KUFRI SURYA: A NEW HEAT-TOLERANT POTATO VARIETY SUITABLE FOR EARLY PLANTING IN NORTH-WESTERN PLAINS, PENINSULAR INDIA AND PROCESSING INTO FRENCH FRIES AND CHIPS

Kufri Surya is an early maturing, heat tolerant and hopper-burn resistant potato variety with oblong tubers, white smooth skin and pale yellow flesh. This variety is meant for early (September) planting in north-western plains and for rabi and kharif plantings in peninsular India. It can also be grown in the main crop season in north-western and west-central plains. The total tuber yield of Kufri Surya is at par with high yielding variety Kufri Bahar. This variety yields excellent defect free tubers with high proportion of large (>85mm) tubers suitable for processing into high quality French fries and chips. The reducing sugar content of tubers of this variety is less than 100mg/100g fresh weight and the tuber dry matter content is 20-21% at harvest.