CoJ 64
Planted from three-budded setts, not true seed. A thin, early-maturing cane bred for jaggery (gur) quality rather than sugar-mill recovery — the variety most khandsari and gur units ask growers for by name.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Sugarcane
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 9–10 months to harvest
- Expected yield
- 700–800 q/ha, high juice quality for gur
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released 1974 by Punjab Agricultural University's Sugarcane Research Station, Jalandhar, bred by Dr Ranbir Singh Kanwar; parentage/cross not stated in any source found in this pass
About this variety
CoJ 64 was bred by Dr Ranbir Singh Kanwar at Punjab Agricultural University's Sugarcane Research Station, Jalandhar — a directly-fetched history page for the station and a directly-fetched Wikipedia biography of Kanwar both confirm this. The 'CoJ' in its name abbreviates the two cities behind this naming series, Coimbatore and Jalandhar, rather than marking a joint Coimbatore–Jalandhar cross. It combined high sugar content with early maturity but was initially held back by susceptibility to top borer; only after a top-borer control strategy was worked out at Jalandhar in 1972 was it released for general cultivation in Punjab in 1974. Its impact was immediate and large: adoption lifted Punjab's average sugar recovery by about 1.5 percentage points, prompted the licensing of 16 new sugar mills in the state, and helped move Punjab from a low-recovery cane zone to a self-sufficient, even exporting, sugar producer. CoJ 64 was one of three landmark early-maturing, high-sugar releases from Kanwar's programme (alongside CoJ 83 and CoJ 85) and, for decades afterward, served as the benchmark 'check' variety that newer North-West Zone releases were measured against — Co 0238's own AICRP trial reports, for instance, state its cane-yield and sugar-yield gains as a percentage improvement over CoJ 64.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
9–10 months to harvest
Expected yield
700–800 q/ha, high juice quality for gur
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Historically transformative for Punjab's sugar economy — raised the state's average sugar recovery by about 1.5 percentage points and helped license 16 new sugar mills
- Long service as the reference 'check' variety in North-West Zone trials, so decades of newer varieties' reported gains are effectively benchmarked against it
- This record's own note on jaggery/gur quality is consistent with sourced descriptions of good juice quality for gur production
Things to consider
- No source found in this pass gives CoJ 64's parentage cross, despite searching specifically — its breeding record appears less documented online than its impact
- Sourced material describes CoJ 64 as historically susceptible to top borer, a pest this record doesn't currently mention — worth factoring in given the variety is now roughly 50 years old and local pest pressure may have shifted since
- This record's 'moderate red rot tolerance' claim isn't addressed by any source found this pass (the sourced material focuses on top borer and sugar recovery, not red rot) — unconfirmed, not contradicted
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
Frequently asked questions
What does the "CoJ" in CoJ 64 stand for?
It abbreviates Coimbatore and Jalandhar — the two cities associated with this naming series of sugarcane varieties bred at Punjab Agricultural University's Jalandhar station, not a joint cross between institutes.
Why is CoJ 64 still remembered as a landmark variety?
Its 1974 release lifted Punjab's average sugar recovery by roughly 1.5 percentage points and helped license 16 new sugar mills in the state — for decades afterward it was the benchmark 'check' variety that newer North-West Zone releases were measured against.
Sourced from: Sugarcane Research Station Jalandhar, Punjab Agricultural University, Ranbir Singh Kanwar — Wikipedia. editorial policy.