Suguna
IISR turmeric released in 1991, ready in about 190 days, ten days sooner than Suvarna, with 4.9% curcumin. Recommended for Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Turmeric
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 190 days
- Expected yield
- 280–320 q/ha (fresh rhizome)
- Suitable soil
- Clay / black soil
- Disease resistance
- Moderately tolerant to rhizome rot and leaf blotch (IISR)
- Release
- Released 1991 · ICAR-IISR, Calicut · selection from germplasm PCT-13 (Andhra Pradesh)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Suguna is a turmeric release from ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Calicut, notified in 1991 as a selection from germplasm accession PCT-13 collected in Andhra Pradesh. IISR gives it a 190-day duration, a research-station yield of 29.3 t/ha (with a reported potential up to 60.3 t/ha), 4.9% curcumin, 13.5% oleoresin and 6.0% essential oil. That is more curcumin than Suvarna (4.0%) but less than Alleppey Supreme (5.5%), Kedaram and the Prabha and Prathibha releases. It is moderately tolerant of rhizome rot (Pythium graminicolum) and leaf blotch (Taphrina maculans) and has a reddish-yellow rhizome. IISR recommends it for Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Suguna if you farm in Kerala or Andhra Pradesh and want a short crop that still carries reasonable curcumin. At 190 days it clears the field about ten days before Suvarna and twenty before Alleppey Supreme, and it beats Suvarna on curcumin at the same time, 4.9% against 4.0% — against that variety there is no trade to weigh at all. Against the stronger IISR releases there is one: 4.9% is below Alleppey Supreme's 5.5% and Kedaram's 5.5 to 5.7%, so if your buyer pays on colour you are giving something up for the three weeks you save. Work out which is worth more on your own price. It is moderately tolerant of rhizome rot and leaf blotch, which is useful on ground that stays wet. Take Alleppey Supreme instead if you want more curcumin and can wait about 210 days, or Salem Local if bigger rhizomes are what your market asks for.
Sowing & cultivation
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Higher curcumin (4.9%) than Suvarna's 4.0%, in a crop ten days shorter
- High research-station yield (29.3 t/ha), in line with the 280–320 q/ha range
- IISR's own field trials found it largely free of disease on farmers' fields, on top of its moderate tolerance
Things to consider
- IISR names tolerance to rhizome rot and leaf blotch only. It does not name leaf spot, so treat leaf spot as unconfirmed for Suguna.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
- Andhra Pradesh
What 190 days against 210 does to your year
Suguna takes 190 days, Suvarna about 200 and Alleppey Supreme about 210. Twenty days can look small on paper. On a farm it decides when the field is free, when the next crop goes in and how long the land lies idle.
Count it from your planting date. Add 190 days for Suguna and 210 for Alleppey Supreme and look at the two dates against your calendar. If the later date pushes you into a wet spell or a missed sowing window for the next crop, the shorter variety is the safer one.
Suguna also beats Suvarna on curcumin, 4.9% against 4.0%, and IISR's trials found it largely free of disease on farmers' fields. The trade-off is colour: Alleppey Supreme has the higher curcumin (5.5%) and the deeper colour reputation. Choose by what your buyer pays for.
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 Supreme | 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 |
| Sugunathis page | 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
How does Suguna compare with Suvarna on curcumin content and duration?
Suguna rates higher on curcumin, 4.9% in IISR's testing against Suvarna's 4.0%, and it matures sooner, at 190 days against Suvarna's about 200.
Which states is Suguna officially recommended for?
IISR’s own page names Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
Is Suguna's 29.3 t/ha the yield I should plan on?
No. That is IISR's research-station result, with a reported potential of up to 60.3 t/ha. The yield range shown here is 280–320 q/ha, so plan on 280 q/ha at most and treat anything above as a bonus.
Where did Suguna come from?
It is a selection, not a cross, from germplasm accession PCT-13 collected in Andhra Pradesh. IISR notified it in 1991.
Does a shorter crop make Suguna better than Suvarna?
On curcumin and days, yes: 4.9% in 190 days against 4.0% in about 200. Suvarna has the wider field-tolerance list, covering rhizome rot, leaf blotch, leaf spot, rhizome scale and shoot borer, and a deeper orange colour.
Suguna or Alleppey Supreme?
Alleppey Supreme has more curcumin, 5.5% against 4.9%, but takes about 210 days against 190 for Suguna. Suguna gets the field free about 20 days sooner and has a station yield of 29.3 t/ha, while IISR's pages disagree on Alleppey Supreme's fresh yield (35.4 or 19.94 t/ha). If colour is what you sell, take Alleppey Supreme. If a shorter crop matters more, take Suguna.
Is Suguna's leaf spot tolerance confirmed?
No. IISR names tolerance to rhizome rot and leaf blotch only, and it does not name leaf spot, so there is no confirmed leaf spot tolerance. Do not skip scouting your field for leaf spot, keep the drainage good, and treat the seed rhizomes as usual.
Sourced from: Suguna (Turmeric) — ICAR-IISR. editorial policy.