GingerKharifPlanting materialUpdated 19 October 2026

IISR Surasa

A 2025 IISR clonal selection from farmer-participatory breeding, with bold plump rhizomes and a slight whitish-yellow core. IISR gives 24.33 t/ha fresh and says it is ideal for grow-bags, sacks and kitchen gardens.

SeasonKharif

Maturity period220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU)

Expected yield24.33 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR)

Suitable soilLoam

Quick facts

Crop: Ginger
Type: Planting material
Season: Kharif
Maturity period: 220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU)
Seed rate: TNAU gives 1,500 to 1,800 kg of seed rhizome a hectare. IISR gives no separate seed rate for this variety.
Expected yield: 24.33 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR)
Suitable soil: Loam
Release: Released 2025 · ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode, Kerala

About this variety

IISR Surasa is a ginger variety released in 2025 by ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode, developed through clonal selection. IISR's variety table lists it as a selection from participatory breeding. It is recommended for Kerala and takes 220 to 240 days. The average fresh yield is 24.33 t/ha. The rhizomes are bold and plump with a slight whitish-yellow core. Fibre is 5.5%, essential oil 1.66%, oleoresin 4.45% (with a potential of 6.27% in the table), zingiberene 26.18% and dry recovery 21.97%. IISR says the variety is ideal for growing in polybags, plastic sacks or a kitchen garden.

Should you pick this variety?

Choose IISR Surasa if you want to grow ginger in grow-bags, plastic sacks or a kitchen garden, which is what IISR says it is ideal for. IISR gives it 24.33 t/ha fresh, bold plump rhizomes with a slight whitish-yellow core, 21.97% dry recovery if used as dry ginger, 4.45% oleoresin and 26.18% zingiberene. It is a 2025 release with no disease rating, no state outside Kerala and no field spacing, so do not plan a large planting from it yet. For a field crop with more published data, look at Mahima, Varada or Vajra.

Key characteristics

Plant typePlanting material

Maturity220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU)

Yield potential24.33 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR)

Disease resistanceNo disease rating published by IISR

SoilLoam

SeasonKharif

Sowing & cultivation

Sowing timeMay to June (TNAU)
Seed rateTNAU gives 1,500 to 1,800 kg of seed rhizome a hectare. IISR gives no separate seed rate for this variety.
SpacingTNAU: 40 x 20 cm on ridges and furrows for an irrigated crop; raised beds of 20 x 20 or 25 x 25 cm for a rainfed crop.
FertilizerTNAU: 25 to 30 t of farmyard manure a hectare and 30 t of green leaves as mulch in three splits, with 50 kg P and 25 kg K a hectare, then 37.5 kg N and 12.5 kg K on the 45th and 90th day after planting. IISR gives no separate dose for this variety.
HarvestingTNAU: harvest after 8 to 9 months, when the leaves start yellowing and drying.

Full Ginger growing guideSowing time, nutrients, irrigation, pests, costs and prices for Ginger as a whole crop. This is the advice that holds for every variety.

Soil & climate

Soil

Suitable soil: Friable, well-drained loam rich in humus (TNAU)

Climate

Climate: TNAU: warm and humid conditions with about 150 cm of annual rain, from sea level to 1,500 m, grown as an irrigated crop in humid zones.

Yield & maturity

Maturity period

220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU)

Expected yield

24.33 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR)

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

Pest & disease considerations

Major diseases

Soft rot (Pythium): TNAU says to give good drainage, choose healthy seed rhizomes, treat them with mancozeb or copper oxychloride 3 g a litre for 30 minutes, and drench the beds with 1% Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride.

Major pests

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

IISR calls it ideal for polybags, plastic sacks and kitchen gardens.
24.33 t/ha fresh on IISR's figure, above Varada, Mahima and Rejatha.
Dry recovery of 21.97% if used for dry ginger.

Things to consider

A 2025 release, so there is almost no farm experience or independent trial.
Fibre of 5.5% is higher than Mahima, Varada and Rejatha, and oleoresin is only 4.45%.
IISR gives no disease rating, no bag size or potting mix, and recommends it for Kerala only.

Suitable regions

IISR recommends it for Kerala.

Kerala

Growing Surasa in grow-bags: what IISR says and what it leaves out

IISR's Surasa page has a line none of the other ginger pages has: the variety is ideal for growing in polybags, plastic sacks or a kitchen garden. That makes it the IISR ginger for a household that wants some fresh ginger from a terrace or backyard.

IISR does not say how big the bag should be, what soil mix to use, how many rhizome pieces go in a bag, or what a bag yields. The 24.33 t/ha figure is a field figure and cannot be turned into a number per bag. For the parts IISR leaves out, use TNAU's general ginger advice: seed rhizomes treated with mancozeb or copper oxychloride, a friable, well-drained loam rich in humus, mulch at planting, and good drainage because soft rot is the main risk.

Start with a few bags in the May to June planting window, watch them to harvest, and note the weight. That tells you more than any published figure for a variety released in 2025.

Can you save seed from this crop?

Ginger does not set seed, so it is grown from pieces of rhizome. Keep seed rhizomes from a clean plot, treat them before planting, and do not use rhizomes from plants that showed soft rot.

How it compares with other varieties

Every Ginger variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.

Variety	Best for	Starts bearing	Yield	States
IISR Rejatha	Oil-rich, low-fibre ginger for fresh or dry use	200 days (Indian Horticulture 2025); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU)	22.4 t/ha fresh rhizome (IISR)	Kerala, Karnataka
IISR Surasathis page	Kitchen gardens and grow-bags in Kerala	220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU)	24.33 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR)	Kerala
IISR Vajra	The highest IISR ginger yield, with strong flavour	220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU)	26.38 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR variety page)	Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal
IISR Varada	Low-fibre, plump ginger with 20.7% dry recovery, for both fresh sale and drying	195–205 days	~225 q/ha	Karnataka
Mahima	Ginger rated resistant to root-knot nematode, with bold, plump rhizomes, for Kerala	200 days	220–270 q/ha (fresh rhizome)	Kerala
Maran	Pungent, strong-flavoured ginger from Tamil Nadu and the Karnataka hills, with a 29.37 t/ha trial result	240–270 days	Medium–high	Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
Nadia	The Meghalaya farmer's ginger (Ing Bah) with about 24–25 t/ha, low fibre and 22.4% dry matter	230–250 days	High	Meghalaya
Rio-de-Janeiro	Bold, low-fibre ginger with high oil (2.31%) and oleoresin (9.06%), grown for the fresh market	220–230 days	200–230 q/ha (fresh rhizome)	Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh
Suprabha	Ginger for drying into saunth: 20.5% dry recovery, 8.9% oleoresin and low fibre	About 229 days	About 166 q/ha (fresh rhizome)	Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha

Tools for this crop

The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Ginger is selling for.

Subsidy and government support

Schemes that help with the cost of Ginger seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.

Frequently asked questions

How much ginger will one Surasa bag give?

IISR does not say. Its 24.33 t/ha is a field yield and gives no figure per bag. Weigh your own harvest from a few bags in the first season and use that.

Can I grow Surasa in a field as well as in bags?

Yes, IISR gives a field yield of 24.33 t/ha for Surasa, so it can be grown in a field. But IISR recommends it for Kerala only and gives no disease rating or spacing for it. For field spacing use TNAU's general ginger figures.

Is Surasa better than Vajra?

Not on IISR's numbers. Vajra gives more, 26.38 t/ha against 24.33, more oil, 2.15% against 1.66%, and more oleoresin on the variety pages. Surasa's special point is its fit for grow-bags and kitchen gardens. Both take 220 to 240 days.

Why is Surasa listed as participatory breeding?

IISR's variety table lists it as a selection through participatory breeding, meaning farmers took part in choosing it, and its variety page says clonal selection. IISR gives no further detail on the farmers or the place.

Sourced from: IISR Surasa (Ginger) — ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Spice varieties: significant characteristics of ginger varieties — ICAR-IISR (ITM-ABI), Ginger — TNAU Agritech Portal (season, seed rate, spacing, manuring, soft rot). editorial policy.