Rapid Fire
CPCRI Introduces New Varieties for Coconut and Cocoa Cultivation
- 22 Mar 2024
- 2 min read
The Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) recently developed a new variety of coconut along with two new varieties of cocoa aimed at revolutionising coconut and cocoa cultivation in India.
- Kalpa Suvarna, the coconut variety is ideal for tender coconut and copra production, with specific characteristics like large-sized fruits, high water content, and oil content.
- The cocoa varieties, VTL CH I and VTL CH II, have high fat and nutrient contents, with VTL CH II being tolerant to black pod rot.
- Black pod rot is a fungal disease that affects Cocoa Trees. It is majorly caused by fungal species belonging to the genera Phytophthora.
- VTL CH I is suitable for growing in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, while VTL CH II is recommended for high rainfall regions in Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.
- Both cocoa varieties yield 1.5 kg to 2.5 kg of dry beans per tree per year.
- CPCRI was founded in 1916 by the Government of Madras and was later incorporated into the Indian Central Coconut Committee in 1947.
- In 1970, it became part of the National Agricultural System (NRS) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- It focuses on researching and developing genetically superior planting materials for coconut, arecanut, cocoa, cashewnut, and spices.
