Nagaland University has developed a new ginger variety named SAS-KEVÜ that promises to significantly bolster farmer incomes and improve efficiencies in the country’s ginger value chain. The variety combines high yield, high dry matter recovery and enhanced culinary qualities, making it suitable for fresh markets as well as the spice-processing industry.
According to an official update, the research was conducted under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Spices and spanned nearly a decade of scientific evaluation and multi-location trials across seven AICRP centres in India. The project was led by Prof CS Maiti and Dr Graceli I Yepthomi from the School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University.
The variety was 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 on September 2, 2025. SAS-KEVÜ has demonstrated a yield potential of 17.21 tonnes per hectare, outperforming the national check variety by more than nine percent in national demonstrations. Its dry recovery rate of 21.95 percent ensures greater output for processors during drying.
The rhizomes are characterized by a soft texture, bold size and lemon-yellow flesh with low fibre content, which enhances suitability for culinary uses, beverages, pickles and other value-added products.
Congratulating the research team, Prof Jagadish K Patnaik, Vice Chancellor, Nagaland University, said, “Nagaland University is proud to announce the development and National notification of a new high-yield ginger variety – ‘SAS-KEVU.’ This landmark achievement is the result of nine years of rigorous, coordinated national trials carried out by our dedicated team of scientists in collaboration with partner institutions.‘SAS-KEVU’ has been specifically developed to deliver higher yields, improved quality, and greater resilience, offering farmers a reliable variety that can substantially enhance their incomes.”
He added, “The release of this variety is expected to strengthen India’s ginger value chain, promote regional agri-innovation, and support the broader national vision for sustainable and profitable horticulture. Nagaland University remains committed to scientific excellence, farmer welfare, and the advancement of agricultural research in the North-East and beyond.”
According to the university, the variety’s nine-month crop cycle fits well within traditional ginger-growing regions and enables farmers to integrate it into their existing production schedules. The moderate oil content and pulpy rhizomes also make SAS-KEVÜ ideal for ginger paste and candy manufacturing.
Tracing the research lineage of SAS-KEVÜ, Prof CS Maiti said that the variety’s journey began in 2014, when nineteen 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,” he added.
Between 2018 and 2022, it was evaluated under national coordinated trials in Chintapalle (AP), Kozhikode (Kerala), Mizoram, Nagaland, Potangi (Odisha), Pundibari (WB) and Sikkim. Stability analyses, including GGE Biplot evaluations, confirmed SAS-KEVÜ’s ability to perform well across varied agro-climatic zones, particularly in Nagaland, Pundibari in West Bengal and Chintapalle in Andhra Pradesh.
Dr Graceli I Yepthomi added, “With the Central Government’s notification under the Seeds Act, 1966, SAS-KEVÜ is now approved for seed production and agricultural sale in Nagaland, Mizoram, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. This milestone not only validates the scientific rigour behind the variety but also strengthens Nagaland University’s leadership in agricultural innovation and spice crop research.”
SAS-KEVÜ is the first ginger variety developed by the AICRP (Spices) team at Nagaland University and the first of its kind from any research institute in the Northeast. The university is now preparing to scale up seed rhizome production to make planting materials available ahead of the next cropping season.
“Nagaland University anticipates that SAS- KEVÜ will play a significant role in advancing ginger cultivation across the Northeast and other notified states, supporting both economic development and agricultural resilience,” the update received here said.