Pusa Arhar 16
From IARI — the first determinate, combine-harvestable pigeonpea released in India, bred to ripen together instead of the usual staggered picking window.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- ~120 days
- Expected yield
- 18–20 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Wilt tolerant
- Release
- Field-showcased on 31 October 2016 at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi; formally released by Delhi's State Variety Release Committee (SVRC) in 2018
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
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. Traditional pigeonpea grows tall and spreading, and ripens over a staggered picking window of roughly 160–280 days across sources. Pusa Arhar 16 is different. It matures in about 120 days. The plant is semi-dwarf, semi-erect and compact (95–120 cm, confirmed by ICAR's own 2016 release), and the pods ripen together. That makes it combine-harvestable and workable with ordinary wheat machinery. IARI's own station and multi-location trials report 19.76–21.16 q/ha, and the 18–20 q/ha given above is the field figure taken from them. Note that the official variety-release table lists a much lower released yield, ">10 q/ha". The only officially notified area of adoption is Delhi. Its short duration also opens a second rabi crop in the same year — mustard, potato or wheat. One news report (ThePrint) puts the extra margin over older varieties at roughly Rs 11,350/ha. That figure comes from a single source and could not be confirmed.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Pusa Arhar 16 if you want to harvest arhar with a machine. It is India's first determinate, combine-harvestable pigeonpea: a compact, semi-dwarf plant of 95–120 cm that ripens together instead of the long staggered picking most arhar needs, so ordinary wheat machinery and even a knapsack sprayer can work in the crop. At about 120 days it is also the quickest arhar on this list. Two cautions. Its wilt tolerance is not backed by any official source we could find, so do not plant a wilt-sick field on that basis — BSMR 736, Asha and Maruti have documented resistance. And the official release table lists its yield as more than 10 q/ha, while the 18–20 q/ha given above comes from IARI material, so plan conservatively.
Sowing & cultivation
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 the 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 figures differ. The official variety-release table (Dept. of Agriculture, dpd.gov.in) lists Pusa Arhar 16's released yield as ">10 q/ha". That is well below the 19.76–21.16 q/ha in IARI's own trial reports and press coverage. Both trace back to IARI/ICAR sources, so neither is wrong. The notified figure is cautious and the trial-station results are higher. Your own field can land anywhere between, so try a small area first.
- 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 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.
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
Before you book the combine
Machine harvesting is the reason to sow this variety, and it works because of how the plant is built: determinate, 95–120 cm, compact and semi-erect, with pods ripening together instead of over weeks. Ordinary wheat machinery can enter the crop, and a knapsack sprayer can reach it on foot. That changes the labour arithmetic more than the yield does — hand-picking arhar over several rounds is the part most farmers want rid of.
Three checks before you count on the machine. One, the stand must be even: patchy germination or very uneven sowing leaves pods at different heights and the combine will leave grain behind. Two, fix the harvest date on the crop, not the calendar — a determinate crop ripens together, so there is one right week and waiting past it costs you grain on the ground. Three, book the machine early; in wheat belts the same combines are in demand, and a crop that has to be cut in one window cannot wait for the owner's convenience. If no machine is available in your area, the compact plant still works by hand, but then UPAS 120 and ICPL 87 are worth comparing on yield and local record.
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 Arhar (Tur / Kandi) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSMR 736 | Fields where wilt and sterility mosaic both strike | About 180–185 days | About 12–18 q/ha average yield under suitable production conditions | Maharashtra |
| ICPL 87 (Pragati) | An early pigeonpea for double cropping in the peninsula | 110–130 days | About 11–19 q/ha in reported Indian varietal comparisons; 1.14 t/ha was the weighted mean in five years of peninsular-zone trials | Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat |
| ICPL 87119 (Asha) | Both big diseases covered, with a full-season yield | About 160–200 days | 18–25 q/ha, depending on zone and management | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Tamil Nadu |
| Maruti (ICP 8863) | Heavy wilt pressure on black soil | 150–180 days; commercial listings commonly state about 150–160 days | About 15–16 q/ha yield potential under suitable management; older official variety tables report about 10–12 q/ha average yield, while ICRISAT/ICAR material reports roughly 1.5–1.6 t/ha potential | Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| Pusa Arhar 16this page | Machine harvesting, and the field free in about 120 days | ~120 days | 18–20 q/ha | Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh |
| UPAS 120 | Clearing the field in time for timely wheat | 125–150 days | About 11–15 q/ha average; 1.38–1.8 t/ha has also been reported under suitable conditions | Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand |
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 Arhar (Tur / Kandi) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Arhar (Tur / Kandi) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Arhar (Tur / Kandi) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Arhar (Tur / Kandi) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Arhar (Tur / Kandi) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Arhar (Tur / Kandi) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Arhar (Tur / Kandi) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
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.
Is Pusa Arhar 16 released for my state?
It was formally released by Delhi's State Variety Release Committee in 2018 and is grown in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. Outside those states treat it as untested rather than unsuitable — ask your KVK whether anyone nearby has grown it, and try a small plot before you give it a big area.
Does Pusa Arhar 16 resist wilt?
It is called wilt tolerant above, but we could not find an official or press source that documents wilt tolerance for this variety specifically, so treat it as unconfirmed. If your field has a wilt history, choose a variety whose resistance is on record — BSMR 736, ICPL 87119 (Asha) or Maruti — and keep Pusa Arhar 16 for clean fields where machine harvesting is the reason you are sowing it.
What yield should I budget for — 10 q/ha or 18–20?
Both numbers come from IARI and ICAR sources, so neither is wrong. The official variety-release table gives a cautious more than 10 q/ha, while IARI trial reports and press coverage give 19.76–21.16 q/ha. Your field will land somewhere between. Budget on the low figure, sow a small area the first year, and see what your own soil and management give before expanding.
How much earlier than ordinary arhar does Pusa Arhar 16 mature?
It matures in about 120 days. Traditional tall arhar takes roughly 160–280 days, so the field is free months earlier. That gap is what lets you plan the next crop sooner, though a second crop in the same year still depends on your rainfall, irrigation and sowing dates.
What is the parentage of Pusa Arhar 16?
No source we found names the cross. IARI describes it only as a new plant type made through conventional breeding, with no parent lines given. So no parentage is stated here. It is a compact, determinate, semi-dwarf plant of 95–120 cm that ripens together.
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.