Suvarna
IISR turmeric from 1987, planted from rhizome pieces. Ready in about 200 days, with deep orange rhizomes and field tolerance to rhizome rot and shoot borer.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Turmeric
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- About 200 days
- Expected yield
- 17.4 t/ha fresh (IISR station yield); potential 43.5 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Field-tolerant to rhizome rot, leaf blotch, leaf spot, rhizome scale and shoot borer (IISR)
- Release
- Released 1987 · ICAR-IISR, Calicut · selection from germplasm PCT-8 (Assam)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Suvarna is an early turmeric release from ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Calicut, notified in 1987 as a selection from germplasm accession PCT-8 collected in Assam. IISR’s own variety profile rates it a high-yielding, comparatively short-duration line with a deep orange rhizome: 200-day duration, a research-station yield of 17.4 t/ha (with a reported potential up to 43.5 t/ha under best management), 4.0% curcumin, 13.5% oleoresin and 7.0% essential oil. It carries field-level tolerance to rhizome rot, leaf blotch, leaf spot, rhizome scale and shoot borer, and is recommended for Kerala, Karnataka and (undivided) Andhra Pradesh — the last of which now includes Telangana following the 2014 state split.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Suvarna if you farm in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh or Telangana and your worry is pests and disease. IISR records field tolerance to rhizome rot, leaf blotch, leaf spot, rhizome scale and shoot borer, with a deep orange rhizome, 4.0% curcumin and about 200 days. Its research-station yield was 17.4 t/ha, against an IISR potential of 43.5 t/ha under best management, so budget on the station figure. Choose Suguna instead for higher curcumin (4.9%) and a 190-day crop. Choose Alleppey Supreme for colour value at 5.5% curcumin.
Sowing & cultivation
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Field tolerance to rhizome rot (Pythium)
- Field tolerance to leaf blotch and leaf spot
- Field tolerance to rhizome scale and shoot borer
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Shorter, 200-day duration than many turmeric releases, freeing the field sooner
- Deep orange rhizome colour that buyers favour, plus a decent 4.0% curcumin rating from IISR’s own testing
- The broadest field-level disease tolerance package (five issues) recorded for any IISR release listed here
Things to consider
- IISR's research-station yield for Suvarna is 17.4 t/ha, well below its stated potential of 43.5 t/ha. Treat the potential as a best-case ceiling, not the usual field result, and plan on the station figure.
- IISR's recommendation dates from before the 2014 split of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, so Telangana is listed along with Andhra Pradesh.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Telangana
Five problems it tolerates, and the one it does not name
IISR records field tolerance in Suvarna to rhizome rot, leaf blotch, leaf spot, rhizome scale and shoot borer. That is the widest list among the IISR turmeric releases covered here, and the reason to choose it where pests and disease are the main risk.
Tolerance is still not a guarantee. It means the crop copes with the problem, not that it never meets it. Look at the field every week or two, and look under the leaves and at the base of the plants for shoot borer and scale.
Remember what the list does not say. It gives no ranking of how strongly Suvarna resists each problem. If one of the five has hit your field badly before, ask your KVK how the variety has behaved in your district, and keep your usual seed-rhizome care.
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 |
| 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 |
| Suvarnathis page | 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 much curcumin does Suvarna turmeric have?
IISR rates it at 4.0% curcumin, with 13.5% oleoresin and 7.0% essential oil — a solid, though not the highest, quality profile among IISR’s own turmeric releases.
Is Suvarna's 43.5 t/ha potential yield realistic?
Treat it as a ceiling. It is IISR’s stated potential under best management (435 q/ha), not a field average; the research-station result was 17.4 t/ha (174 q/ha).
Why does Suvarna's research-station yield look so low?
17.4 t/ha is IISR's station result, and its stated potential goes up to 43.5 t/ha. The IISR page does not break the gap down, so plan on the lower number and ask your KVK what growers near you actually get.
Is Suvarna's curcumin enough for the colour market?
At 4.0% with a deep orange rhizome it is decent. Suguna (4.9%) and Alleppey Supreme (5.5%) are higher. If your buyer pays by curcumin, ask for his figure before you choose.
Was Suvarna bred by crossing two parents?
No. It is a selection from germplasm accession PCT-8, collected in Assam, notified by IISR in 1987.
Suvarna or Suguna — which one should I take?
Suguna if curcumin and days matter: 4.9% against 4.0%, and 190 days against about 200. Suvarna if pests and disease are your worry: IISR records field tolerance to rhizome rot, leaf blotch, leaf spot, rhizome scale and shoot borer, the widest list here, plus a deep orange rhizome. Pick by the problem you actually face.
Why is Telangana listed for Suvarna?
IISR's recommendation dates from before the 2014 split of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, so Telangana is listed along with Andhra Pradesh. That does not mean a separate Telangana trial. If you farm there, check with your KVK or state university which turmeric they recommend for your district today.
Sourced from: Suvarna (Turmeric) — ICAR-IISR. editorial policy.