Kufri Bahar
From CPRI Shimla — a dual-purpose potato for both the table market and processing, among the most widely grown on the northern plains after Kufri Jyoti.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Potato
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 90–100 days
- Seed rate
- 13–18 quintals of seed tubers per acre, 40–50 g each, raised by the seed-plot technique
- Expected yield
- 300–350 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to early and late blight; immune to wart
- Release
- Released 1980 · ICAR-CPRI, Shimla · cross Kufri Red × Gineke
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kufri Bahar was released in 1980 by ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla, from the cross Kufri Red × Gineke. It is a semi-vigorous, input-responsive mid-season variety that became one of the most widely grown potatoes across the Indo-Gangetic plains, valued for its dual-purpose tubers — equally suited to the fresh table market and to processing — and for good keeping quality in storage.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Kufri Bahar if you farm the northern plains with steady irrigation and fertilizer, and want one potato you can sell fresh or to a processor. It takes 90–100 days and gives 300–350 q/ha, and it keeps well in storage. It responds to inputs, so yield falls more if your management is uneven. It is susceptible to early and late blight, so plan a spray schedule before you plant. Choose Kufri Jyoti if you farm with lower inputs. Choose Kufri Pukhraj if you want an earlier crop.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeLast week of September to mid-October for the autumn crop, second fortnight of January for spring. It is a medium-maturing variety, so late planting eats directly into the bulking period (PAU)
- Seed rate13–18 quintals of seed tubers per acre, 40–50 g each, raised by the seed-plot technique
- SpacingRidges 60 cm apart with 20 cm between tubers; 65 x 18.5 cm or 75 x 15 cm for machine planting
- Sowing methodRidge planting with a ridger, seed treated against black scurf. Earth up 25–30 days after planting with a double mould-board plough or ridger — this variety is late-blight susceptible, so keep the fungicide sprays on schedule
- IrrigationIrrigate immediately after planting, then keep it light and frequent — 7 to 8 irrigations through the crop
- Fertilizer20 tonnes farmyard manure with 75 kg N (165 kg urea), 25 kg P2O5 and 25 kg K2O per acre. Drill all the phosphorus and potash and half the nitrogen at planting, the rest at earthing up. More nitrogen than this does not pay (PAU)
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Susceptible to early and late blight, charcoal rot, viruses and cyst nematode
- Immune to wart disease
- Tolerant to gemini virus
- Slow rate of seed degeneration in storage
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Dual-purpose tubers — good for both the fresh table market and processing, unlike single-purpose varieties
- Semi-vigorous, input-responsive plant that rewards good management with a solid yield
- Good keeping quality and a slow rate of seed degeneration in storage
Things to consider
- No built-in blight protection — susceptible to both early and late blight, needs a planned spray schedule
- Input-responsive means yield drops off more than a low-input variety like Kufri Jyoti if management is inconsistent
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab
- Bihar
- West Bengal
Table or processing: decide before you lift
Kufri Bahar is a dual-purpose potato, which means the same crop can go to the fresh table market or to a processor. The decision is not made at the mandi gate, it is made while the crop is still in the ground, because the two buyers want different tuber sizes.
Ask your buyer early what grade he takes. If the table market near you pays for medium, even tubers, lift on time and grade hard, keeping the oversized and the cut ones for home or for the local trade. If a processor is buying, ask what size and quality he specifies and whether he deducts for greening and cuts. Because this variety is input-responsive, do not short it on water and fertilizer; and because it has no blight protection, a planned spray schedule has to run through the season either way.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is grown from tubers, so your own field can supply next season. Keep medium-sized, firm tubers from healthy plants, store them cool and dark, and throw out anything soft or rotting — the disease travels inside the tuber. Replace your stock with certified planting material every few seasons, because virus builds up quietly year after year.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Potato variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kufri Baharthis page | Dual-purpose potato for good-input northern plains farms | 90–100 days | 300–350 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, West Bengal |
| Kufri Chipsona (processing) | Chips and crisps, usually grown on contract | 100–110 days | 280–320 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat |
| Kufri Jyoti | Safe default potato, even with low inputs | 90–100 days | 250–300 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab |
| Kufri Pukhraj | Early, low-input potato for quick lifting | 70–80 days | 300–350 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat |
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 Potato is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Potato plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Potato variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Potato into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Potato rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Potato seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Kufri Bahar a "dual-purpose" potato?
Its tubers work equally well for the fresh table market and for processing, unlike varieties bred for only one use — that flexibility, plus good storage keeping quality, is why it spread widely across the Indo-Gangetic plains.
Kufri Bahar or Kufri Jyoti: which should I grow?
Kufri Bahar gives 300–350 q/ha in 90–100 days and is dual-purpose, but it needs steady inputs. Kufri Jyoti gives 250–300 q/ha, grows across hills, plains and plateaus, and has moderate blight resistance. Pick Bahar for a good-input farm. Pick Jyoti for a safer, lower-input crop.
Does Kufri Bahar need a blight spray?
Yes. It is susceptible to both early and late blight and has no built-in blight protection. Plan a spray schedule before you plant, especially in a humid winter.
Can I use my own Kufri Bahar potatoes as seed?
It has a slow rate of seed degeneration in storage, so saved tubers hold up better than many varieties. Still, viruses build up in saved seed over the years, so replace it with fresh certified seed when yield or tuber quality slips.
How long does Kufri Bahar take, and when should I lift it?
90–100 days. Cut the haulms about 10 days before you dig so the skin sets, then lift. A tuber lifted with soft skin bruises on the way to the mandi and will not hold in store.
Is Kufri Bahar safe from wart disease?
Yes, it is immune to wart, which matters in the Darjeeling hills where wart is a quarantine problem. That immunity does not cover blight. It is susceptible to both early and late blight, so the spray schedule still applies.
Sourced from: KUFRI BAHAR variety profile — PotatoPro, Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: potato planting dates, seed rate, spacing, earthing up, fertiliser and irrigation. editorial policy.