Pusa Composite 383
An open-pollinated composite for the driest bajra tracts — lower ceiling than a hybrid, but seed can be saved for the next season.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 70–75 days
- Expected yield
- 16–20 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Moderate downy mildew tolerance
- Release
- ICAR-IARI, New Delhi (no fetchable primary source states an exact release year)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Composite 383 is an open-pollinated pearl millet variety bred by ICAR-IARI, listed in the institute’s own variety catalogue as dual-purpose (grain and fodder), resistant to downy mildew, and of good fodder quality. It is recommended across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi. Being an open-pollinated composite rather than a hybrid, farmers can save seed from the harvest for the next season, at the cost of a lower yield ceiling than a hybrid such as HHB 67 Improved or RHB 177.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Pusa Composite 383 if buying fresh seed every year is your main problem. It is an open-pollinated IARI composite, so the harvest can be kept for next season, it matures in 70–75 days, and IARI lists it as good for both grain and fodder. Two limits are honest ones. The ceiling is lower than a hybrid's: about 16–20 q/ha in a farmer's field, against 22–24 q/ha in IARI's own catalogue. And its downy mildew cover is moderate tolerance, not resistance. It is recommended for Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. If downy mildew hits your village hard, Pusa Composite 701 is the other open-pollinated choice and is resistant to downy mildew and blast; if you will buy seed anyway, RHB 177 or HHB 67 Improved yield more.
Sowing & cultivation
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Being open-pollinated, seed can be saved from the harvest for the next season — no need to buy fresh hybrid seed every year
- Dual-purpose: IARI lists it as good for both grain and fodder quality, useful where the crop also feeds livestock
- Wide recommendation footprint across seven states (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi)
Things to consider
- IARI’s own catalogue lists an average yield of 2.2–2.4 t/ha (22–24 q/ha), somewhat above the conservative 16–20 q/ha field figure — treat the higher number as institute-trial potential and the lower one as a realistic farmer-field expectation.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Rajasthan
- Haryana
- Uttar Pradesh
A lower ceiling against a lower seed bill: do the arithmetic
This composite is not the highest-yielding bajra you can sow, and it is not meant to be. It gives about 16–20 q/ha in a farmer's field, against 25–28 q/ha for a hybrid like RHB 177. What it gives back is seed: being open-pollinated, your own harvest can be kept and resown, so the yearly seed purchase disappears from the costing.
Work it out for your own field rather than taking either side on faith. Put the hybrid seed cost for your area on one side, and on the other the grain you give up by sowing a composite — a few quintals a hectare, at your local price. On small, dry holdings where the hybrid's extra yield is uncertain anyway, the composite often comes out ahead; on better land with assured moisture, the hybrid usually wins. Two cautions when you keep seed: save it only from a healthy, well-filled, well-isolated stand, and remember the downy mildew cover here is moderate tolerance, not resistance, so a protective seed treatment still earns its cost in a wet year.
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 Bajra (Pearl Millet) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HHB 67 Improved | The shortest rains — grain in under 70 days | 65–70 days | 20–25 q/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat |
| Pusa 1201 | Grain plus fodder, and a second summer crop | 75–78 days | 18–20 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan |
| Pusa Composite 383this page | Keeping your own seed in the dry tracts | 70–75 days | 16–20 q/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Composite 701 | Downy mildew and blast cover, with seed you can resow | 78–82 days | 20–23 q/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi |
| RHB 177 | The highest yield here, with bird-resistant earheads | 78–80 days | 25–28 q/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana |
| RHB 273 | The widest disease cover — once the seed reaches you | 78–80 days | ~22 q/ha average (2,230 kg/ha) in multi-location trials; up to ~28 q/ha implied by the reported 13–27% advantage over regional checks, though no trial explicitly reports that upper figure | Rajasthan, Gujarat, 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 Bajra (Pearl Millet) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Bajra (Pearl Millet) 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 Bajra (Pearl Millet) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Bajra (Pearl Millet) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Bajra (Pearl Millet) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Bajra (Pearl Millet) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Bajra (Pearl Millet) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Why 16–20 q/ha when IARI lists 22–24?
Because the two numbers are measuring different things. The 22–24 q/ha in IARI's catalogue comes from institute trials with full management; the 16–20 q/ha here is the more cautious figure for an ordinary farmer's field in the dry tracts this composite is grown in. Budget on 16–20 q/ha and treat 22–24 as what good management can reach.
Is moderate downy mildew tolerance enough for my field?
In a dry year, usually yes. In a wet August it is not the same as resistance, and the crop can take a hit. Use a protective seed treatment, and if downy mildew returns to your village most years, sow Pusa Composite 701 instead — IARI lists it as resistant to downy mildew and blast, and it is also open-pollinated, so you keep the seed-saving advantage.
How many seasons can I keep resowing my own seed?
A composite keeps its character far better than a hybrid, and that is the main reason to grow one. Keep seed only from a healthy, well-filled, well-isolated stand, dry it properly and store it clean. Even so, buy a fresh certified lot every few seasons — a composite is a mixture of lines, and selecting year after year from a poor stand slowly changes what you are sowing.
Pusa Composite 383 or Pusa Composite 701 — which open-pollinated bajra should I take?
Pusa Composite 701 is stronger on paper: 78–82 days, 20–23 q/ha and resistance to downy mildew and blast, against 70–75 days, 16–20 q/ha and only moderate downy mildew tolerance for Pusa Composite 383. Choose 383 when the season is very short and the tract is dry; choose 701 when disease or yield matters more and you can wait the extra days.
Is Pusa Composite 383 good for fodder as well as grain?
Yes. IARI lists it as good for both grain and fodder quality, which helps if you keep cattle. It matures in 70–75 days, so the stover is also ready early. No separate fodder yield figure is published anywhere, so do not budget a tonnage for the stover.
Sourced from: Pearl Millet varieties/hybrids — IARI Technology Transfer Unit. editorial policy.