The Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Research Council, Shahjahanpur, has developed a new high-yielding sugarcane variety named ‘Bismil’, after freedom fighter Ram Prasad Bismil, which has now been approved for cultivation in four more states, officials said on Thursday.
The variety, earlier approved only for Uttar Pradesh, has received clearance for cultivation in Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan following approval by the central committee, Council Director V K Shukla said.
Developed under the All India Coordinated Research Project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the variety is officially designated as CoSha 17231 (Coimbatore-Shahjahanpur).
It is resistant to red rot disease, a major threat to sugarcane crops, and has an average yield potential of 86.35 tonnes per hectare with a sugar recovery (pol per cent in cane) of 13.97 per cent, its breeder Dr Arvind Kumar said.
Senior scientist Ajay Tiwari said the new variety would significantly boost farmers’ income while also enhancing sugar production.
