Ksap were extracted using a pre-standardized methodology and applied on French bean, okra, and tomato for two consecutive years. Except for 10% GA3 free sap treatment [T8, applied with 75% recommended dose of nutrients (RDN)], other sea weed sap treatments supplied with 100% RDN. The growth (plant height in French bean, chlorophyll index in French bean and tomato and primary branch/plant in tomato) and yield attributes (pod length, pod weight/plant and stover yield in French bean; fruits/plant and fruit length in okra; fruits/plant, weight/fruit and average diameter of fruit in tomato) of French bean, okra, and tomato were enhanced significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with the application of seaweed extract along with 100% RDN in general and T3: K sap @ 10%, T5: G sap @ 10% and T7: GA3 free Ksap @10% in particular. However, T8: GA3 free sap @10% + 75% RDN did not gave promising results as compared to other sea weed sap traetments supplied with 100% RDN. Floral and fruit set attributes of all the vegetables were also significantly (p ≤ 0.05) influenced by foliar application of different sea weed saps. Ascorbic acid and lycopene in tomato fruits were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved with the application of seaweed extract. Moreover, 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assay values of French bean okra and tomato were also significantly (p ≤ 0.05) influenced by different concentration of seaweed saps. Among the major nutrients analysed in the fruits of three crops, N was found to be having significant variation (p ≤ 0.05) in all the three crops, while variation in K was significant (p ≤ 0.05) only in tomato. The available N, P, K content and soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations in soil after two years of experiment of seaweed saps on French bean okra and tomato significantly (p ≤ 0.05) varied across treatments. Higher concentration of G, K and GA3 free sap recorded increased net return and more net benefit per unit investment compared to the control. Overall, it was concluded that application of 10% K sap, G sap and GA3 free Ksap along with 100% RDN can be recommended for increasing growth, yield and quality in French bean, okra, and tomato in NEHR.

Research outcome of sustainable solar drying technology dissemination for preserving perishable agriculture and horticulture crops in the North Western Himalayan region of India

Solar drying in a controlled environment offers one of the best options to preserve perishable crops. The objective of the present study is to work toward achieving UN sustainable Goal targets by 2030 through sustainable solar dryer designs and crop drying techniques based on years of experimentation and field implementation. In this study, low-cost free of maintenance innovative solar dryer designs, and research results of solar drying of commercial agricultural and horticultural crops grown in the North-Eastern Himalayan region of India, are presented. The farmer feedback survey results of field-installed solar dryers in different climatic zones of the region varying from low hills to high altitude snowbound regions are critically analysed. The quality parameters of the solar dried products namely color, reducing sugar, total sugar, and ascorbic acidity, are found to be commercially acceptable thus enhancing the market potential of the solar dried products. The newly developed low-cost indirect solar dryers with automation can easily be propagated worldwide. The market value of some solar-dried fruit products is found to enhance from 29% to 200% due to better quality, appearance, and taste, thus providing better returns to farmers and moving towards sustainable agriculture development.

Morpho-genetic screening and population structure analysis of Capsicum landraces of North-eastern Himalayan regions of India

ABSTRACT North-eastern Himalayan (NEH) region of India possesses numerous unique and traditionally important Capsicum landraces. The extent of phenotypic variation and phylogenetic relationship of the NEH Capsicum landraces is poorly understood. Therefore, Capsicum landraces consisting of 34 Capsicum annuum L., 5 C. chinense Jacq. and 57 C. frutescens L, that were collected from different states NEH region of India, were studied for morpho-genetic diversity. Accessions were agro-morphologically characterised using the IPGRI minimal descriptors. Genetic diversity analysis was done using 20 microsatellite markers spanning all 13 linkage groups of Capsicum. Multivariate analyses indicated that C. frutescens accessions were agro-morphologically different from both C. annuum and C. chinense. On an average, 3.6 alleles per locus were detected. Considerable genetic diversity (polymorphic information content, PIC = 0.46) was found within the accessions. The phylogenetic and model-based population structure analyses classified the landraces into two to three groups with varied species homogeneity with a majority of members in a cluster belonging to the same species. This study provides important information on the morpho-agronomic variability and genetic structure of chilli landraces of northeastern India which will be useful to identify groups with similar genetic backgrounds for conservation and effective selection of parents for future breeding programme.

Geospatial Modelling for Delineation of Crop Management Zones Using Local Terrain Attributes and Soil Properties

Defining nutrient management zones (MZs) is crucial for the implementation of site-specific management. The determination of MZs is based on several factors, including crop, soil, climate, and terrain characteristics. This study aims to delineate MZs by means of geostatistical and fuzzy clustering algorithms considering remotely sensed and laboratory data and, subsequently, to compare the zone maps in the north-eastern Himalayan region of India. For this study, 896 grid-wise representative soil samples (0–25 cm depth) were collected from the study area (1615 km2). The soils were analysed for soil reaction (pH), soil organic carbon and available macro (N, P and K) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu). The predicted soil maps were developed using regression kriging, where 28 digital elevation model-derived terrain attributes and two vegetation derivatives were used as environmental covariates. The coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error were used to evaluate the model’s performance. The predicted soil parameters were accurate, and regression kriging identified the highest variability for the majority of the soil variables. Further, to define the management zones, the geographically weighted principal component analysis and possibilistic fuzzy c-means clustering method were employed, based on which the optimum clusters were identified by employing fuzzy performance index and normalized classification entropy. The management zones were constructed considering the total pixel points of 30 m spatial resolution (17, 86,985 data points). The area was divided into four distinct zones, which could be differently managed. MZ 1 covers the maximum (43.3%), followed by MZ 2 (29.4%), MZ 3 (27.0%) and MZ 4 (0.3%). The MZs map thus would not only serve as a guide for judicious location-specific nutrient management, but would also help the policymakers to bring sustainable changes in the north-eastern Himalayan region of India.

Screening of forest tree leaves from North Eastern Himalayan region as feed additives for modulating in vitro rumen fermentation and methanogenesis from total mixed ration

Screening of forest tree leaves from North Eastern Himalayan region as feed additives for modulating in vitro rumen fermentation and methanogenesis from total mixed ration

Climate Change and Variability in the Northeastern Himalayan Region of India

Mountainous regions are considered highly vulnerable to the affects of climate change. The extent of change and variability of climatic parameters is still unexamined in many remote mountainous areas. This paper aims in understanding the change in pattern of rainfall and temperature for a period of 30 years in Mizoram. The analysis of time series changing trend in climatic variables is carried out by using Coefficient of Variation (CV), Mann-Kendall (M-K) and Sen’s Slope estimator. The analysis reveals that high variation is observed for both the variables in all the decadal, three decadal and seasonal change. The CV analysis shows that the highest seasonal rainfall variation occurs during winter and the highest seasonal temperature variation occurs during spring. Mann-Kendall test shows a significant change in rainfall with November showing the highest negative trend of rainfall. The temperature trend analysis in the study also reveals drastic change of temperature. An understanding of climatic change, trend and variability helps in predicting for better natural resources from the susceptibility of climate change.

Life cycle assessment analysis, embodied energy evaluation and economic aspect study of double mirror reflector box type solar cooker for NEH region of Sikkim

ABSTRACT Clean cooking fuel is currently a prime need of human beings. Solar cooking is said to be one and thus needed to be tested and compared with other cooking options. This study deals with the multi-criteria assessment analysis of a double mirror reflector box-type solar cooker for the north-eastern Himalayan region of Sikkim. Multi-criteria assessment analysis was comprised of life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, and embodied energy analysis. Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) was considered as a reference system for the comparative assessment. The solar cooker was tested for its performance using standard testing methodologies. Life cycle assessment analysis for predicting environmental impacts was conducted using software tool SimaPro 9.0 with a functional unit of use of a device for cooking per year. The impact 2002+ method showed that LPG cooking option had impacted more than solar cooker on human health, climate change, ecosystem quality, and resource depletion predicted that for determining the impacts. The embodied energy and outputs of both systems showed that cooking with a solar cooker can replace around 5 cylinders of LPG annually. The Energy payback period for the solar cooker was found to be 4.13 years. Life cycle assessment results of solar cooker fabrication showed that the largest contributor within impact categories was aluminum, glass, and steel sheet. Economic analysis for substitution of LPG by solar cooker has a positive internal rate of return and payback period of 1.89 years. Thus, this study projected sustainability of double reflector box-type solar cooker over LPG cooking option.

Understanding the effect of shifting cultivation practice (slash-burn-cultivation-abandonment) on soil physicochemical properties in the North-eastern Himalayan region

Shifting cultivation (jhum cultivation), a common practice of converting forest land into agricultural land by slash and burn is threatening the ecosystem. This study assesses the effect of shifting cultivation cycles on soil quality in the North-eastern Himalayan region using a minimum of soil properties. To achieve this goal, a soil quality index (SQI) approach and multivariate techniques were used for surface (0-30 cm) and subsurface (30-70 cm) layers of soils in the forest, jhum land, and jhum fallow areas. The highest variability among land uses was found for clay content, SOC (soil organic carbon), exchangeable Mg and K, CEC (cation exchange capacity), and the Ca/Mg relationship. On the contrary, the lowest variation was recorded in bulk density (BD), porosity, and pH. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) show BD, soil texture, available nitrogen (Nav), available phosphorus (Pav), available potassium (Kav), calcium (Ca) and sodium (Na) as the major indicators of soil quality. The study indicated that surface layers of forest soils have a lower soil quality when compared to jhum lands. Although jhum lands show a better soil quality compared to forests, their continued cultivation without any fertilisation and subsequent depletion of the soil nutrients can cause a degradation of soil quality as observed in jhum fallow lands. The use of these selected indicators for soil quality assessment was useful in terms of saving time and costs.

Improvement of a Yairipok Chujak Maize Landrace from North Eastern Himalayan Region for β-Carotene Content through Molecular Marker-Assisted Backcross Breeding.

In the North Eastern Himalayan region (NEHR) of India, maize is an important food crop. The local people cultivate the maize landraces and consume them as food. However, these landraces are deficient in β-carotene content. Thus, we aimed to incorporate the crtRB1 gene from UMI285β+ into the genetic background of the NEHR maize landrace, Yairipok Chujak (CAUM66), and thereby enhance the β-carotene content through marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC). In this regard, we backcrossed and screened BC1F1 and BC2F1 plants possessing the heterozygous allele for crtRB1 and then screened with 106 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The plants having maximum recurrent parent genome recovery (RPGR) were selected in each generation and selfed to produce BC2F2 seeds. In the BC2F2 generation, four plants (CAUM66-54-9-12-2, CAUM66-54-9-12-11, CAUM66-54-9-12-13, and CAUM66-54-9-12-24) having homozygous crtRB1-favorable allele with maximum RPGR (86.74–90.16%) were selected and advanced to BC2F3. The four selected plants were selfed to produce BC2F3 and then evaluated for agronomic traits and β-carotene content. The agronomic performance of the four lines was similar (78.83–99.44%) to that of the recurrent parent, and β-carotene content (7.541–8.711 μg/g) was on par with the donor parent. Our study is the first to improve the β-carotene content in NEHR maize landrace through MABC. The newly developed lines could serve as potential resources to further develop nutrition-rich maize lines and could provide genetic stock for use in breeding programs.