India, Jan. 9 -- The Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Research Council, Shahjahanpur, has developed a new high-yielding sugarcane variety named 'Bismil', after freedom fighter Ram Prasad Bismil, which has now been approved for cultivation in four more states, officials said on Thursday.

The variety, earlier approved only for Uttar Pradesh, has received clearance for cultivation in Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan following approval by the central committee, Council Director VK Shukla said.Developed under the All India Coordinated Research Project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the variety is officially designated as CoSha 17231 (Coimbatore-Shahjahanpur).

It is resistant to red rot disease, a major threat to sug...