Crystal Sadanand cotton hybrid

Sadanand is a Bt cotton seed brand sold in central and southern India and acquired by Crystal Crop Protection Limited from Kohinoor Seeds in September 2023. The acquisition formed part of Crystal's strategy to expand its cotton seed business and was reported at the time to be expected to lift the company's seed-business revenue by approximately 20%.

Key characteristics

Trait: Bollgard-II (Bt Cotton Bg Ii).
Manufacturer: Crystal Crop Protection Limited (since September 2023; previously Kohinoor Seeds).
Market: central and southern Indian cotton tracts.

Cultivation

Sadanand follows the standard package-of-practice for Bt cotton hybrids: basal NPK and zinc at sowing followed by split nitrogen top-dressings (see Cotton First Dose Fertilizer) and the integrated pre- and post-emergence weed programme (Cotton Weed Management). Detailed independent agronomic claims for the variety — such as duration or single-pick suitability — circulate in field marketing rather than in published ICAR-CICR trial reports.

Pest profile

As a Bollgard-II hybrid, Sadanand offers protection against the lepidopteran bollworm complex but not against the sucking-pest complex (Sucking Pest Complex Cotton, Jassid Leafhopper Cotton, Whitefly In Cotton Chilli). Field resistance of Pink Bollworm to the Cry1Ac+Cry2Ab stack since around 2014-15 means that supplementary IPM measures (pheromone trapping, timely sowing, refuge maintenance) are needed in pink-bollworm-prone areas.

Adoption and use

Sadanand has long been distributed by Kohinoor Seeds to cotton-growing farmers in Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh; the 2023 ownership change moves it under Crystal's broader cotton portfolio alongside Crystal Cch 369.

References

Crystal Crop Protection acquires Sadanand Cotton Seeds from Kohinoor Seeds. Global Agriculture.
Crystal Crops Acquires Sadanand Cotton Seeds Business from Kohinoor Seeds. Krishi Jagran.