Two vegetable varieties developed by the Department of Vegetable Science at Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni have been recognized as top performing varieties for their consistent performance at the national level. The temperate carrot variety called Solan Shrestha and the French bean variety Lakshmi Ban were officially released by the Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC) in New Delhi.
The demonstration of these varieties was presented by Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Project Coordinator of All India Coordinated Research Project on Vegetable Crops (AICRP VC) in the National Release Programme. Both Lakshmi and Solan Shrestha received praise for their outstanding performance in several areas, the university said in a statement.
Lakshmi bean variety is recommended for cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, while Solan Shrestha is suitable for parts of Punjab and Bihar.
These varieties were developed by the university in 1992 and 2016 respectively, and tested under AICRP on vegetable crops until 2017 and 2019 before being approved for national release.
Ramesh Kumar Bhardwaj, breeder and principal investigator at the Solan center of AICRP (VC), said both the varieties performed consistently over the three years of testing. Their results were recognized at the 39th and 41st Annual Group Meetings of AICRP held in Varanasi and Srinagar.
Scientists Sandeep Kansal, DK Mehta, Kuldeep Thakur and Rakesh have made significant contributions in the maintenance and large-scale breeding of seeds of these varieties.
Research Director, Sanjeev Chauhan highlighted the merits of the carrot variety Solan Shrestha, which is known for its long, attractive, orange coloured, self-core cylindrical roots. It ripens quickly, is soft with hairless roots and is rich in beta-carotene.
Solan Shrestha is resistant to common diseases and pests, and its average root weight is 255-265 grams, giving a marketable yield of 225-275 quintals per hectare.
Similarly, the French bean variety Lakshmi produces two to three long, attractive, stringless green pods per node, which mature in 65 to 70 days. It provides high marketable yield of 150-200 quintals per hectare, with mature seeds being white with light yellow stripes.
University Vice-Chancellor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, while appreciating the contribution of the scientists, said that the Solan Center of AICRP has given great recognition to the university.
He emphasized that the success of these varieties, especially in terms of their excellent performance and cost-effectiveness, will greatly benefit small and marginal farmers. Both varieties are open-pollinated, making them more accessible to farmers than expensive hybrid seeds.
