Central Tuber Crops Research Institute

Scientific cultivation practices from planting till harvest for different agro-eco-zones
Good agricultural practices
Agro-techniques, soil fertility management, soil and water conservation methods for hill cassava production systems
Technological support for establishment of farms
Farm advisory services and field diagnostic visits

i. Resilient agro-ecology based cropping and farming systems

ii. Organic and natural farming

Organic production packages for cassava, elephant foot yam, yams, taro, tannia, Chinese potato, and arrowroot; 10-20% higher yield, 20-40% higher profit
Organic package for cropping systems involving tuber crops: cassava-groundnut, cassava-vegetable cowpea, elephant foot yam + cucumber/amaranthus
Cassava var. Sree Reksha identified as the most suitable for organic farming
Geo-tagged characterization of 232 organic growers
Technology for natural farming of cassava + vegetable cowpea- green gram

iii. Conservation agriculture (CA)

CA Productive: with 13% higher yield over PoP
CA Energy efficient: Highest energy use efficiency and energy productivity (+55% over POP) and lower energy input (-36.17%) over conventional
CA Sustainable: Soil building nature and better soil health maintenance. Significantly improved soil pH (+0.65 unit), available K, Ca, Mg, Mn and Zn status
CA Profitable: +32% profit and -9% production costs with higher net income and B:C ratio

Blanket nutrient recommendations
Integrated plant nutrient system
Low input management
Customized plant nutrient formulations for tuber crops under intercropping in coconut
Nutrient use efficient genotypes: The first K efficient cassava variety, Sree Pavithra; Two N use efficient genotypes: CR 43-8, W-19; NPK efficient genotypes: 7 III E3-5, CI-905, CI-906
Alternatives to traditional manures: Green manuring in situ with cowpea as the best alternate organic manure resource for cassava followed by residue of the crop
Nutrient management for CMD management: Identified nutrients viz., P, K, Ca, Si, Zn in the management of CMD expression
Integrated soil and plant B management strategy to correct the suspected B deficiency disorders in tubers

Wealth from waste

Nutrient rich organic manure Thippi compost from cassava starch factory solid waste
Biochar from tuber crop wastes

Nutrient use efficient microbes identified

N fixers (Bacillus cereus)
P solubilizer (Bacillus megaterium)
K solubilizer (Bacillus subtilis) to reduce chemical fertilizer use in elephant foot yam

Fertilizer best management practices (FBMP) based on SSNM for 7 tuber crops for different agro eco-zones using 4R nutrient stewardship
Technology for preparation of customized plant nutrient formulations and micronutrient formulations
Zone-specific secondary and micronutrient inclusive customized fertilizers for 6 crops
Six designer foliar liquid micronutrient formulations commercialized
Ten Decision Support Systems (DSS)

Drip irrigation schedules for cassava, elephant foot yam, taro, greater yam and sweet potato
Fertigation schedule for cassava, elephant foot yam, greater yam and taro
Water saving techniques for elephant foot yam and taro
Water requirement and water productivity worked out

Climate modeling studies: Calibrated and validated 5 Models, viz., ECOCROP, WOFOST, MaxEnt, CROPWAT & Aquacrop
Climate resilient agriculture practices for cassava and yams: 14% higher yield, reduction in global warming potential
Foliar application of 1% KNO3 or 1% solubor effective against drought stress
Against heat stress, benzyl adenine 1000 ppm imparted tolerance

Synthesis of near neutral zeolite (NNZ) for agricultural applications for enhancing soil C quality and conservation under climate change
Important parameters of interest in zeolites (as soil amendments) such as pH, Exch.Na and CEC estimated
The efficiency of NNZ in decomposition resistance of carbon in soils added with commonly available organic materials (as estimated from carbon dioxide emission rates) studied under controlled conditions
Addition of zeolites decreased the very labile C, increased the recalcitrant C and cumulative quantity of carbon dioxide released in soil-organic manure mixture

Crop physiology in response to climate change
Cassava genotypes viz., Noorumuttan, Sree Pavithra and Sree Sahya superior under drought stress
Sweet potato varieties, Kalinga, Bhu Swami, Sree Kanaka, Sree Varun, and Sree Vardhini performed better under drought stress