H-165
A hybrid released in 1971 by ICAR-CTCRI from Chadyamangalam Vella x Kalikalan. Medium tall and non-branching, it matures in about 8 months and gives 33-38 t/ha with 23-25% starch.
Quick facts
- Type
- Stem cutting (industrial hybrid)
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 8 months (CTCRI); 8-9 months (ISTI portal)
- Expected yield
- 33-38 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Tolerant to spider mite and scale insect (review table); no mosaic resistance is claimed
- Release
- Released 1971 · ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram (Chadyamangalam Vella x Kalikalan)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
H-165 is a hybrid released by ICAR-CTCRI in 1971 from two local cultivars, Chadyamangalam Vella and Kalikalan. CTCRI describes a medium-tall, non-branching plant with fusiform tubers that have golden-brown skin, cream rind and white flesh. It is early maturing at 8 months and gives 33-38 t/ha with 24% starch. The India Science, Technology and Innovation (ISTI) portal calls it a popular industrial variety, 1.5 to 2 m tall and easy to harvest, with 23-25% starch on fresh weight and 8-9 months to harvest. CTCRI recommends it for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Its starch is lower than H-226 (28-30%) in the same CTCRI listing, so H-165 gives up some starch for a shorter crop.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose H-165 if you grow industrial cassava in Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh and want a crop ready in 8 months, two months before H-226. It gives 33-38 t/ha but only 23-25% starch, so H-226 (28-30%) is the better line when starch is what you are selling. Choose Sree Vijaya or Sree Jaya instead if you want a 6-7 month table crop in Kerala.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeTamil Nadu: all year with irrigation, and April for a rainfed crop (TNAU). Kerala: May-June or September-October (CTCRI)
- Spacing75 x 75 cm for non-branching types such as H-165 (CTCRI). TNAU: 75 x 75 or 90 x 90 cm irrigated, 60 x 60 cm rainfed
- Sowing methodTNAU: cut setts of 15 cm with 8-10 nodes from the middle of a mosaic-free stem, dip them in carbendazim (1 g in a litre of water) for 15 minutes, and plant them vertically on the sides of ridges and furrows, buds up.
- FertilizerTNAU, irrigated: 25 t/ha FYM, then 45:90:120 kg N:P2O5:K2O as basal and 45 kg N with 120 kg K2O at 90 days. TNAU, rainfed: 12.5 t/ha FYM with 50 kg N, 65 kg P and 125 kg K as basal.
- HarvestingAbout 8 months (CTCRI). TNAU: tubers are ready when the leaves turn yellow, about half of them have dried and fallen, and the soil cracks near the stem base.
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained loam; saline, alkaline and ill-drained soils are not suitable, and cassava cannot thrive on waterlogged soil (CTCRI)
- pH
- 5-7 (CTCRI)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Matures in about 8 months, two months sooner than H-226.
- Easy to harvest, with good tuber shape (ISTI portal).
Things to consider
- Starch of 23-25% is lower than H-226 (28-30%) and far lower than Sree Harsha (38-41%).
- No mosaic resistance is claimed, so plant only setts cut from healthy, mosaic-free plants.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
- Kerala
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
H-165 and H-226, side by side
The two 1971 hybrids are often named together, but CTCRI's listing shows they are different crops. H-165 is medium tall and non-branching: 8 months, 33-38 t/ha and 24% starch, planted at 75 x 75 cm. H-226 is medium tall, erect and branching: 10 months, 30-35 t/ha and 28-30% starch, planted at 90 x 90 cm.
Multiplying yield by starch gives a rough starch yield. For H-165 that is 33-38 t/ha at 24%, about 7.9 to 9.1 t of starch a hectare. For H-226 it is 30-35 t/ha at 28-30%, about 8.4 to 10.5 t. This is our arithmetic on CTCRI's figures, not a published number, and the price a buyer pays will also matter, but it shows the gap is small. H-226 holds the land two months longer.
So the choice is mostly about time and land. H-165 suits a farmer who wants the field back in 8 months, perhaps for a second crop. H-226 suits one who is selling to a unit that wants higher starch and can wait 10 months. If the field has mosaic disease, neither variety helps, and TNAU points to YTP 2, Sree Reksha and Sree Kaveri.
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 Tapioca (Cassava) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-165this page | Tamil Nadu, 8-month industrial | 8 months (CTCRI); 8-9 months (ISTI portal) | 33-38 t/ha | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| H-226 | Starch and sago, Tamil Nadu | 10 months (CTCRI and ISTI portal) | 30-35 t/ha | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| H-97 | Dry-land farms in four southern states that want a drought-tolerant, high-starch, long-tested variety for factory sale | 10 months (CTCRI bulletin and Indian Horticulture 2025) | 25-35 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin, web page and Indian Horticulture 2025) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh |
| Sree Apoorva | Starch-factory farms in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh that want a stable, high extractable starch triploid | 10 months (CTCRI bulletin) | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin); 37.60 t/ha (CTCRI web page) | Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala |
| Sree Athulya | High-starch triploid, irrigated plains | 10 months (CTCRI bulletin) | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI); 39.00 t/ha (ISTI portal) | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh |
| Sree Harsha | Starch-factory farms in Kerala and Tamil Nadu that are paid by the percentage of starch | 10 months (CTCRI bulletin and Indian Horticulture 2025) | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin and Indian Horticulture 2025) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Sree Jaya | Best-cooking six-month crop | 6-7 months | 26-30 t/ha | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Sree Kaveri | Industrial cassava farmers in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala who want mosaic resistance and a high yield | 9-10 months (CTCRI bulletin); 10 months (Indian Horticulture 2025) | 40-50 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin); 50 t/ha (Indian Horticulture 2025) | Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala |
| Sree Padmanabha | Rainfed Kerala and irrigated Tamil Nadu farms in mosaic-prone areas that want a proven, older resistant variety | 9-10 months (CTCRI bulletin); 270-300 days (CTCRI web page) | 29-30 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin); 38 t/ha (CTCRI web page) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Sree Pavithra | Low-potash soils, cooking | 9-10 months | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI); 35-45 t/ha in a review table | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Sree Prabha | Mixed-use farms in four states that want a medium-height variety for both lowland and upland | 9-10 months (CTCRI bulletin) | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh |
| Sree Prakash | Kerala lowland and paddy-rotation farms that want a quick, 7-month cassava | 7 months (CTCRI bulletin and web page) | 30-35 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin and web page) | Kerala |
| Sree Rekha | Mixed upland and lowland | 8-10 months (CTCRI variety page); 9-10 in the bulletin | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin); 45-48 t/ha (CTCRI variety page, review table and ISTI portal) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| Sree Reksha | Kerala and Tamil Nadu farms that sell cassava to eat and want mosaic resistance and a longer shelf life after harvest | 8-9 months (CTCRI bulletin and Indian Horticulture 2025) | 40-45 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin); 45-50 t/ha (Indian Horticulture 2025) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Sree Sahya | Farms in dry or mixed conditions across many states that want high starch and a dependable, old variety | 10-11 months (CTCRI bulletin, web page and Indian Horticulture 2025) | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin, web page and Indian Horticulture 2025) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Andhra Pradesh |
| Sree Sakthi | Industrial cassava farms in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala where mosaic disease is severe | 9-10 months (CTCRI bulletin) | 40-45 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin) | Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala |
| Sree Suvarna | Farms that want a short, mosaic-proof cassava with low cyanogen for fresh use | 7-8 months (CTCRI bulletin) | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh |
| Sree Swarna | Kerala farms that sell cassava to eat and want a yellow-fleshed, early-bulking type | 7-8 months (CTCRI bulletin); early bulking at 7 months (CTCRI web page) | 35-40 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin); 40 t/ha (CTCRI web page) | Kerala |
| Sree Vijaya | Six-month crop after rice | 6 months (CTCRI variety page); 6-7 or 7 months in other CTCRI documents | 25-28 t/ha | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Sree Visakham | Farms in many states, including Assam and the north-east, that want an old, widely grown, yellow-fleshed cassava | 10 months (CTCRI bulletin and web page) | 35-38 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin); 35-38 t/ha (CTCRI web page) | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Andhra Pradesh |
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 Tapioca (Cassava) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Tapioca (Cassava) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Tapioca (Cassava) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Tapioca (Cassava) 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 Tapioca (Cassava) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Tapioca (Cassava) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does H-165 take, and how do I know it is ready?
CTCRI gives 8 months and the ISTI portal 8-9 months. TNAU says industrial cassava in general is ready at 9.5 to 10 months and table types at 8 to 8.5 months. Tubers are ready when the leaves turn yellow, about half of them have dried and fallen, and the soil cracks near the base of the stem.
How much starch does H-165 have?
CTCRI lists 24%, the ISTI portal 23-25% on fresh weight, and a review table 25%. That is lower than H-226 (28-30%) and Sree Athulya (30.2%), and far below Sree Harsha (38-41%) in the CTCRI list.
How far apart should I plant H-165?
CTCRI puts non-branching types such as H-165 at 75 x 75 cm. TNAU gives 75 x 75 cm (17,777 setts a hectare) or 90 x 90 cm (12,345 setts) for an irrigated crop, and 60 x 60 cm (27,777 setts) for a rainfed crop.
How do I prepare setts, and when do I plant in Tamil Nadu?
TNAU says plant all year with irrigation, and in April for a rainfed crop. Take setts of 15 cm with 8-10 nodes from the middle of a healthy, mosaic-free stem, dip them in carbendazim (1 g in a litre of water) for 15 minutes, and plant them upright with the buds up. About 1,250 healthy stems are needed for a hectare.
What manure does H-165 need?
TNAU: for an irrigated crop, 25 t/ha FYM at ploughing, 45:90:120 kg N:P2O5:K2O as basal, and 45 kg N with 120 kg K2O at 90 days when you earth up. For a rainfed crop, 12.5 t/ha FYM with 50 kg N, 65 kg P and 125 kg K as basal. Gap fill within 20 days and weed 20 days after planting, then monthly for up to 5 months.
Sourced from: Agrotechniques of Tropical Tuber Crops, Technical Bulletin No. 97 — ICAR-CTCRI, 2023, Cassava (variety descriptions) — ICAR-CTCRI, Cassava H-165 — India Science, Technology and Innovation portal, Tapioca — TNAU Agritech Portal, Cassava breeding and agronomy in Asia: 50 years of history and future directions (Table 5) — Malik and others, Breeding Science, 2020, Cassava varieties developed by CTCRI — ICAR-CTCRI variety page, archived. editorial policy.