Sudharsana
A 1991 IISR selection from germplasm PCT-14, collected at Singhat, Manipur: a short 190-day turmeric with thick plump orange rhizomes and moderate tolerance of rhizome rot. IISR's pages give three different curcumin figures.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Turmeric
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 190 days (IISR)
- Seed rate
- TNAU gives 2,000 kg of finger rhizome a hectare, in pieces of 25 to 30 g dibbled 4 cm deep. IISR gives no separate seed rate for this variety.
- Expected yield
- 28.8 t/ha fresh rhizome on average; 54.9 t/ha potential (IISR)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released 1991 · ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode, Kerala
About this variety
Sudharsana is a turmeric variety released in 1991 by ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode, as a selection from germplasm PCT-14 collected from Singhat, Manipur. It matures in 190 days. IISR gives an average of 28.8 t/ha of fresh rhizome and a potential of 54.9, with thick, plump, orange rhizomes. The plant is 136 cm tall with 1.9 tillers a clump, and a clump gives about 565 g of rhizome. IISR rates it moderately tolerant of rhizome rot and leaf blotch. Dry recovery is 20.6%, oleoresin 15.0% and essential oil 7.0% on the variety page. IISR's variety page gives Kerala and Andhra Pradesh as the areas of adoption.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Sudharsana if you want a short crop, 190 days, with thick, plump, orange rhizomes and some cover against rhizome rot. IISR gives it 28.8 t/ha fresh on average with a potential of 54.9, and rates it moderately tolerant of rhizome rot and leaf blotch. That is a yield close to Suguna (29.3 t/ha, also 190 days) and well below Prathibha (39.12). The catch is the curcumin figure, which IISR gives three ways: 7.9% on the variety page, 4.9% in the variety table and 5.3% in the 2025 Indian Horticulture appraisal. If you sell on curcumin, have your own rhizomes tested before you rely on any of them. For a higher yield look at Prabha, Prathibha or Pragati.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeMay to June (TNAU)
- Seed rateTNAU gives 2,000 kg of finger rhizome a hectare, in pieces of 25 to 30 g dibbled 4 cm deep. IISR gives no separate seed rate for this variety.
- SpacingTNAU: 45 x 15 cm, on ridges 45 cm apart or on raised beds 120 cm wide.
- FertilizerTNAU basal dose: 25 t farmyard manure and 200 kg neem or groundnut cake a hectare, with 25 kg N, 60 kg P and 108 kg K, plus 30 kg ferrous sulphate and 15 kg zinc sulphate. Top dress 25 kg N and 108 kg K at 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days after planting. IISR gives no separate dose for this variety.
- HarvestingTNAU: the plants lodge, yellow and dry when the crop is mature. Dig the rhizomes with a spade or fork. TNAU gives 25 to 30 t/ha fresh and 5 to 6 t/ha cured as the general yield.
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Friable, well-drained red loam in wet or garden land under tropical conditions (TNAU)
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
190 days (IISR)
Expected yield
28.8 t/ha fresh rhizome on average; 54.9 t/ha potential (IISR)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Rhizome rot (moderately tolerant, IISR)
- Leaf blotch (moderately tolerant, IISR)
- Rhizome rot (Pythium): use clean seed from a healthy plot, plant on well-drained ground, and treat seed rhizomes as TNAU says, with phosalone 2 ml a litre and 0.3% copper oxychloride for 30 minutes, or Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g and Trichoderma viride 4 g a kg.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A short crop of 190 days, with 28.8 t/ha fresh on average.
- Moderately tolerant of rhizome rot and leaf blotch on IISR's variety page.
- Thick, plump, orange rhizomes, with a potential of 54.9 t/ha.
Things to consider
- IISR gives three curcumin figures: 7.9%, 4.9% and 5.3%.
- Average yield is below Prabha (37 t/ha), Prathibha (39.12) and Pragati (38).
- Only moderately tolerant of rot, so drainage and seed treatment still matter.
Suitable regions
IISR's variety page gives Kerala and Andhra Pradesh as the areas of adoption, and its table adds Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh.
- Kerala
- Andhra Pradesh
- Odisha
- Tamil Nadu
- Himachal Pradesh
Curcumin 7.9%, 4.9% or 5.3%: three IISR numbers for one variety
Curcumin is the yellow colouring compound that buyers of powder and extract pay for. IISR's Sudharsana variety page gives 7.9%, with oleoresin 15.0% and essential oil 7.0%. IISR's variety table gives 4.9%, oleoresin 13.5% and essential oil 6.0%. The 2025 Indian Horticulture appraisal gives 5.3%.
The table row for Sudharsana is word for word the same as the row for Suguna, which is 4.9%, 13.5%, 6.0% and 20.4% dry recovery, and Suguna is also a 190-day selection. That points to the table row being a copy. We show the variety page figure of 7.9% as IISR's own description of Sudharsana, and say plainly that two other IISR sources give lower numbers.
What to do with this: do not quote 7.9% to a buyer. Send a dried sample from your own crop to a spices testing lab. Curcumin changes with soil, rain and curing, so your result is the one the buyer will price.
Can you save seed from this crop?
Turmeric is grown from rhizomes, not seed. Keep seed rhizomes from a clean plot, store them in sand under partial shade as TNAU advises, and do not use rhizomes from plants that showed rot.
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 | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IISR Alleppey Supreme | Deep colour and high curcumin (5.5%) for buyers who pay for colour, rainfed in Kerala or irrigated elsewhere | About 210 days | About 200 q/ha (fresh, IISR) | 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 |
| Sudharsanathis page | 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 | Highest curcumin of the IISR releases here (4.9%) in a short 190-day crop, 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 | 250–300 q/ha (fresh rhizome) | 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
Where does Sudharsana come from?
IISR says it is a selection from germplasm PCT-14, collected from Singhat in Manipur, and released in 1991. It was picked from a collected line, not made by a cross.
Is Sudharsana better than Suguna?
They are close. Both are 1991 IISR selections from germplasm, both take 190 days, and IISR gives 28.8 t/ha for Sudharsana and 29.3 for Suguna. Sudharsana is rated moderately tolerant of rhizome rot and Suguna field tolerant. The curcumin figures conflict, so choose on your local trial.
When will a 190-day turmeric be ready?
TNAU gives May to June as the planting time, and 190 days is a little over six months, so a crop planted then is ready from about November to December. The plants lodge, yellow and dry when mature, which is the sign to dig.
Which states can grow Sudharsana?
IISR's variety page names Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, and its table lists Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. IISR gives no yield by state, so test a small plot where you farm.
Sourced from: Sudharsana (Turmeric) — ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, 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 (Shivakumar and others), Turmeric — TNAU Agritech Portal (season, seed rate, spacing, manuring, seed treatment, yield). editorial policy.