More farmers will get seed materials of drought-resistant cassava in India

More farmers in Karur, Salem, and Namakkal districts in Tamil Nadu would get seed materials for the drought-resistant Sree Athulya variety of cassava, also known as maravalli kizhangu. Farmers in Salem who acquired 18 tonnes of cassava per acre instead of their standard 12-15 tonnes stated that they did not first believe this variety could be pest resistant. Subramanian, a farmer from Goodamalai in Salem, reported that he had also planted the renowned Thailand variety in another plot and that pests had attacked it. However, the variety supplied by the ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute in Thiruvananthapuram proved to be more pest-resistant and had additionally introduced in a bountiful harvest. "It also didn't take much effort. A spell of rain helped me with the pest attack and I managed without much loss,” he stated. This was the first harvest of the Sree Athulya variety in Salem district, and the seven farmers who decided to plant it were able to achieve a higher yield ...