KUFRI PUSHKAR – A MAIN CROP POTATO VARIETY WITH GOOD KEEPING QUALITY FOR INDIAN PLAINS

Abstract

Kufri Pushkar (JW 160) is a high yielding medium maturing white tuber variety having field resistance to late blight and excellent keeping quality under ambient storage conditions. It is suitable for cultivation in plains and plateau regions of the country. Specific areas for its adaptation are Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharastra and Karnataka. At most of these locations, JW 160 yielded higher than the medium maturing cultivars. Most striking feature of this variety is its good keeping quality which can be very helpful in its wider acceptability and greater utilization. Other important features of Kufri Pushkar include uniformity in tuber size and suitability for early (September) planting heat stress conditions. This cultivar produces large number of medium size tubers which is a desired character. This variety is likely to be a good replacement for main crop cultivars Kufri Pukhraj, Kufri Sutlej, Kufri Bahar and Kufri Badshah.