Namdhari NS 4912 (F1 hybrid)
A private F1 hybrid from Namdhari Seeds, described as a round green fruit of 22–26 cm in 80–85 days. We found no trial, release record or datasheet for it, so treat those figures as unconfirmed and test it first.
Quick facts
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 80–85 days
- Seed rate
- About 1.5 kg/ha for F1 hybrids
- Expected yield
- No independent figure found
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance widely documented
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Namdhari NS 4912 is a private F1 hybrid ash gourd from Namdhari Seeds. It is described as round and green, 22 to 26 cm, ready in 80 to 85 days and bred for year-round sowing. We found no trial, release record or datasheet for it, so those figures are the seller's description and not independently confirmed. If they hold, 80 to 85 days is much shorter than CO 2 (120 to 130 days) or Kashi Dhawal (110 days to first harvest), but fruit picked that early is for the fresh market, not for long storage or petha. Seed saved from an F1 hybrid will not breed true, so fresh seed must be bought every season.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Namdhari NS 4912 only if you are willing to test it first. It is sold with 80 to 85 days, round green fruit of 22 to 26 cm and year-round sowing, but we found no trial, release record or datasheet to support those figures. If they hold, an 80 to 85 day crop is much quicker than CO 2 (120 to 130 days) or Kashi Dhawal (110 days to first harvest). A short crop of green fruit will not store like the waxy full-maturity types, so decide your market before you sow.
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rateAbout 1.5 kg/ha for F1 hybrids
- SpacingPits roughly 2 m between rows, 1–1.5 m within the row
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- If the 80 to 85 day figure holds, it frees the land 30 to 60 days sooner than the public varieties here
- Bred for year-round sowing, according to the seller
Things to consider
- No trial, release record or datasheet was found, so days, fruit size and yield are not independently confirmed
- A short crop of green fruit does not store or process like the waxy full-maturity varieties
- Fresh hybrid seed must be bought every season
Suitable regions
A private hybrid sold nationally through Namdhari Seeds' dealer network, bred for year-round cultivation rather than tied to one region — check local availability.
- Wide adaptability
A short crop for a market you have not yet found
A crop of 80 to 85 days, if it holds, frees the land 30 to 60 days sooner than the public varieties here. CO 2 stays 120 to 130 days, CO 1 stays 140 to 150, and Kashi Dhawal gives its first harvest at 110 days. That could let you fit a second crop. It is the real attraction of a short-duration hybrid.
But the buyer decides whether it pays. Fruit taken at 80 to 85 days is green, round and meant for the fresh market. It is not the waxy, hard-rinded fruit that petha makers and long storage want. Before you order seed, find out who will take 22 to 26 cm green fruit, in what weeks of the year and at what price per kilo.
Then run a small test. Sow one corner with NS 4912 and another with CO 2 in the same week. Count the days to first picking in both and weigh what each gives. If NS 4912 really is 30 to 40 days quicker and yields as well, you have your answer. If it is not, you have saved yourself a season of mistakes.
Where the planting material comes from
This is a hybrid, so seed kept from your own harvest will not breed true. The next crop comes up uneven in height, maturity and yield. Buy fresh certified seed every season and keep the bag tag until harvest.
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 Dhawal | 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)this page | 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
Where do the 80 to 85 days come from?
We could not trace it to a trial or a datasheet. We found no independent record of Namdhari NS 4912 at all, so please read the number as the seller's claim until you have your own. Mark the sowing date, and count the days to first harvest in your field.
Is a short crop good for petha or storage?
Probably not. TNAU's long-duration varieties (CO 1, 140 to 150 days) are the ones it describes with a waxy coating and long keeping. Fruit picked at 80 to 85 days is likely to be fresh-market fruit. Ask your petha buyer before you sow, and test how long a few fruits keep.
Can I save seed from NS 4912 fruit?
No. It is an F1 hybrid, so seed from the fruit will not give the same fruit. Buy new seed each season and keep the packet, with its lot number, until the crop is sold.
Can I sow NS 4912 in any month?
It is sold as bred for year-round cultivation, but we found no trial in any month. TNAU lists July and January for ash gourd in general, and the northern crop guide here gives January to March and June to July. Cold hurts the crop below about 18 C, so a winter sowing needs protection. Test one off-season month on a small plot first.
Sourced from: Ash gourd (Benincasa hispida) — TNAU Agritech Portal (varieties and sowing months, for comparison). editorial policy.