Dr. YSR Horticultural University has developed 13 high-yielding hybrid crop varieties including coconut, coriander, chilli, colocasia, fenugreek, cassava, banana and turmeric that are resistant to pests and diseases and tolerant to environmental stress. The hybrids include four varieties of coconut and three varieties of chilli.
University Vice- Chancellor T. Janakiram told The Hinduthat it took 16 to 18 years for developing the perennial crops such as coconut and about 8 to 10 years for annual crops like chilli, tuber crops and seed spices. The process involved identification of genetic lines, crossing the varieties, evaluation at the research station level, multi-location trials and mini-kit testing, he says.
The new varieties are tolerant to environmental stress such as temperature, drought, cyclone and etc. For instance, Lavanya, a turmeric variety, has a yield potential of 55 to 65 tonnes per hectare (raw rhizome yield) and is tolerant to leaf spot, leaf blotch and rhizome rot diseases. Godavari Bontha, a culinary variety of banana, has comparatively higher yield potential than Kovvur Bontha . With an average bunch weight is 23 to 24 kg, it is tolerant to pests such as thrips and aphids and moderately resistant to leaf spot diseases, he says.
The university has developed varieties including Vasista Ganga, Gauthami Ganga, Abhaya Ganga and Vynateya Ganga (coconut) and Suruchi (coriander) and Godavari Chema (colocasia).
Suruchi has very good aroma, when compared to traditional variety such as Sadhana and others grown commercially. Godavari Chema is recommended for cultivation as a solo and intercrop with banana and coconut, with an average yield potential of 18 to 20 tonnes per hectare.
Notified area of adoption
“The States for which the notified area of adoption has been issued include Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan for coriander. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu can go for adoption, depending upon the crops and varieties. These new varities were approved by the Central Variety Release Committee. Also, they have been notified in the gazette,” says the Vice-Chancellor.
Mr. Janakiram says that necessary steps such as producing foundation and certified seed at the respective research stations are being taken to supply the varieties such as chilli, seed spices, tuber crops to farmers. “The crop technologies are being commercialised so that nurseries and NGOs can produce the seed or planting material on a large scale to supply them to farmers. Very soon, we will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a few firms for commercial production of the newly developed varieties,” he says.
