NU develops high-yield ginger variety

Nagaland University researchers have developed a new ginger variety ‘SAS-KEVÜ’ that consistently delivers superior yield, dry matter recovery and culinary quality, making it a high-value option for farmers, fresh produce market and spice-processing industry, according to officials.
SAS-KEVÜ has been formally notified by the Sub-Committee on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties (Horticultural Crops), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and published in the Gazette of India
Taken up under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Spices, located in Nagaland University, SAS- KEVÜ emerged after nearly a decade of scientific evaluation and extensive multi-location testing across seven AICRP centres in India.
Nagaland University vice chancellor Jagadish K Patnaik lauded the landmark achievement, which he said was the result of nine years of rigorous, coordinated national trials carried out by dedicated team of scientists in collaboration with partner institutions.
According to NU professor CS Maiti, the variety’s journey began in 2014, when 19 clones of the local Nadia ginger were collected from growing areas of Nagaland and studied in detail for their morphological and biochemical traits. From these, the clone NDG-11 — later named SAS-KEVÜ — was identified as the strongest performer.
The researchers explained that food processing Industry users will benefit from SAS-KEVÜ’s moderate oil content and pulpy bold rhizomes, which aligns well with requirements for candy and ginger paste.
Nagaland University School of Agricultural Sciences, department of horticulture, assistant professor, Graceli I Yepthomi, said that with the Central Government’s notification under the Seeds Act, 1966, SAS-KEVÜ was now approved for seed production and agricultural sale in Nagaland, Mizoram, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.