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- First potato processing variety Kufri Himsona for HP
- Kufri Sadabahar will boost potato production in UP

India's Central Potato Research Institute, located at Shimla, has developed two new potato varieties, Kufri Himsona for cultivation in the Himachal Pradesh Hills and Kufri Sadabahar for Uttar Pradesh Plains.

Kufri Himsona is the first potato processing variety released for cultivation in the hills of Himachal Pradesh. This variety contains more than 22 per cent high dry matter and low sugars i.e. less than 100mg per 100 gm of fresh potato weight. It produces excellent white chips on frying. The variety is released by the H.P. State Variety Released Committee in its meeting held recently.

‘On line’ testing of Kufri Himsona in the Industry produced excellent flawless chips and its cultivation in the hills of Himachal Pradesh will prove to be boon to the potato farmers particularly in the Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh which hitherto were dependent on only Kufri Jyoti which has now gone totally susceptible to late blight.

Kufri Himsona variety produces white, oval, shallow eyed tubers which have creamy flesh. The hybrid has very high degree of late blight resistance. In spite of release of three exclusive varieties for potato processing by CPRI for cultivation in the plains i.e. Kufri Chipsona-1, Kufri Chipsona-2 and Kufri Chipsona-3, there was urgent need for development of a suitable processing varieties for cultivation in the hills so as to maintain the round the year availability of raw material for processing units located in the plains.

The cultivation of Kufri Sadabahar will boost potato production in the state of Uttar Pradesh which has already a record of highest potato production in the country. New table potato variety Kufri Sadabahar produces more than 10% higher yield over Kufri Bahar. The variety produces white, oblong, shallow eyed tubers, having white flush. The variety is capable of yielding about 35-40 tones/hectare under optimum agronomical practices. The added advantage of this variety is its having field resistance to late blight. Kufri Sadabahar is released by the U.P. State Variety Released Committee.

CPRI released white skin potato variety Kufri Bahar in 1980 for cultivation in plains of Uttar Pradesh. It is most popular variety of the State occupying as much as nearly 70 per cent of potato area in the state of UP. Though the farmers are satisfied with the productivity of this variety, however, it is susceptible to late blight. The farmers suffer heavily in case of early appearance of late blight as happened in 2006-07.

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Source: CPRI, Shimla (2004-05)

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