Crop Improvement

Crop improvement :

Developing high yielding crop varieties suitable for rainfed eco system in desi cotton, sorghum and chillies

So far a total of 59 crop Varities (Cotton – G.arboretum (12 Nos.), G.hirsutum (5 Nos.), Sorghum (13 Nos.), Cumbu (4 Nos.), Maize (2 Nos.), Finger millet (7 Nos.), Tenai (3 Nos.), Kudiraivali ( 2 Nos.), Panivaragu (2 Nos.), Varagu (1 No.), Samai (1 No.), Balckgram (1 No.), Greengram (1 No.), Sunflower (2 Nos.), Safflower (1 No.), and Chillies (2 Nos.), released.

Popular varieties : (Photos enclosed for all varieties)

K 12 sorghum

Special Features:

Parentage – SPV 772 and S35-29
Year of release – 2015
Dual purpose sorghum suited for both grain and fodder
Short duration ( 95 days)
Average grain yield of 3123 kg/ha was recorded under rainfed condition which is 22.4 percent increase over the existing check variety K 8.

K 8 sorghum

Special Features:

Pearly white grain
Tolerant to ear head bug
Drought tolerant

K11 sorghum

Special features:

Fodder sorghum with High protein (4.44%)
Low HCN content (50 ppm)
Non-Lodging
Tolerant to stem borer and earhead bug
Suitable for rainfed situation for Southern Districts

K12 cotton

Special features :

High yield- 11.9% increased yield over K 11 (1066 kg/ha).
Potential yield 2365 kg/ ha
Higher boll weight (2.7 g) than check K 11 (2.3g)
Highly resistant to Leafhopper and other sucking pests.
Tolerant to drought even under low rainfall (< 250 mm).
Superior medium staple cotton (27.7mm) and can spin 30s. Ginning outturn – 35.7%
Suitable for low rainfall and marginal fertility soil areas of winter rainfed vertisol tracts of southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

KC 3 cotton

Special features :

Tolerant to Leafhopper
Tolerant to drought
Suitable for rainfed black cotton soil
Fibre strength: Length ratio is 0.8

K1 Chillies

Special Features:

High capsaicin content (0.75 mg/g)
Suitable for cultivation all over Tamil Nadu

K2 chillies

Special Features:

Capsaicin content 49 mg/g
Suitable for cultivation all over Tamil Nadu