Pusa Arhar 16
From IARI — the first determinate, combine-harvestable pigeonpea released in India, bred so the crop ripens together instead of over the usual staggered picking window.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Arhar (Tur)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- ~120 days
- Expected yield
- 18–20 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Field-showcased on 31 October 2016 at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi; formally released by Delhi's State Variety Release Committee (SVRC) in 2018
About this variety
Pusa Arhar 16 was bred by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi as India's first determinate, semi-dwarf pigeonpea. It was publicly showcased at an IARI field visit by Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Radha Mohan Singh on 31 October 2016, and formally released by Delhi's State Variety Release Committee (SVRC) in 2018. Unlike traditional pigeonpea, which grows tall and spreading and ripens over a staggered picking window of roughly 160–280 days across sources, Pusa Arhar 16 matures in about 120 days on a semi-dwarf, semi-erect, compact plant (95–120 cm, confirmed by ICAR's own 2016 release) that ripens synchronously, making it combine-harvestable and workable with ordinary wheat-cultivation machinery. IARI's own station trials and multi-location trials (19.76–21.16 q/ha, echoed in a ThePrint report citing trials at 21 locations) support this record's 18–20 q/ha field — but it's worth flagging that the official AICRP/SVRC variety-release table (via the Department of Agriculture's dpd.gov.in) lists a notably more conservative released yield of ">10 q/ha" for this variety, and the only officially notified area of adoption is Delhi. Its short duration also opens a second rabi crop — mustard, potato or wheat — in the same field year, an economic case one directly-fetched news report (ThePrint) frames as roughly Rs 11,350/ha of extra margin over older varieties, though that specific figure comes from a single source and wasn't independently corroborated in this pass.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
~120 days
Expected yield
18–20 q/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- India's first determinate, combine-harvestable pigeonpea — synchronous ripening on a semi-dwarf (95–120 cm), semi-erect, compact plant lets ordinary wheat machinery and even a knapsack sprayer reach the crop, cutting labour costs
- Extra-early ~120-day maturity, against roughly 160–280 days for traditional tall pigeonpea, frees the field for a rabi mustard, potato or wheat crop the same year
- IARI's own multi-location trials report 19.76–21.16 q/ha, matching this record's 18–20 q/ha field — though note the official SVRC release table cites a more conservative ">10 q/ha" (see considerations)
Things to consider
- YIELD DISCREPANCY: the official AICRP/SVRC variety-release table (Dept. of Agriculture, dpd.gov.in) lists Pusa Arhar 16's released yield as ">10 q/ha" — well below the 18–20 q/ha in this record and the 19.76–21.16 q/ha cited in IARI's own trial reports and press coverage. Both figures trace back to IARI/ICAR sources, so this isn't a case of one source being wrong — it likely reflects a conservative official notification figure vs. optimistic trial-station results, but the gap is large enough that it should be reconciled or explicitly caveated rather than left implicit.
- AREA-OF-ADOPTION DISCREPANCY: the only state formally notified by the SVRC for Pusa Arhar 16 is Delhi. Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh reflect the North-Western Plain Zone (NWPZ) the variety was bred for and scattered field-trial/farmer-adoption reports, not an official release area — worth distinguishing "bred for" / "used in" from "officially released in" if your app draws that distinction elsewhere.
- No source found in this research pass states its parentage/cross — IARI's own technology-licensing page and news coverage describe the breeding method only as producing a "new plant type" via conventional breeding, without naming parent lines, so `parentage` is left unstated here rather than guessed.
- This record's existing diseaseResistance field ("Wilt tolerant") isn't addressed by any source found in this pass — not contradicted, just not independently confirmed here.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Haryana
- Punjab
- Madhya Pradesh
Frequently asked questions
Why can Pusa Arhar 16 be harvested by combine when other arhar can't?
Its semi-dwarf, determinate plant type ripens all its pods together instead of over the usual staggered window, and stays short and compact enough (95–120 cm) for combine machinery built for wheat to pass through it.
Does Pusa Arhar 16's early maturity mean a second crop the same year?
Yes — sources describe farmers following its ~120-day harvest with mustard, potato or wheat in the same rabi season, something the far longer duration of traditional pigeonpea doesn't allow.
Sourced from: Extra early maturing pigeon pea variety Pusa Arhar 16 — Agrinnovate India (ICAR technology licensing), New arhar crop variety is a double-income dream for Indian farmers — ThePrint, Shri Arun Jaitley and Shri Radha Mohan Singh visit PUSA Arhar-16 field at IARI — ICAR (31 Oct 2016 press release), Centrally/state released varieties of Pigeonpea (Tur/Arhar) in India — AICRP Project Coordinator's Report, ICAR-IIPR Kanpur (hosted by Dept. of Agriculture), Best Practices — Pigeonpea Varieties (IARI). editorial policy.