Pusa Ujjwal
Listed as a released variety in a 15-genotype trial in Gajapathi, Odisha, where it gave the highest fruit yield a plant (31.14 kg), the most fruits a vine (5.41) and the longest vine (14.74 m). No release notice was found.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Not published (no release record found)
- Seed rate
- 2–2.5 kg/ha for open-pollinated varieties
- Expected yield
- 31.14 kg a plant in one Odisha trial (no per-hectare figure found)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance widely documented
- Release
- No release notice found; listed as a released variety in a 2021 Odisha trial paper
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Ujjwal is an ash gourd variety listed among released varieties in a 15-genotype trial at Gajapathi, Odisha (J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 10(1), 2021). The name points to ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, but we found no release notice, year or recommended states. In that trial, Pusa Ujjwal gave the highest fruit yield a plant, 31.14 kg, ahead of Raygada Local (24.5 kg) and Kasi Surbhi (23.2 kg). It also had the most fruits a vine (5.41), a mean fruit weight of 6.18 kg, the widest fruit (68.58 cm), the thickest flesh (3.93 cm) and the longest vine (14.74 m). The trial planted at 1.2 x 1.2 m and reports yield a plant, not a hectare. Its authors note that no genotype was best for every trait.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Ujjwal only after a trial plot. The one independent trial we found, in Gajapathi, Odisha, put it first for fruit yield (31.14 kg a plant), fruits a vine (5.41) and flesh thickness (3.93 cm), with a mean fruit of 6.18 kg and the longest vine, 14.74 m. That is one district and one season, and the authors say no genotype was best for every trait. Do not choose it for a tight plot, since a 14.74 m vine needs room.
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rate2–2.5 kg/ha for open-pollinated varieties
- SpacingPits roughly 2 m between rows, 1–1.5 m within the row
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Highest fruit yield a plant (31.14 kg) and most fruits a vine (5.41) of 15 genotypes in one Odisha trial
- Thickest flesh in that trial (3.93 cm), with a mean fruit of 6.18 kg
Things to consider
- Only one trial, one district and one season, at 1.2 x 1.2 m, so it does not forecast a commercial crop
- The longest vine in the trial (14.74 m), so it needs a lot of room
- No release year, no recommended states and no disease resistance were found
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Delhi
- Haryana
One district, one season: how far to trust 31 kg a plant
Everything solid we have on Pusa Ujjwal comes from one trial: 15 genotypes in Gajapathi district, Odisha, three replications, four pits of each genotype in every replication, plants 1.2 x 1.2 m apart. In that setting Pusa Ujjwal beat the rest on fruit yield a plant (31.14 kg), fruits a vine (5.41) and flesh thickness (3.93 cm).
Three cautions. It was one season in one district, with a spacing much closer than a commercial bower. The authors themselves say no genotype was best for every trait. And a high number of fruits a vine with a mean fruit of 6.18 kg means a heavy load on a vine of 14.74 m, which needs strong supports and good feeding.
The way to use this is as a reason to test, not to commit. Plant 20 pits of Pusa Ujjwal beside the variety you grow now, in the same field and the same week. If after one season Pusa Ujjwal gives clearly more fruit per pit and your buyer takes fruit of about 6 kg, plant more. If not, you have lost very little.
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 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) | Farmers who want to test a short-duration private hybrid for the fresh market | 80–85 days | No independent figure found | Wide adaptability |
| Pusa Ujjwalthis page | 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 did the Odisha trial find for Pusa Ujjwal?
In 15 genotypes grown in a randomised block design with 3 replications (M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Paralakhemundi; J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 10(1), 2021), Pusa Ujjwal gave the highest fruit yield a plant, 31.14 kg, ahead of Raygada Local (24.5 kg) and Kasi Surbhi (23.2 kg). It also had the most fruits a vine (5.41), the widest fruit (68.58 cm), the thickest flesh (3.93 cm) and the longest vine (14.74 m).
Can I turn 31.14 kg a plant into tonnes a hectare?
Not safely. The trial planted at 1.2 x 1.2 m with 4 pits a genotype in each replication. Real fields use wider spacing, and the trial reports yield a plant, not a hectare. We found no per-hectare figure for Pusa Ujjwal, so we give none.
Is Pusa Ujjwal an IARI release?
The Odisha paper lists it among released varieties, and the name points to IARI, New Delhi. We could not find a release notice with a year, a notification or the recommended states. That is why no release year is shown.
How should I train a 14.74 m vine?
We found no training advice for this variety. The trial mean vine length was 8.83 m, so Pusa Ujjwal runs about 6 m longer than the average of its genotypes. Plan wide rows and clear paths before sowing, and keep the vine tips off neighbouring rows. Watch for fruit fly, for which TNAU advises destroying affected fruits and using about 50 fish-meal traps a hectare.
Sourced from: Varietal evaluation of ash gourd in Gajapathi district — J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 10(1), 2021, Ash gourd (Benincasa hispida) — TNAU Agritech Portal (fruit fly control). editorial policy.