IISR Alleppey Supreme
A Kerala-origin release known for high curcumin and attractive deep-orange interior, favoured for colour value.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Turmeric
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- About 210 days
- Expected yield
- 35.4 t/ha fresh (IISR table) or 19.94 t/ha (IISR variety page)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Tolerant to leaf blotch
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
IISR Alleppey Supreme was released in 2004 by the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) as an AFT (Alleppey Finger Turmeric) selection. It refines the Alleppey type of turmeric, long known for its deep colour and export value from the Alappuzha belt of Kerala. IISR lists it for rainfed cultivation in Kerala and, under irrigation, in Maharashtra, Karnataka and North Bengal. Its curcumin is 5.5% and its oleoresin 16%, with reddish-orange rhizomes and about 19% dry recovery. It matures in about 210 days. IISR's pages disagree on its yield: its variety table and its 2025 review in Indian Horticulture give 35.4 t/ha fresh, while its variety page gives a potential of 19.94 t/ha fresh and 5.28 t/ha dry.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Alleppey Supreme when colour is what you sell. Its 16% oleoresin is the highest of any turmeric on this site and its 5.5% curcumin is at the top of the ordinary range, and the reddish-orange rhizome is what a colour buyer looks at before he tests anything — that is the whole reason to plant it. Whether that colour pays is up to your buyer, so get his pricing agreed before you plant, not after. IISR's own pages disagree on its fresh yield (35.4 t/ha on its table and in its 2025 review, 19.94 t/ha on the variety page), so do not count on a weight advantage or a weight penalty. At about 210 days it is middling in length, and IISR lists it for rainfed Kerala and for irrigated Maharashtra, Karnataka and North Bengal. For a shorter 190-day crop at 4.9% curcumin, take Suguna.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- IISR's pages do not agree on yield. Its variety table and its 2025 review in Indian Horticulture give 35.4 t/ha fresh (the table adds 5.58 t/ha dry). Its variety page gives 19.94 t/ha fresh and 5.28 t/ha dry, and 5.28 t/ha dry would need about 28 t/ha fresh at 19% recovery, which fits neither fresh figure. The 250–300 q/ha seen elsewhere has no IISR source. Ask your KVK for a plot-level figure before you budget on any of them.
- The 2025 review also lists 6.0% curcumin, 19.3% dry recovery and 210–240 days, against the 5.5%, 19% and 210 days on the variety page that this page uses. The table gives 5.55% curcumin.
- IISR names tolerance to leaf blotch (Taphrina maculans). It does not separately confirm rhizome-rot resistance, so keep your usual seed-rhizome treatment and field drainage.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
- Karnataka
- Maharashtra
- West Bengal
Selling colour: what to ask your buyer before you plant
Alleppey Supreme is bought for colour, not for weight. What it gives is 5.5% curcumin, 16% oleoresin and reddish-orange rhizomes, and that only pays if your buyer pays for it. IISR's pages disagree on its fresh yield (35.4 or 19.94 t/ha), so do not plan the sale around a weight advantage or a weight penalty.
Before planting, ask your buyer three things: whether he pays a premium for curcumin or colour, what curcumin figure he tests for, and whether he tests every lot. If he buys by weight alone, the colour earns you nothing extra, so choose on yield.
Work out the sum. Suppose a heavier variety gives 100 q/ha more fresh. The colour premium has to cover that gap before Alleppey Supreme is the better crop. If you cannot get a firm answer from a buyer, plant a small plot first.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is planted from rhizomes, so your own field can supply next season. Lift plump rhizomes with healthy buds from plants that showed no rot or yellowing, store them where it is cool, dry and dark, and leave out every soft or mouldy piece — rot carries over in the planting material. Take fresh, clean rhizomes from a research station, a KVK or a government farm when yields drop.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Turmeric variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IISR Alleppey Supremethis page | Deep colour and high curcumin (5.5%) for buyers who pay for colour, rainfed in Kerala or irrigated elsewhere | About 210 days | 35.4 t/ha fresh (IISR table) or 19.94 t/ha (IISR variety page) | Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal |
| IISR Kedaram | Steady curcumin and leaf-blotch cover, rain-fed Kerala or irrigated Maharashtra | 180 days (IISR variety page); 210 days (IISR table) | 29 t/ha fresh on average (IISR variety page) or 34.5 (IISR table); 5.28 t/ha dry | Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal |
| IISR Prabha | Curcumin-led sales; a 205-day high yielder | 205 days (IISR) | 37 t/ha fresh rhizome (IISR variety page); 37.5 in the 2025 Indian Horticulture appraisal | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| IISR Pragati | A short 180-day crop with a high fresh yield; nematode soils | 180 days (IISR) | 38 t/ha fresh rhizome (IISR variety page and Indian Horticulture 2025); 52 t/ha potential | Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana |
| IISR Prathibha | The highest fresh yield of IISR's turmeric releases, with high curcumin and nematode resistance | 225 days (IISR); 210 to 240 days in the Indian Horticulture 2025 appraisal | 39.12 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR), about 391 q/ha | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| IISR Surya | The powdering industry; light-coloured, aromatic turmeric | 220 to 240 days (IISR) | 29 t/ha fresh rhizome on average; 41 t/ha potential; 5.8 t/ha dry (IISR variety page) | Kerala, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh |
| Rajapuri | Thick, fleshy rhizomes sold through the Sangli market, for Maharashtra farmers who sell by size | 240–270 days | 200–250 q/ha (fresh rhizome) | Maharashtra |
| Roma | Odisha turmeric with 5.0% curcumin and good tolerance to leaf and rhizome disease, selected at a high-altitude station | 200–255 days | 200–250 q/ha (fresh) | Odisha |
| Salem (Tamil Nadu local) | A big-rhizome Tamil Nadu farmer type with 4.75% curcumin and about 300–320 q/ha fresh | 250–270 days | 250–300 q/ha (fresh) | Tamil Nadu |
| Sudharsana | A short 190-day crop with plump orange rhizomes | 190 days (IISR) | 28.8 t/ha fresh rhizome on average; 54.9 t/ha potential (IISR) | Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh |
| Suguna | A short 190-day crop with 4.9% curcumin, ahead of Suvarna's 4.0%, for Kerala and Andhra Pradesh | 190 days | 280–320 q/ha (fresh rhizome) | Kerala, Andhra Pradesh |
| Suroma | The same Odisha line as Roma with slightly higher curcumin (5.1%) and oleoresin (14.7%) | 200–255 days | 200–250 q/ha (fresh) | Odisha |
| Suvarna | Deep orange rhizomes and the widest field-tolerance list (rhizome rot, leaf blotch, leaf spot, scale, shoot borer), in about 200 days | About 200 days | 17.4 t/ha fresh (IISR station yield); potential 43.5 t/ha | Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
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 Turmeric is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Turmeric plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Turmeric variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Turmeric 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 Turmeric rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Turmeric seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
When was IISR Alleppey Supreme released?
In 2004, by the Indian Institute of Spices Research, as an AFT (Alleppey Finger Turmeric) selection.
Where is IISR Alleppey Supreme grown?
Rainfed in Kerala, and under irrigated conditions in Maharashtra, Karnataka and North Bengal (West Bengal) as well, per IISR's own variety page.
What is its curcumin content?
About 5.5%, with 16% oleoresin. Both are strong figures and back its reputation for colour value.
What yield does IISR Alleppey Supreme give?
IISR's pages disagree. Its variety table and its 2025 review in Indian Horticulture give 35.4 t/ha fresh. The variety page gives a potential of 19.94 t/ha fresh and 5.28 t/ha dry. Until IISR settles it, treat the yield as unsettled and ask your KVK for a plot-level figure.
How long does it take to mature?
About 210 days, per IISR. That is longer than Suguna (about 190 days) and Suvarna (about 200 days), so allow the extra weeks when you plan the field.
How does Alleppey Supreme compare with Suguna on curcumin and days?
Alleppey Supreme has the higher curcumin, 5.5% against Suguna's 4.9%, but it takes about 210 days against Suguna's 190. On fresh yield, IISR's pages disagree for Alleppey Supreme (35.4 or 19.94 t/ha), so they give no safe weight comparison with Suguna.
Can I grow Alleppey Supreme outside Kerala?
Yes, under irrigation. IISR lists Maharashtra, Karnataka and North Bengal along with rainfed Kerala. Outside those, ask your KVK before planting a full field.
What does 19% dry recovery mean for my turmeric?
It means about 19 kg of dry turmeric from every 100 kg of fresh rhizome. IISR's yield figures are unsettled (see the yield question above), so work from your own lots: weigh the fresh rhizome in and the dry turmeric out.
Alleppey Supreme or Suvarna if I sell on colour?
Alleppey Supreme. It has 5.5% curcumin and 16% oleoresin, reddish-orange rhizomes and about 19% dry recovery in about 210 days. Suvarna has 4.0% curcumin in about 200 days, though it carries a wider list of pest and disease tolerance. If the buyer pays for colour, take Alleppey Supreme. If pests and disease worry you more, take Suvarna.
It is tolerant to leaf blotch. Do I still need to treat the seed rhizomes?
Yes. IISR names tolerance to leaf blotch only. It does not separately confirm resistance to rhizome rot, so keep your usual seed-rhizome treatment and make sure the field drains well. Do not plant it in a waterlogged corner on the strength of the leaf blotch tolerance.
Sourced from: IISR Alleppey Supreme — ICAR-IISR, Spice varieties: significant characteristics of turmeric varieties — ICAR-IISR (ITM-ABI), An appraisal of ICAR-IISR released varieties in spices — Indian Horticulture, July-August 2025. editorial policy.