CoLk 14201
An early-maturing UP cane suited to fields where the mill's crushing schedule or a following rabi crop needs it harvested sooner.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Sugarcane
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 9–10 months
- Seed rate
- 20,000 three-budded setts per acre, about 30–35 quintals of seed cane; raise it to 30,000 for late planting (Punjab Agricultural University package for sugarcane in the north-west zone, not a CoLk 14201 trial)
- Expected yield
- 700–850 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate — grown mainly as an early-maturing alternative to Co 0238, not for resistance alone
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
CoLk 14201 was formally notified for commercial cultivation on 25 September 2023 by the Central Seed Committee, under the commercial name Ikshu-10 — the "CoLk" prefix marks it as bred at the Lucknow-linked sugarcane research centre in Uttar Pradesh, matching the state listing. The official notification classifies it as an open-pollinated variety recommended for the North West Zone, and names five states specifically: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, the western and central regions of Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand — a meaningfully wider recommendation than the current Uttar-Pradesh-only listing. The notification itself does not spell out yield-per-hectare, disease-resistance or maturity-duration figures; those details would need a separate technical bulletin from the breeding institute. Trade sources report red-rot resistance and flood tolerance and cite a yield figure of around 380 quintals/acre (roughly 939 q/ha after converting to a per-hectare basis), well above the 700–850 q/ha shown above, but this yield claim comes from industry/trade coverage rather than the primary notification and should be treated as indicative rather than confirmed.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick CoLk 14201, sold as Ikshu-10, if red rot has reached your Co 0238 fields or the mill wants cane early. The Central Seed Committee notified it on 25 September 2023 for the North West Zone, naming Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, western and central Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand — a wider area than most new canes get. It is early, 9–10 months against Co 0238's 10–12, and the price of that is tonnage: 700–850 q/ha against Co 0238's 900–1,000. A shorter crop also helps if a rabi crop follows. Be clear about what is official: the notification gives no yield or resistance figures, and the red-rot-resistance and flood-tolerance claims, along with a trade yield figure well above the range just given, come from trade coverage. Ask your cane council what it has recorded locally before you order setts.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeMid-February to the end of March in Punjab (PAU). We found no CoLk 14201-specific sowing date, so check the cane department of your own state
- Seed rate20,000 three-budded setts per acre, about 30–35 quintals of seed cane; raise it to 30,000 for late planting (Punjab Agricultural University package for sugarcane in the north-west zone, not a CoLk 14201 trial)
- SpacingTrenches 75 cm apart and 20–25 cm deep; 120 cm rows, or the 120:30 cm paired-row trench, if the crop will be machine harvested (PAU)
- Fertilizer60 kg N per acre (130 kg urea) for the plant crop and 90 kg N per acre (195 kg urea) for the ratoon, nitrogen in two halves: with the first irrigation and again in May or June. Add 12 kg P2O5 (75 kg single superphosphate) per acre only where the soil tests low in phosphorus (PAU)
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- The notification does not itself state yield, disease-resistance or duration figures; the ~939 q/ha yield figure and the red-rot-resistance/flood-tolerance claims come from trade/industry coverage, not the primary notification, and should be treated as reported rather than official.
- The commercial name "Ikshu-10" was confirmed from the same coverage and is worth noting since farmers may encounter the variety under either name.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Rajasthan
- Uttar Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
Moving away from Co 0238 in stages
This is an early-maturing cane for the north-west and the north, and most farmers reach it for one reason: they need to come off Co 0238 as red rot spreads. Changing the whole area in one season is a risk of its own, because you do not yet know how the new cane behaves on your soil and with your mill.
Change in stages instead. Put the new variety on part of the area this season, keep a small seed plot of it so next year's setts are your own and clean, and note down what the mill paid on recovery and what the field gave. Ask your cane council which early varieties are advised for your block, because an early cane only pays if the mill takes early supply. One caution: the notification itself does not state yield, duration or disease figures, so the numbers given above come from secondary sources — treat them as a guide and judge the variety on your own plot.
Can you keep your own planting material?
Cane is planted from setts cut out of the stalk, so your own field can supply next season. Take setts from a young, well-grown, healthy crop, not from a ratoon cut several times over, and never from a field that showed wilt or red rot. Bring in fresh seed cane from a nursery or a government farm every few years, because the planting material carries disease forward.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Sugarcane variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Co 0238 (Karan-4) | High-recovery northern cane, only where red rot has not arrived | 10–12 months to harvest | 900–1,000 q/ha, high sugar recovery | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand |
| Co 86032 (Nayana) | Peninsular cane for heavy yield and many ratoons from one planting | 11–14 months to harvest | 1,000–1,200 q/ha | Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| CoJ 64 | Early thin cane for gur and khandsari buyers | 9–10 months to harvest | 700–800 q/ha, high juice quality for gur | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar |
| CoLk 14201this page | An early north-west cane to move away from Co 0238 | 9–10 months | 700–850 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| CoM 0265 | Maharashtra cane with an all-round disease rating, including saline-alkali land | 12–18 months (Suru to Adsali) | 1,500–2,000 q/ha by planting type | Maharashtra |
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 Sugarcane is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Sugarcane plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Sugarcane variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Sugarcane into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Sugarcane in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Sugarcane rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Frequently asked questions
What is CoLk 14201 also known as?
It is commercially marketed as Ikshu-10.
When was CoLk 14201 officially released?
It was notified for commercial cultivation on 25 September 2023 by the Central Seed Committee.
Which states is CoLk 14201 recommended for?
The official notification names Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, western and central Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
What yield does CoLk 14201 give?
Trade sources cite around 380 quintals/acre (roughly 939 q/ha), but this is not from the primary release notification and should be treated as indicative.
Is CoLk 14201 resistant to red rot?
Trade coverage reports red-rot resistance and flood tolerance, though these claims have not been confirmed against the primary notification.
Is CoLk 14201 really red-rot resistant?
Trade coverage says so, but the official 2023 notification states no resistance figures at all, so it is reported rather than confirmed. Treat it as promising, plant it alongside another variety rather than filling every block with it, and watch the crop — that is the lesson Co 0238 taught the whole belt.
Why do I see two different yield figures for CoLk 14201?
The figure above is 700–850 q/ha, while trade sources quote about 380 quintals per acre, which works out to roughly 939 q/ha. The higher number is industry coverage, not the release notification, so plan on the lower band and treat anything above it as a good season.
Does an early cane suit my cropping plan?
It helps in two cases: when your mill starts crushing early and pays for the first supply, and when you need the field clear for a rabi crop. If your mill crushes late, an early cane standing too long loses juice quality, so match the variety to the crushing calendar.
Can I replant a Co 0238 field straight into CoLk 14201?
Yes, but clean the field first. Remove the old stubble and trash rather than ploughing it in, and bring setts from a healthy, disease-free source. Planting a new variety into infected stubble throws away the reason for changing.
What land and states suit CoLk 14201?
Loam land in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It is an early cane, 9–10 months, giving 700–850 q/ha, so it suits a north-west farm that wants the field back and does not want all its land under one older variety.
Sourced from: Package of Practices for Kharif Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: sugarcane planting window, sett rate, trench spacing and fertiliser schedule (zone-level, not CoLk 14201-specific), Sugarcane variety Ikshu-10 (CoLk 14201) — Global Agriculture. editorial policy.