Sree Sakthi
An industrial cassava released by ICAR-CTCRI in 2018, completely resistant to cassava mosaic disease from both Indian and Sri Lankan viruses. A non-branching type, 27-32% starch, 40-45 t/ha, for irrigated or rainfed upland in four states.
Quick facts
- Type
- Stem cutting (clonal planting material)
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 9-10 months (CTCRI bulletin)
- Expected yield
- 40-45 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released 2018 · ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram (CTCRI bulletin, Table 3)
About this variety
Sree Sakthi is a cassava variety released in 2018 by ICAR-CTCRI. CTCRI's bulletin describes a non-branching plant with a dark brown stem, brownish green hairy emerging leaves, dark green lanceolate leaves with seven lobes and a green petiole with a brown tinge. The tubers are long and cylindrical with brown skin, cream rind and white flesh. It takes 9-10 months, gives 40-45 t/ha with 27-32% starch, and is completely resistant to cassava mosaic disease from both the Indian cassava mosaic virus and the Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus. It is drought tolerant. CTCRI recommends it for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala under irrigated or rainfed upland conditions.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Sree Sakthi if mosaic disease keeps ruining your cassava and you sell to a starch factory. CTCRI released it in 2018 as an industrial variety, 40-45 t/ha, 27-32% starch, and calls it completely resistant to cassava mosaic disease caused by both the Indian and the Sri Lankan viruses. That is a stronger statement than the plain "resistant" given to older releases, and the Sri Lankan virus is the one CTCRI says occurs predominantly and causes severe symptoms. It is non-branching, so it plants closer, at 75 x 75 cm. It is recommended for irrigated or rainfed upland in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala. For a newer release, look at Sree Kaveri.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeMay-June with the south-west monsoon, or September-October with the north-east monsoon; December-January if irrigated (CTCRI).
- SpacingNon-branching types: 75 x 75 cm in every state (CTCRI Table 7). About 3,600 stems a hectare.
- Sowing methodCut setts of 15-20 cm with about five nodes from mature, healthy stems 2-3 cm thick, discard the top third, and plant them vertically 5 cm deep, one sett to a mound (CTCRI). Good planting stakes show latex at the cut end.
- FertilizerCTCRI: 12.5 t/ha FYM and 100:50:100 kg N:P2O5:K2O. Put all the phosphorus and half the nitrogen and potash on at planting, and the rest at 45-60 days with weeding.
- HarvestingHarvest at the listed duration, 9-10 months.
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)
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
9-10 months (CTCRI bulletin)
Expected yield
40-45 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Cassava mosaic disease (CMD), spread by whitefly and by infected cuttings
- Cercospora leaf spot
- Tuber rot in waterlogged soil
Major pests
Management notes
- Use clean stakes only: CTCRI allows 0.10% mosaic-affected plants in foundation seed and 0.50% in certified seed, so take stakes from a crop with no mosaic and pull out any diseased plant early.
- Keep two sprouts on each plant: nip off the extra sprouts 10-15 days after sprouting and keep two on opposite sides, which means more tubers per plant (CTCRI).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Completely resistant to cassava mosaic from both the Indian and the Sri Lankan virus.
- 40-45 t/ha with a wide starch range, 27-32%, for industry.
- Listed for four states, including Maharashtra.
Things to consider
- The starch range is wide (27-32%), so ask the factory to test your own lot.
- CTCRI gives no cooking-quality note; it is an industrial variety.
- No state-level yield trial figures were found, only the bulletin range.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
- Andhra Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Kerala
Two mosaic viruses: what "completely resistant" claims
CTCRI explains that cassava mosaic disease is caused by two viruses, the Indian cassava mosaic virus and the Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus, and that the Sri Lankan one occurs predominantly in the major growing areas and causes the severe symptoms. CTCRI puts the loss from the disease in India at up to 88%. Sree Sakthi is the CTCRI variety described as completely resistant to the disease caused by both. Older releases such as Sree Padmanabha are listed only as resistant.
For a farmer this means two things. First, mosaic will not cut the crop the way it cuts a susceptible variety, which is the point of choosing it. Second, resistance does not stop the virus travelling in cuttings from a diseased field. Whitefly spreads it and stakes carry it, and CTCRI still limits mosaic-affected plants to 0.10% in foundation seed. So keep buying stakes from a clean source and walk the field in the first month to pull any odd plant.
Can you save seed from this crop?
Cassava is planted from stem cuttings, not seed. Take stakes from a healthy crop of 6-7 months for a short-duration variety or 9-10 months for a long one, keep them upright in shade, and avoid damaging the nodes in transport. The same variety gets weaker if you keep re-using stakes from poor plants, so refresh your planting material from a clean source now and then.
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 | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-165 | 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 Sakthithis page | 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
What is Sree Sakthi?
An industrial cassava released in 2018 by ICAR-CTCRI. It is non-branching, takes 9-10 months, gives 40-45 t/ha with 27-32% starch, and is completely resistant to cassava mosaic disease.
Which spacing does Sree Sakthi need?
It is non-branching, so CTCRI's Table 7 gives 75 x 75 cm in every state, about 3,600 stems a hectare.
Does Sree Sakthi suit rainfed land?
CTCRI recommends it for irrigated or rainfed upland in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala and calls it drought tolerant. It gives no separate rainfed yield, so plan on the lower end of 40-45 t/ha without water.
Sree Sakthi or H-165 for a starch factory?
CTCRI lists Sree Sakthi at 40-45 t/ha and 27-32% starch in 9-10 months, and H-165 at 33-38 t/ha and 24% starch in 8 months. Sree Sakthi yields and extracts more, and resists mosaic, while H-165 is shorter. Ask your factory which starch figure it pays on.
Sourced from: Cassava (variety descriptions, Table 3; spacing, Table 7; planting stakes and seed standards) — ICAR-CTCRI, Performance of improved varieties of cassava in two agroecological units of Kerala — Muthuraj and others, Journal of Root Crops 47(1&2), 2021. editorial policy.