Karnal Institute Develops New Improved Sugarcane Variety
Karna-18 (CO-18022) variety is expected to be highly remunerative for the farmers of the northwestern parts of the country.
Published : January 10, 2026 at 4:04 PM IST
Karnal: The Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI) at Karnal’s Regional Research Centre has developed a new improved sugarcane variety that is expected to be highly remunerative for the farmers of the northwestern parts of the country.
The Karna-18 (CO-18022) variety is climate-friendly while being tolerant to salinity and drought. Furthermore, it is resistant to red rot and will be less susceptible to top borer pests, providing farmers a relief from production losses.
Senior Scientist at the SBI, Dr MR Meena said, "The new improved sugarcane variety Karna 18 (CO-18022) is going to prove very beneficial for the sugarcane farmers of India in the times to come. It is a big gift for the farmers of Northwest India, which has the highest sugarcane cultivation in India. It is considered suitable for the farmers of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Uttarakhand. Farmers are going to benefit from this on a large scale."
Dr Meena added, "The special thing about this variety is that it is climate-friendly. Climate does not have any significant effect on it. Its tolerance to salinity and drought leads to increased productivity."
He further said that this variety will not be affected by the biggest diseases and pests that afflict the sugarcane crop. Red rot disease and top borer bite are the biggest diseases faced by sugarcane farmers, due to which they have to suffer huge losses and a decline in production.
Dr Meena disclosed, "This variety will replace the existing variety CO-05011, and its ratoon crop will also be quite good. The average yield of this variety is estimated at 986 quintals per hectare, while the recovery at sugar mills is expected to be around 11 per cent. It is expected to produce approximately 12.6 tonnes of sugar per hectare."
It was related that this variety matures in 12 months. Its spring sowing can be done in February and March, while the autumn sowing is done in September and October. The seeds will be made available to the farmers through sugar mills and agricultural science centres from the first week of February 2026.
Dr Meena said this new variety of Karna-18 sugarcane will prove to be a strong option for farmers, offering higher yields and improved income. "It will prove to be a boon for sugarcane farmers in the future," he said.
This sugarcane variety was recently released by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with 183 varieties of different crops. This variety has been notified by the Central Varietal Release Committee (CVRC).
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