Sree Arun
A 90-day CTCRI variety released in 2002 with very pale pink skin and cream flesh. CTCRI lists 20–28 t/ha (potential 30 t/ha) and Kerala uplands as its region.
Quick facts
- Type
- Vine cutting (improved variety)
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 90 days
- Expected yield
- 20–28 t/ha (potential 30 t/ha)
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance listed by CTCRI
- Release
- Released in 2002 by ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram, as a seedling from recurrent selection of polycross seeds. CTCRI lists the uplands of Kerala as its suggested region.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Sree Arun is a short-duration sweet potato released in 2002 by ICAR-CTCRI, alongside Sree Varun. It is a spreading plant with a green vine and sparse flowering. The roots are short, fusiform to spherical, with very pale pink skin and cream flesh, and about 19.7–20.4% starch. CTCRI describes it as early-maturing with good cooking quality and lists 90 days and 20–28 t/ha, with a potential of 30 t/ha. The suggested region is the uplands of Kerala.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Sree Arun if you want a sweet potato that is ready in 90 days and gives 20–28 t/ha, for example between two crops in the uplands of Kerala. It is a near twin of Sree Varun, with a very pale pink skin where Varun is cream. For orange flesh pick Bhu Sona (105–110 days), for purple flesh Bhu Krishna (110–120 days), and for a nematode-trap rotation Sree Bhadra (90 days).
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Early-maturing: 90 days, which fits a short window between two crops.
- 20–28 t/ha listed, with a potential of 30 t/ha, from a short-duration variety.
- Good cooking quality, per CTCRI.
Things to consider
- CTCRI suggests the uplands of Kerala. For any other state, plant a small plot first.
- No weevil or drought tolerance is listed for it. Use clean vine cuttings and earth up the ridges.
- The flesh is cream and CTCRI lists no carotene figure for it. If you want orange flesh for vitamin A, choose Bhu Sona.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
A 90-day catch crop: count backwards from your next sowing
At 90 days, Sree Arun is among the quickest sweet potatoes there are. That makes it useful when the field has to be clear by a fixed date.
Start from the date you need the land. If you must sow the next crop on 15 October, plant the cuttings by 15 July. Planted on 15 July, the roots are ready around 13 October, which leaves two days to dig and clear.
That margin is thin. The roots are not dug on the stroke of day 90, and rain can delay digging. A safer plan is to plant 10 days earlier, by 5 July, which gives you about a fortnight of slack. Check a few plants for root size before you dig the lot.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is raised from cuttings, not from seed, so you can take your own planting material. Take cuttings only from healthy, well-grown plants that are true to the variety, and never from one that showed disease — a cutting carries its mother plant with it. Where a nursery or a government farm sells clean planting material, that is the safer start.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Sweet Potato (Shakarkand) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhu Krishna | Purple flesh and natural colour for processing, in Odisha | 110–120 days | 18–22 t/ha | Odisha |
| Bhu Sona | Dark-orange flesh for vitamin A and processing, in Odisha | 105–110 days | 20–24 t/ha | Odisha |
| Rajendra Shakarkand-5 | A Bihar commercial variety to trial against Sree Bhadra, with no official figures yet | No official figure found | No official figure found | Bihar |
| Sree Arunthis page | A 90-day table sweet potato for a short window between crops | 90 days | 20–28 t/ha (potential 30 t/ha) | Kerala |
| Sree Bhadra | A widely recommended 90-day table sweet potato that fits a nematode rotation | 90 days | 27 t/ha | Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh |
| Sree Vardhini | A purple-skinned, yellow-fleshed table sweet potato, an old dependable | 100–105 days | 20–25 t/ha (potential 25 t/ha) | Kerala |
| Sree Varun | A cream-skinned, high-starch 90-day table sweet potato | 90 days | 20–28 t/ha (potential 30 t/ha) | Kerala |
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 Sweet Potato (Shakarkand) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Sweet Potato (Shakarkand) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Sweet Potato (Shakarkand) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Sweet Potato (Shakarkand) 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 Sweet Potato (Shakarkand) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Sweet Potato (Shakarkand) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How is Sree Arun different from Sree Varun?
They were released together in 2002 and match on days (90) and yield (20–28 t/ha). Sree Arun has very pale pink skin and 19.7–20.4% starch, and came from recurrent selection of polycross seeds. Sree Varun has cream skin and 20.6–21.5% starch, and came from seed introduced from CIP, Peru.
When will Sree Arun be ready if I plant on 15 July?
CTCRI gives 90 days. Planted on 15 July, it is ready around 13 October. Check a few plants before you dig the whole plot.
Is Sree Arun drought-tolerant?
CTCRI lists no drought tolerance for it. Its advantage is that it finishes in 90 days, so it is out of the field sooner. If you need a drought-tolerant sweet potato, ask your KVK which variety is recommended in your district.
Where is Sree Arun recommended?
CTCRI lists the uplands of Kerala. Anywhere else, plant a small plot beside a local variety first and compare the two.
Sourced from: Sree Arun — ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute variety datasheet. editorial policy.