Sree Hira
Released by CTCRI's Bhubaneswar Regional Station specifically for Odisha, tolerant to the leaf blight very prevalent in the state's traditional varieties, with very low acridity and good cooking quality.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Arbi (Taro)
- Type
- Corm / cormel (vegetative)
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- ~180 days
- Seed rate
- Cormels, planted to give the standard 45–60 cm × 30–45 cm spacing
- Expected yield
- ~18 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Rainfed upland to irrigated medium/low land
- Release
- Published April 2023 as a CTCRI Regional Station, Bhubaneswar technical leaflet, developed by M. Nedunchezhiyan, Kalidas Pati, V.B.S. Chauhan, K. Laxminarayana and M.N. Sheela
About this variety
Sree Hira is an elite taro (Colocasia esculenta) variety developed at the Regional Centre of ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Bhubaneswar, and published in an April 2023 CTCRI technical leaflet specifically for Odisha conditions — suitable for both rainfed upland and irrigated medium/low land. Its standout trait is tolerance to taro leaf blight, described in the leaflet as "very prevalent in traditional varieties of Odisha," making it a direct answer to the region's biggest taro disease problem. The plant matures in about 180 days, producing 12–16 cormels per plant, each 14–18 cm long, for a cormel yield of about 18 t/ha. The corms carry 17.4% starch and 1.2% sugar on a fresh-weight basis, have good palatability with a "mealy" texture and aroma, and — notably — very low acridity, with calcium oxalate measured at just 9.2 mg/100 g. The crop is grown on 700–1,000 mm rainfall or its irrigated equivalent, is tolerant of both drought and short submergence, and responds to a fertiliser dose of 80:60:80 kg/ha N:P:K with 10 t/ha FYM, at pH 5.5–7.0.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rateCormels, planted to give the standard 45–60 cm × 30–45 cm spacing
- SpacingRidges/rows 45–60 cm apart, cormels 30–45 cm apart in the row
- Fertilizer80:60:80 kg/ha N:P:K with 10 t/ha FYM, per the CTCRI Bhubaneswar technical leaflet
Soil & climate
Soil
- pH
- 5.5–7.0
Climate
- Irrigation
- 700–1,000 mm; drought and short-submergence tolerant
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
~180 days
Expected yield
~18 t/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Tolerant to leaf blight
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Tolerant to taro leaf blight, described by CTCRI as "very prevalent in traditional varieties of Odisha" — a direct fix for the region's main taro disease
- Very low acridity (calcium oxalate ~9.2 mg/100 g) with good cooking quality, palatability and aroma
- Suited to both rainfed upland and irrigated medium/low land, and tolerant of both drought and short submergence
Things to consider
- Developed and documented specifically for Odisha conditions; performance elsewhere is not separately confirmed here
- Shorter duration (~180 days) than several other CTCRI releases trades off some of the higher yield potential seen in longer-duration varieties like Sree Kiran
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Odisha