CIM-Pushti

CIM-Pushti was released in 2018 by CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow, developed through intra-specific hybridization between Nagouri and Kashmiri Ashwagandha ecotypes. It matures in 168–178 days and gives an average dry root yield of 9–10 quintals/ha, with a rich Withanolide-A content (0.713 mg/g dry weight on average) and Withanolide-B content of 0.460 mg/g. Its standout trait among Ashwagandha lines is leaf blight tolerance — a documented disease-resistance edge none of the other lines on this site carry. The root itself is distinctive: whitish-cream in colour, with a non-separable rind and fine, pulverisable, brittle texture and a high starch-to-fibre ratio, prized for root textural quality. The plant carries highly wavy, sub-coriaceous, light green leaves on a semi-erect, strong stem, with yellowish-orange mature berries, and CIMAP recommends it for India's agro-climatic zones VIII, XIII and XIV — broadly the Central Plateau, the Western dry region, and the Gujarat plains.

Plant typeOpen-pollinated
Maturity168–178 days to root maturity
Yield potentialAverage dry root yield of 9–10 quintals/ha
Disease resistanceTolerant to leaf blight — the only Ashwagandha line in this record with a documented disease-tolerance trait
SoilSandy loam or light red soil, pH 7.5–8.0
SeasonKharif

• Sowing timeDirect sowing: second week of July, once pre-monsoon showers have given a fine tilth. Nursery sowing: just before monsoon onset, transplanted 5–6 weeks later.
• Seed rate5–12 kg/ha for direct broadcast sowing (2–5 kg/acre); a nursery raised for transplanting needs only about 5 kg/ha of seed — the species-standard rate
• Spacing60×60 cm for a transplanted crop; a direct-sown stand is thinned at 25–30 days to about 20,000–25,000 plants/ha
• Sowing methodBroadcast directly into the field, or raise seedlings in a nursery bed and transplant into 60 cm furrows once 5–6 weeks old
• IrrigationLittle to none if the monsoon is on schedule; a life-saving irrigation only on a genuine dry spell
• FertilizerNone, by design — the crop runs on the residual fertility of a previous well-manured crop; on genuinely poor soil, a modest 20:20:0 kg N:P:K/ha is sometimes applied basal
• HarvestingHarvest January–March, 168–178 days after sowing, once the leaves have dried and the berries have turned yellowish-orange.

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

• Madhya Pradesh
• Rajasthan
• Gujarat

• Jawahar Asgand-20 (JA-20)

  The older of the two Ashwagandha varieties on ICAR-DMAPR's official released-varieties list — released 1989 by JNKVV, Mandsaur. Short-statured and bred for high-density planting.

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• Jawahar Asgand-134 (JA-134)

  The newer of the two Ashwagandha varieties on ICAR-DMAPR's official released-varieties list — released 1998 by JNKVV, Mandsaur, sharing JA-20's short-statured, high-density profile.

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• CIMAP-Chetak

  Released in 2011 by CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow, through half-sib family selection out of Nagori Ashwagandha stock — a high-yielding, semi-vigorous line bred for medium-irrigated areas, with dry root yield about double the check variety it was compared against.

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• Poshita

  A high-yielding Ashwagandha line developed and marketed by CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow — contact the institute directly for seed and planting-material availability.

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• CIMAP-Pratap

  The highest-yielding Ashwagandha variety documented for this record — released by CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow, through half-sib selection specifically for drought-prone areas, with a registered dry root yield of 34.95 quintals/ha against 21.99 quintals/ha for the best check variety.

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• Nagori

  A local Ashwagandha strain traded under the well-known name "Nagori", after Rajasthan's Nagaur district — prized for its starchy root, but not a formally released ICAR or state-university variety.

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