Agricultural Research Station, Utukur (formerly Rice Research Station) was estabpshed on 23rd November 1956 at Kamalapuram and later shifted to Utukur, Kadapa in the year 1962. Originally the scheme was under the Department of Agriculture and came into the fold of Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University in the year 1966. The Rice Research Station was converted to Betelvine Research Station in the year 1967 keeping in view the area under betelvine cultivation and its importance in the district. With time, the importance of agricultural crops gained momentum and the Betelvine Research Station was converted to Agricultural Research Station in the year 1980. Since then the main focus is on the water management, rice based cropping systems, development of fertipzer prescription equations and evaluation of suitable pnes in paddy, redgram, blackgram, greengram, sunflower, maize and sugarcane. Agricultural Research Station, Utukur is located on the National Highway 18 (Kadapa-Bangalore) at about 5 km from Kadapa town. It pes between 14o 281 and 12o 191 North latitude and 78o 491 and 13o 781 East longitude. The station is having 14.4 ha of land out of which 9.52 ha are under cultivation and 4.88 ha is occupied by roads and buildings.
Mandate: 1. Development of Rice-Rice based cropping systems
2. Dryland Agriculture and Water Management
3.Verification of oilseeds and pulses Technologies developed including varieties

i) Plant Breeding:

Betelvine: Variety “Safed” with high leaf yield of 38 milpon leaves ha-1 was released in 1974.

Rice: NLR 28600, NLR 9672-96, BPT 5204, MTU 4870, NLR 3041, Parthiva, NLR 34449, MTU 1010 were found suitable and recommended for cultivation in YSR district.

Groundnut: TPT-1, TPT-2, Vemana, TPT-25, K-6, Narayani, TIR-9, Kadiri -9, Anantha and TCGS 1043 were found suitable and recommended for cultivation in YSR district.

Redgram: Among the screened varieties LRG-41, MRG-66 and TRG-22 varieties were found suitable for YSR district.

Greengram: LGG-407, ML-267, MGG-290, TM 96-2 and LGG-460 were found suitable and recommended for YSR district.

Castor: Haritha, Kranthi, PCH-222 and PCH-111 were found promising and recommended for YSR district.

Sugarcane: Early varieties 2003 V 46 and 99 V 30 and mid late varieties 83 V 15 and 97 R 272 were found promising for YSR district with good juice quapty.

Agronomy:

Intercropping of Groundnut + Redgram in 7:1 ratio was found to be most economical and best suited to YSR district.

Rice-Groundnut-Greengram was found to be most remunerative cropping system under irrigated dry conditions.

Sprinkler irrigation with Broadbed and furrow method increased pod yield besides saving water upto 25 per cent.

After paddy harvest, Zero tillage cultivation of maize crop resulted most economical followed by Sunflower.

Under delayed monsoon conditions, Redgram, Fieldbean, Cowpea and Castor were found to be the best contingent crops.

Traditional method of transplanting in rice recorded higher grain yield compared to SRI method

Close spacing of 30 cm x 20 cm and apppcation of 60 kg N/ha recorded higher seed yield in rabi sunflower.

Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry (STCR Scheme):

Effect of Zinc and Boron on yield of irrigated sunflower: During 2012-13, apppcation of solubor @ 10 kg ha-1 (1194 kg ha-1) and no significant difference was observed with respect to zinc levels. Pooled analysis of three years data indicates that, apppcation of solubor @ 10 kg ha-1(1807 kg ha-1) and apppcation of 25 & 50 kg ha-1 Zinc Sulphate ( 1533 & 1651 kg ha-1 ) recorded significantly higher yields over control (1355 kg ha-1 ). This clearly brought out the synergistic effect of Zinc and Boron in improving the yield as well as quapty in irrigated sunflower.
Based on the results it is concluded that the apppcation of 10 kg solubor and 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 is optimum to improve the yields besides quapty.

Studies on the Boron levels and groundnut varietal behaviour in Alfisols: During 2012-13, apppcation of solubor @ 10 kg ha-1 recorded 1984 kg ha-1 pod yield and no significant difference was observed among the varieties. Pooled analysis of three years data indicates that, apppcation of solubor @ 10 kg ha-1 recorded significantly higher yield (1797 kg ha-1) and among varieties Harithandhra recorded higher pod yield, however the pod yield of K6 and Narayani are at par.
Based on the results it is concluded that the apppcation of 10 kg solubor has its profound influence in increasing pod yield irrespective of varieties.
Studies on the potassium requirement of redgram in Alfisols: During 2013-14 apppcation of potassium @ 60 kg ha-1 recorded higher yield (1884 kg ha-1) when compare to other levels of (20,40 and 80 kg ha-1) potassium and no statistical significance was observed with phosphorus levels. Pooled analysis of three years also followed the same trend by recording highest amount of seed weight (1284 kg ha-1) at 60 kg ha-1 of potash apppcation. No significance difference was observed for increasing the levels of phosphorous. Besides the yield the quapty parameters pke volume of dhal and grain protein content were also improved significantly with potassium apppcation. Both phosphorus and potassium interaction was found positive and maximum yield recorded at 50 kg P2O5 and 60kg K2O ha-1.
Hence, it is concluded that for rainfed Alfisols of YSR Kadapa district apppcation of 50 kg P2O5 and 60kg K2O ha-1 holds good for improving the quaptative and quantitative parameters.