CoLk 12209 (Ikshu-7): A new mid-late maturing sugarcane variety for north central and north east zone of sub-tropical India

Sugarcane improvement programmes in India have concentrated on development of improved varieties suited to the different locations. Along with the early maturing sugarcane varieties, mid-late maturing varieties facilitate a proper varietal planning for efficient and extended functioning of sugar mills. ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow has developed a mid-late maturing variety CoLk 12209 (Ikshu-7) for commercial cultivation in sugarcane growing states in the north central and north east zone. CoLk 12209 was tested in 6 locations in this zone along with three other test entries and was compared with the standard varieties viz., BO 91 and CoP 9301. The variety gave the best performance among all the genotypes tested, with an improvement of 15.5% and 16.28 % in CCS yield and cane yield respectively, over the standard variety BO 91. This variety exhibited ‘Resistant’ to ‘Moderately Resistant’ reactions against the major diseases and is ‘Least Susceptible’ to the major insect pests. Ikshu-7 was identified for notification by the Varietal Release Committee of AICRP (Sugarcane) held at Bangalore during October 2018 and was notified for release in the zone, vide Gazette notification No. S.O.1498 (E) dated the 1st April 2019.