Co 0212 – A high yielding, high sugar mid-late variety for Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The sugarcane midlate variety Co 0212, developed through hybridization and selection involving two high yielding and high quality parents Co 7201 and ISH 106 at ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI), Coimbatore and evaluated under Coordinated Agronomic Experiments (CAE) programme was released in 2016 for commercial cultivation in Tamil Nadu. The clone was selected from the ground nursery and evaluated at different clonal stages, Pre Zonal Varietal Trial (PZVT) and AICRP trials from 1997-2009 at ICAR-SBI. In ICAR-SBI station trial, the clone recorded a cane yield of 156.43 t/ ha, CCS % of 14.76 % and sugar yield of 23.04 t/ha with an improvement of 30.17 %, 12.41% and 37.64% over the standard Co 86032 for cane yield, CCS % and sugar yield, respectively. Under AICRP(S) it was evaluated in 14 centres of Peninsular Zone from 2007-2009 and exhibited its superiority for cane and sugar yield over the zonal check Co 86032. In Tamil Nadu, it was evaluated under CAE trials in 18 locations comprising five regions viz., Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Paiyur, Trichy and Vellore during 2011-2013 in farmer’s fields and sugar mills farms in two plant and one ratoon crops. It recorded an overall mean cane yield of 150.56 t/ha, sugar yield of 19.27 t/ha and CCS% of 12.79 % in comparison with the standard Co 86032 (131.68 t/ha yield, 16.32 t/ha sugar yield and 12.45 % CCS). It recorded an overall improvement of 14.34 %, 18.07 % and 3.06 % for cane yield, sugar yield and CCS% respectively in comparison with Co 86032. The clone performed well in coastal tract (Cuddalore region) with a cane yield of 141.17 t/ha, sugar yield of 18.15 t/ha and 12.86 % CCS with an improvement of 20.93 %, 22.68 % and 1.45 % over Co 86032 for cane yield, sugar yield and CCS % respectively. The clone also exhibited its superiority in delta region (Trichy), where it recorded 157.86 t/ha cane yield, 20.43 t/ha sugar yield and 12.94 % CCS in comparison with Co 86032. It showed an increase of 17.69 % for cane yield, 26.97% CCS for sugar yield and 7.83% in comparison with Co 86032. Co 0212 has excellent field stand, medium thick canes with good ratooning ability. It is moderately resistant to red rot and tolerant to drought and salinity and well suited for Tamil Nadu and Puduchery including coastal and delta regions of Tamil Nadu as an alternate to Co 86032.