On Friday, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) introduced 19 new crop varieties for 2025, designed to suit various agro-climatic regions.
For agricultural crops, Vice-Chancellor V. Geethalakshmi unveiled three rice varieties, a maize hybrid, a blackgram variety, a drought-resistant groundnut variety, and a semi-dwarf castor hybrid. The rice varieties included CO 59, a semi-dwarf drought-tolerant type, along with two medium slender-grain varieties, ADT 56 and ADT 60. The maize hybrid was named COH(M) 12. It was introduced for both rainfed and irrigated areas.
The blackgram variety VBN 12 is suitable for irrigated and rice fallow conditions, while the drought-tolerant groundnut variety is called CTD 1. The semi-dwarf castor hybrid was named YRCH.
In horticulture, the Vice-Chancellor released four vegetable crop varieties: a tomato variety CO4 with an extended shelf life, a bhendi hybrid CO(H) 5, a chilli variety CO5 intended for industrial use, and an ash gourd variety PLR 1, which is known for its compact fruit type.
For fruit crops, three new varieties were introduced: a non-lodging dwarf banana variety, Kaveri Vaaman, developed by ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), Trichy; Avocado TKD 2; and an acid lime variety SNKL 1.
Additionally, TNAU released new varieties in other categories, including the flower crop Thovalai 1 Nerium, a spice crop (Nutmeg PPI 1), a coconut crop ALR, and a medicinal crop variety CO 1 Sirukurinjan. A new mushroom variety, KKM, known for its improved shelf life, was also introduced.
Prof. Geethalakshmi mentioned that over the past 100 years, TNAU has released 929 crop varieties. Many of these varieties are widely popular across India and some are cultivated internationally.
