ICAR identifies two new sugarcane varieties

New Delhi, Oct 29 (UNI) The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has identified two new sugarcane varieties in the Peninsular Zone comprising plateau region of Tamil Nadu, Interior Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

A promising sugarcane variety Co 99006 (Neeraj) has tolerance to water-logging, drought and salinity. The average cane yield is 111.48 tonnes/ha with 20.48 per cent sucrose and 16.14 per cent tonnes/ha of commercial cane sugar and has good field resistance to red rot and moderately resistant to smut.

The variety is suitable to normal cultural condition. It is a good ratooner and has a good jaggery making quality. The variety is midlate in maturity and is recommended for cultivation in Peninsular Zone of the country.

Another promising sugarcane variety for Peninsular Zone of the country is Co 9900 (Damodar). The average cane yield is 116.69 tonnes/ha with 18.76 per cent sucrose and 16.33 tonnes/ha of commercial cane sugar. It is suitable for normal irrigated condition and is tolerant to drought and salinity. It is also midlate in maturity and moderately resistant to red rot and has a good jaggery making quality, an ICAR release said.

Now farmers of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Western and Central U P and Uttaranchal will have a good substitute for CoS 767. Newly identified variety CoJ 20193 is suitable for normal irrigated condition and also for late planting particularly after wheat harvesting. It is midlate in maturity. The average cane yield is 75.93 tonnes/ha with 17.88 per cent sucrose and 9.31 tonnes/ha of commercial cane sugar.

These varieties have been recently identified in the Workshop held at G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar.

According to ICAR, four more varieties were identified for commercial cultivation for the North-West Zone comprising Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Western and Central UP and Uttaranchal. These varieties are CoH 119, Cos 96268 (Mithas), Co 98014 (Karan-1) and CoS 96275 (Sweety).

MORE UNI BBS JSS SSC Mir BST1120