Hisar Unnat (HRB-108)
A CCS HAU (Hisar) open-pollinated YVMV-resistant variety suited to the hot, dry north-west, with dark green pods and steady yield under summer heat.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Bhindi (Okra)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- First pick ~50 days
- Seed rate
- 8 kg per hectare as an open-pollinated variety
- Expected yield
- 12–15 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to yellow vein mosaic virus
- Release
- Released by CCS Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), Hisar
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Hisar Unnat (HRB-108) is an open-pollinated okra released by CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, with resistance to yellow vein mosaic virus. It was selected for the hot, dry conditions of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, holding pod set and yield through the pre-monsoon heat better than varieties bred for milder regions. Pods are dark green and five-ridged, and the first pick comes at about 50 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Hisar Unnat (HRB-108) if you grow summer okra in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan or western Uttar Pradesh. CCS HAU Hisar selected it for exactly those hot, dry conditions, so it holds pod set and yield through the pre-monsoon heat better than varieties bred for milder regions, and it resists yellow vein mosaic. Pods are dark green and five-ridged, first pick at about 50 days, yield 12–15 t/ha. Its resistance does not cover enation leaf curl, and in cooler, wetter areas it has little advantage over other varieties. Choose Kashi Kranti in the eastern plains, Pusa A-4 for longer pods in the same belt, or Arka Abhay where leaf curl is present.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeJune–August and February
- Seed rate8 kg per hectare as an open-pollinated variety
- Spacing45 x 30 cm, thinned to two plants per hill
- Sowing methodSow treated seed on ridges 45 cm apart, three seeds to a hill, thinning to two after 10 days. Pre-emergence weed control on the third day saves a hand weeding later
- IrrigationIrrigate weekly once the crop is up
- FertilizerBasal 25 t/ha farmyard manure with 20:50:30 kg NPK per hectare, and 20 kg N/ha at 30 days (Tamil Nadu guide)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Resistant to yellow vein mosaic virus
- Bred for hot, dry conditions — holds pod set and yield through pre-monsoon heat
- A dependable choice for the summer crop in the north-west
Things to consider
- YVMV resistance does not cover enation leaf curl virus
- Best suited to the north-west; less advantage over other varieties in cooler, wetter regions
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Haryana
- Punjab
- Rajasthan
- Uttar Pradesh
Summer okra in the hot, dry north-west
Hisar Unnat was bred by CCS HAU for the hot, dry north-west and gives steady yield under summer conditions, which is exactly where most okra struggles: flowers drop in extreme heat, the soil dries fast, and whitefly builds up in dry weather even though the variety resists YVMV.
Three things carry a summer crop. Water at short intervals rather than long, heavy ones — okra is shallow-rooted, and a dry spell at flowering costs pods straight away. Sow at your recommended spacing and keep the soil mulched where you can, so the surface does not bake. And pick frequently, because pods toughen fastest in heat. Watch for whitefly and mites on the leaf undersides through the dry months and act before the leaves silver.
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 Bhindi (Okra) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Abhay | Fields hit by leaf curl as well as yellow vein mosaic | First pick ~50–55 days | 15–18 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Anamika | Rainy-season okra with spineless, long-tender pods | First pick ~55 days | 12–18 t/ha | Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha |
| Hisar Unnat (HRB-108)this page | The hot, dry north-west summer crop | First pick ~50 days | 12–15 t/ha | Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh |
| Kashi Kranti (VRO-22) | Early, glossy straight pods across the eastern and central plains | First pick ~45–50 days | 15–18 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal |
| Kashi Pragati (VRO-6) | A tall, early, virus-resistant okra with 20–25 dark green pods per plant, from ICAR-IIVR | First pick in 44–46 days | Average 16 t/ha, potential 18 t/ha | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh |
| Parbhani Kranti | A long-proven rainy-season okra for Maharashtra and nearby states | First pick ~55 days | 9–12 t/ha | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana |
| Pusa A-4 | Long tender pods with a lighter spray load in the northern plains | First pick ~45 days | 13–16 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi |
| Pusa Sawani | A familiar pod type, only where whitefly is under firm control | First pick ~50 days | 10–15 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal |
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 Bhindi (Okra) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Bhindi (Okra) 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 Bhindi (Okra) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Bhindi (Okra) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Bhindi (Okra) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Bhindi (Okra) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Bhindi (Okra) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some okra varieties stop setting pods in peak heat?
Very high temperatures make the flowers drop before they set, so picks thin out just when prices are good. Hisar Unnat was selected under exactly that pre-monsoon heat, which is why it keeps setting when a variety bred for a milder region stalls.
Does the summer crop need more irrigation than the rainy one?
Yes, clearly. Summer okra needs light, frequent irrigation to keep flowering and pod set going, and a gap of a few days in peak heat shows up directly as a thin pick. Mulch helps hold the moisture between irrigations.
Is Hisar Unnat worth growing in the rainy season too?
It can be grown year-round, but its real edge is the heat, so in the rainy season a variety bred for that crop — Kashi Kranti in the east, Parbhani Kranti or Arka Anamika in the west and south — usually does as well or better.
How much Hisar Unnat seed do I need, and at what spacing?
8 kg per hectare as an open-pollinated variety, at 45 x 30 cm, thinned to two plants per hill. Soak the seed overnight before a February sowing, because okra germinates slowly in cold soil and a patchy stand in a summer crop is hard to fix.
What yield does Hisar Unnat give?
12–15 t/ha, with the first pick around 50 days. It is bred for the hot, dry north-west summer, so that figure assumes you can keep the weekly irrigation going through the hottest weeks, which is when the crop sets most of its pods.
Sourced from: Crop Production Guide (Horticulture), TNAU and Department of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu: bhendi seed rate, spacing, season, weed control, irrigation and fertiliser. editorial policy.