Kashi Dhawal
An IIVR (Varanasi) selection (IVAG-502), identified in 2005 and notified in 2006 for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. Long vine (7.5–8 m), oblong white fruit of 11–12 kg with thick white flesh, used for petha. IIVR's average is 575 q/ha.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 110 days to first harvest; 110–115 days seed to seed (IIVR)
- Seed rate
- 3.0 to 3.5 kg/ha (IIVR)
- Expected yield
- 575 q/ha average (57.5 t/ha); 800 q/ha potential (IIVR)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance widely documented
- Release
- Identified in 2005 by ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi (selection, IVAG-502, IC-523661); notified 25 April 2006, S.O. 597(E)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kashi Dhawal (IVAG-502) is an ash gourd selection from ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi. IIVR identified it in 2005 (IC-523661) and it was notified on 25 April 2006 under S.O. 597(E). The vine is long, 7.5 to 8 m, and each plant carries 2.5 to 3.0 oblong, white fruits of 11 to 12 kg with thick white flesh (8.5 to 8.7 cm). IIVR's record gives 110 days to first harvest and 110 to 115 days from seed to seed, an average yield of 575 q/ha (57.5 t/ha) and a potential of 800 q/ha. The area of adaptation is Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. The commercial use is petha. IIVR's package is 5 m between rows and 0.8 m between plants, 3.0 to 3.5 kg/ha of seed, 15 t/ha of FYM and 100:60:60 kg/ha of N, P2O5 and K2O.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Kashi Dhawal if you sell big fruit to petha makers and you farm in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Delhi, where IIVR recommends it. IIVR's own record gives 575 q/ha (57.5 t/ha) as the average and 800 q/ha as the potential, with 110 days to first harvest and fruit of 11 to 12 kg. Do not choose it for small household fruit or a tight plot. The vine is long and the row spacing is 5 m. For smaller fruit from the same institute, see Kashi Ujwal (round, 7 to 9 kg).
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rate3.0 to 3.5 kg/ha (IIVR)
- Spacing5 m between rows and 0.8 m between plants, about 2,500 plants a hectare (IIVR)
- Fertilizer100 kg N, 60 kg P2O5 and 60 kg K2O a hectare with 15 t/ha of FYM (IIVR).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- IIVR's average of 575 q/ha and a potential of 800 q/ha, from a notified open-pollinated variety
- Thick white flesh and large fruit, bred for petha
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved (IIVR gives a seed yield of 2.5 to 4.0 q/ha)
Things to consider
- A very long vine (7.5 to 8 m) and 5 m row spacing, so it needs a lot of land per plant
- Fruit of 11 to 12 kg suits petha makers better than the vegetable market
- IIVR's record names no disease resistance
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- Delhi
Where 575 quintals comes from, and what it asks of your field
IIVR's variety record sets the plants 5 m between rows and 0.8 m apart in the row. That is 2,500 plants a hectare. It gives 2.5 to 3.0 fruits a plant and 11 to 12 kg a fruit.
Multiply those and you get roughly 69 to 90 t/ha. That is our arithmetic, not an IIVR number, and it is above IIVR's own average of 57.5 t/ha (575 q/ha). The gap is a reminder that not every plant carries its full load. Some plants set fewer fruits or smaller ones, and the average already allows for that.
So what does the field have to give? Room, for a long vine of 7.5 to 8 m. FYM at 15 t/ha and 100:60:60 kg/ha of N, P2O5 and K2O, per IIVR. And a buyer: a 11 to 12 kg fruit is made for petha, and IIVR names petha as its commercial use. If you have no petha buyer lined up, 575 quintals of fruit this size is hard to sell in the vegetable market. Sign the buyer first, then the seed order.
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 Ash Gourd (Petha/Kumbh) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO 1 | Tamil Nadu farmers who want big, long-keeping fruit and can give the field 5 months | ~140–150 days to full maturity | 20–25 t/ha (TNAU) | Tamil Nadu |
| CO 2 | Tamil Nadu farmers who sell small fruit to households and want the higher-yielding TNAU variety | ~120–130 days | 34 t/ha (TNAU) | Tamil Nadu |
| Indu | Kerala farmers who want the KAU variety with good flesh thickness and medium-sized fruit | Not published (KAU variety page gives no days) | 24.5 t/ha potential; mean fruit weight 4.82 kg (KAU) | Kerala |
| Kashi Dhawalthis page | North Indian farmers who sell to petha makers and can give the vine 5 m between rows | 110 days to first harvest; 110–115 days seed to seed (IIVR) | 575 q/ha average (57.5 t/ha); 800 q/ha potential (IIVR) | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi |
| Mahyco MAHY-1 (F1 hybrid) | Farmers who want to test a private F1 hybrid against a public variety before scaling up | 110–120 days | No independent figure found | Wide adaptability |
| Namdhari NS 4912 (F1 hybrid) | Farmers who want to test a short-duration private hybrid for the fresh market | 80–85 days | No independent figure found | Wide adaptability |
| Pusa Ujjwal | Farmers with a lot of land per plant who want many medium-heavy fruits on each vine | Not published (no release record found) | 31.14 kg a plant in one Odisha trial (no per-hectare figure found) | Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana |
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 Ash Gourd (Petha/Kumbh) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Ash Gourd (Petha/Kumbh) 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 Ash Gourd (Petha/Kumbh) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Ash Gourd (Petha/Kumbh) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Ash Gourd (Petha/Kumbh) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Ash Gourd (Petha/Kumbh) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Ash Gourd (Petha/Kumbh) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kashi Dhawal's real yield?
IIVR's variety record (IVAG-502) gives an average yield of 575 q/ha and a potential of 800 q/ha. The number we used before, 230 to 240 q/ha, does not appear in it. An average of 575 q/ha is 57.5 t/ha. That is a figure from IIVR's trials. Your field may give less, so budget with a lower number and check it against your first crop.
What spacing, seed rate and fertiliser does IIVR give?
IIVR gives 5 m between rows and 0.8 m between plants, which is 2,500 plants a hectare, with 3.0 to 3.5 kg/ha of seed. The fertiliser is 100 kg N, 60 kg P2O5 and 60 kg K2O a hectare with 15 t/ha of FYM. Seed yield is 2.5 to 4.0 q/ha.
How many fruits does a Kashi Dhawal plant carry?
IIVR gives 2.5 to 3.0 fruits a plant, each 11 to 12 kg, oblong and white, with white pulp and a linear seed arrangement. Fruit weight can vary with how many you leave on the vine, so do not let the vine carry more than it can fill.
When was Kashi Dhawal released, and where is it recommended?
IIVR identified it in 2005 as a selection (IC-523661), and it was notified on 25 April 2006 under S.O. 597(E). IIVR's variety record gives Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi as its area of adaptation. Other IIVR pages list slightly different states, so check with your KVK if you are outside these.
How is Kashi Dhawal different from Kashi Ujwal and Kashi Surbhi?
Kashi Dhawal is the biggest: oblong, 11 to 12 kg, 575 q/ha. Kashi Ujwal (IVAG-90, 2006) is round and medium, 7 to 9 kg, with an average of 500 q/ha and 110 days to first harvest. Kashi Surbhi (IVAG-03, 2009) averages 500 q/ha with 105 days to first harvest. All three are IIVR selections, and all are used for petha.
Sourced from: IIVR vegetable varieties — a ready reckoner: Kashi Dhawal (IVAG-502), Kashi Ujwal, Kashi Surbhi. editorial policy.