Kahikuchi
A tall ICAR-CPCRI selection (from the indigenous accession VTL 64) for Assam and Meghalaya, recommended in 2008 and listed as a cultivar in the Assam Agricultural University package. Trial mean 3.70 kg dry kernel a palm. Slow to start, with economic yield for up to 45 years.
Quick facts
- Type
- Seedling (selected seed nut)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- First flowers 50–52 months after planting; bearing by the 5th year (CPCRI, AAU)
- Seed rate
- One nursery seedling a pit. For seed, pick healthy round nuts of about 40 g and keep those that float upright in water (AAU). Spacing 2.75 x 2.75 m.
- Expected yield
- 3.70 kg dry kernel/palm/year (5,073 kg/ha); potential 5.30 kg
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No major disease or pest seen in CPCRI trials; guard against fruit rot where it is common
- Release
- Selected from the indigenous accession VTL 64 at ICAR-CPCRI, Vittal, with the Kahikuchi and Mohitnagar centres; recommended for release by the CPCRI Institute Research Council in 2008 for Assam and Meghalaya
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kahikuchi is a tall arecanut selection from ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), chosen from the indigenous accession VTL 64 at the Regional Station, Vittal, with the CPCRI research centres at Kahikuchi and Mohitnagar. The CPCRI Institute Research Council recommended it for release in 2008, for Assam and Meghalaya. The Assam Agricultural University package of practices (2021) lists it as the cultivar to plant in Assam. The palm is tall with a medium-thick stem, long internodes and a partly drooping crown, and the stand is uniform. The nuts are orange, bold and round, with 25.16% dry kernel recovered from fresh nuts (AAU). The trial mean is 3.70 kg dry kernel a palm a year (5,073 kg a hectare), with a potential of 5.30 kg. Flower initiation is at 50 to 52 months, and CPCRI says economic yield can last up to 45 years. It is recommended only under irrigated conditions.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Kahikuchi in Assam or Meghalaya. CPCRI selected it for those two states, and the Assam Agricultural University package of practices lists it as a cultivar. The trial mean is 3.70 kg dry kernel a palm (5,073 kg a hectare), and economic yield can last up to 45 years. It is slow to start: flower initiation is at 50 to 52 months, the latest of the CPCRI releases here, and the AAU package says bearing begins by the fifth year. CPCRI recommends it only for irrigated conditions. The AAU package also lists Nalbari, a tall palm that gave 4.15 kg dry kernel, so look at both.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeSpring or autumn (AAU package, Assam).
- Seed rateOne nursery seedling a pit. For seed, pick healthy round nuts of about 40 g and keep those that float upright in water (AAU). Spacing 2.75 x 2.75 m.
- Spacing2.75 x 2.75 m, in pits of 60 x 60 x 60 cm (AAU package, Assam).
- IrrigationDry season: hose irrigation once in 4 to 7 days at 175 litres a palm, or drip at 20 litres a palm a day (DASD).
- FertilizerPer palm a year (AAU). First year: 5 kg FYM, 30 g N, 15 g P2O5, 50 g K2O. Second year: 10 kg, 60 g, 30 g, 100 g. Third year and after: 20 kg, 100 g, 40 g, 140 g. Apply in 2 splits, March to April and September to October.
- HarvestingFlower initiation 50 to 52 months after planting; bearing by the fifth year, with economic yield for up to 45 years (CPCRI, AAU).
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained soil. Avoid stiff clay and waterlogged soil (AAU).
Climate
- Climate
- Arecanut can be grown up to about 1,000 m above sea level (DASD).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Chosen and recommended for Assam and Meghalaya, and listed as a cultivar in the Assam Agricultural University package
- Trial mean of 3.70 kg dry kernel a palm (5,073 kg a hectare), with 25.16% dry kernel recovered from fresh nuts (AAU)
- Economic yield for up to 45 years, with a uniform stand
Things to consider
- The slowest to start of the CPCRI releases here: flowers 50 to 52 months after planting
- CPCRI recommends it only under irrigated conditions, and AAU links the soft-kernel disorder (phula tamul) to scanty rain while fruit develops
- The AAU package also lists Nalbari at 4.15 kg dry kernel a palm, so compare both before a large planting
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Assam
- Meghalaya
Budget for a slow start, and fill the early years
Kahikuchi is the slowest starter among the CPCRI releases compared here. Flower initiation is at 50 to 52 months after planting, and the Assam Agricultural University package says bearing begins by the fifth year. In return, CPCRI says economic yield can last up to 45 years if the garden is managed well.
AAU's answer to the empty early years is intercropping. It names turmeric and ginger as profitable intercrops, and one line of banana or lemon, or 3 rows of pineapple. For both young and bearing gardens it suggests banana and pineapple with another crop such as black pepper or betelvine. Plant intercrops so they do not crowd the 2.75 x 2.75 m spacing.
The package prints a benefit-cost ratio of 1.40 after 6 years and 12.6 after 8 to 10 years. Those are AAU's own numbers and we have not checked them against a farm. Use them as a sign of the shape, thin early and heavy later, and work out your own cost for pits, seedlings, irrigation and 5 years of labour.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Arecanut (Supari) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahikuchithis page | Assam and Meghalaya farmers who want the variety both CPCRI and the Assam package recommend | First flowers 50–52 months after planting; bearing by the 5th year (CPCRI, AAU) | 3.70 kg dry kernel/palm/year (5,073 kg/ha); potential 5.30 kg | Assam, Meghalaya |
| Mangala | Farmers who want the earliest flowering and can irrigate, in an open garden | First flowers 36–40 months after planting (CPCRI) | 2.90 kg dry kernel/palm/year (3,700–3,900 kg/ha); potential 4.50 kg | Karnataka, Kerala |
| Mohitnagar | North Bengal farmers, and anyone who wants uniform palms that settle into steady yield early | First flowers 48 months after planting (CPCRI) | 3.67 kg dry kernel/palm/year (5,030 kg/ha); potential 5.50 kg | West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala |
| Sreemangala | Farmers who sell dried chali and want bold, round nuts | First flowers 44–48 months after planting (CPCRI) | 3.18 kg dry kernel/palm/year (4,240–4,500 kg/ha); potential 5.40 kg | Karnataka, Kerala |
| Sumangala | Farmers who want a well-tested tall palm that copes better with dry spells | First flowers 42–46 months after planting, under irrigation (CPCRI) | 3.28 kg dry kernel/palm/year (3,900–4,350 kg/ha); potential 5.60 kg | Karnataka, Kerala |
| Swarnamangala | Farmers who can irrigate and want the best average yield and recovery among CPCRI's tall releases | First flowers about 46 months after planting, under irrigation (CPCRI) | 3.88 kg dry kernel/palm/year (5,320 kg/ha); potential 5.50 kg | Karnataka, Kerala |
| VTLAH-1 | Farmers who want a short, easy-to-harvest palm, can irrigate and accept a lower yield per palm | First flowers 45 months after planting (CPCRI) | 2.54 kg dry kernel/palm/year (3,100–3,400 kg/ha); potential 3.20 kg | Karnataka, Kerala |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Arecanut (Supari) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Arecanut (Supari) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Arecanut (Supari) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Arecanut (Supari) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Arecanut (Supari) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Arecanut (Supari) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kahikuchi an Assam Agricultural University variety or a CPCRI variety?
The CPCRI variety compilation lists it as an ICAR-CPCRI selection from the indigenous accession VTL 64, developed at the CPCRI Regional Station at Vittal with the Kahikuchi research centre in Assam. The CPCRI Institute Research Council recommended it for release in 2008. The Assam Agricultural University package lists it as the cultivar to plant, which is why it is often linked with AAU.
How much fertiliser should I give a Kahikuchi palm?
The AAU package gives FYM, N, P2O5 and K2O in kg or g a palm a year. In the first year: 5 kg, 30 g, 15 g, 50 g. In the second year: 10 kg, 60 g, 30 g, 100 g. From the third year: 20 kg, 100 g, 40 g, 140 g. Apply all of it in 2 splits, one in March to April and one in September to October.
What is phula tamul, and how do I avoid it?
The AAU package describes phula tamul as a soft, leathery kernel that has not hardened properly. It is mostly seen in the first bunch, which ripens earliest, and appears when the palm gets scanty or irregular rain while the fruit is developing. The package's remedy is to irrigate in the dry months, with good drainage, and follow good cultural practice.
My nuts are splitting. What can I do?
The AAU package calls nut splitting a physiological disorder, not an infection. It says better drainage helps where the water table is high, and that spraying borax at 2 g a litre of water on the palm early in the problem also cuts the splitting. Do the drainage first, because borax will not fix standing water.
What spacing, pit size and seed nut does AAU recommend?
Spacing 2.75 x 2.75 m, pits 60 x 60 x 60 cm, and planting in spring or autumn. For seed, pick healthy round nuts of about 40 g and put them in water. Nuts that float upright are the ones to use. Keep the seedlings in the second nursery bed for no more than 18 months.
Sourced from: Improved varieties of coconut, arecanut and cocoa — ICAR-CPCRI (variety records, yields, flowering), Arecanut — Package of Practices for Horticultural Crops of Assam, 2021 (Assam Agricultural University), Calendar for arecanut — Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development, Technical Bulletin 67 (spacing, fertiliser, irrigation). editorial policy.