Pusa Do Mausami
A long-standing IARI open-pollinated karela that crops in both the summer and the rainy season. The national checklist describes dark green, medium-thick, club-shaped fruit with 7–8 continuous ridges, 18 cm long, 8–10 fruits to the kilo, ready in about 55 days.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First pick in about 55 days from sowing
- Seed rate
- 4–6 kg/ha (about 1.6–2.4 kg/acre); soak the seed 24 hours before sowing
- Expected yield
- No separate figure published
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Do Mausami is a long-standing open-pollinated bitter gourd from ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. Its name means two seasons: it can be sown for the summer crop (January–February) and for the rainy-season crop (June–July). The national checklist describes dark green, medium-thick, club-shaped fruit with 7–8 continuous ridges, about 18 cm long, 8–10 fruits to the kilo, reaching the edible stage in about 55 days from sowing. It is recommended for Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Because it is open-pollinated, farmers can save their own seed.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Do Mausami if you farm in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh or Bihar and want an open-pollinated karela you can sow in January–February and again in June–July, with first picking in about 55 days. You can save seed. The catch is that no yield figure is published for it. Choose Pusa Hybrid-1 if you will pay for hybrid seed for a listed yield of about 20 t/ha. Choose Pusa Vishesh if you need a dwarf vine for a small plot.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeSummer crop January–February (after frost); rainy-season crop June–July
- Seed rate4–6 kg/ha (about 1.6–2.4 kg/acre); soak the seed 24 hours before sowing
- SpacingRows 1.5–2.0 m apart, hills 0.5–1.0 m; train on a bower for a clean, straight fruit and higher yield
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Crops in both the summer and the rainy season
- Ready for first picking in about 55 days, with long dark green fruit of about 18 cm
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved
Things to consider
- No special disease resistance, so the melon fruit fly and the mildews need managing from first flower
- The checklist gives no yield figure for it. Pusa Hybrid-1 and Pusa Hybrid-2, which are listed at about 19–20 t/ha, are described as higher yielding
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Delhi
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
Count the days for both sowings
With first picking in about 55 days from sowing, a summer crop sown on 15 January starts picking around 11 March, and one sown on 15 February around 11 April.
A rainy-season crop sown on 15 June starts around 9 August, and one sown on 15 July around 8 September. These are mid-month examples, so shift them for your own sowing date.
Use the dates to line up pickers, crates and your bower before the first fruit arrives. Karela that is not picked in time turns yellow-orange and is hard to sell.
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 Bitter Gourd (Karela) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Harit | A thick-fleshed, few-seeded southern karela with glossy spindle-shaped fruit, from ICAR-IIHR | First pick ~60–65 days | About 12 t/ha | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala |
| Coimbatore Long (CO-1) | A long green TNAU karela of 30–35 cm for Tamil Nadu markets that pay for length | First pick ~60–70 days | About 14 t/ha | Tamil Nadu |
| Pusa Do Mausamithis page | An open-pollinated karela for both summer and the rainy season, ready for first picking in about 55 days | First pick in about 55 days from sowing | No separate figure published | Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar |
| Pusa Hybrid-1 | An F1 karela with about 20 t/ha for the spring-summer crop near Delhi-NCR, suited to pickling and dehydration | First pick ~55–60 days | About 20 t/ha | Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Hybrid-2 | An F1 karela recommended for the widest set of states, with 19–20 t/ha, for pickling and dehydration | First pick ~55–60 days | 19–20 t/ha | Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi |
| Pusa Vishesh | A dwarf-vine open-pollinated karela for high-density planting and small plots, suited to pickling and dehydration | No separate figure published | No separate figure published | Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar |
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 Bitter Gourd (Karela) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Bitter Gourd (Karela) 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 Bitter Gourd (Karela) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Bitter Gourd (Karela) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Bitter Gourd (Karela) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Bitter Gourd (Karela) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Bitter Gourd (Karela) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What does Do Mausami mean?
It means two seasons. The variety can be sown for a summer crop in January–February, after the frost has gone, and for a rainy-season crop in June–July.
What does a Pusa Do Mausami fruit look like?
The national checklist describes dark green, medium-thick, club-shaped fruit with 7–8 continuous ridges, about 18 cm long. About 8–10 fruits make a kilo.
How much seed does Pusa Do Mausami need?
The seed rate is 4–6 kg per hectare, about 1.6–2.4 kg per acre, and soak the seed for 24 hours before sowing. A hybrid like Pusa Hybrid-1 needs only about 2–2.5 kg per hectare.
Can I save seed from Pusa Do Mausami?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Leave a few of the best fruits on the vine until they turn orange and ripe, then take out the seed and dry it in shade. Keep the plot away from other karela.
Is Pusa Do Mausami better than Pusa Hybrid-1?
It depends on what you value. The national checklist says Pusa Hybrid-1 yields more than Pusa Do Mausami and Pusa Vishesh, at about 20 t/ha. Pusa Do Mausami lets you save seed and sow in two seasons. Try a strip of each.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (capsicum, carrot, cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd) — TNAU Agritech national bulletin. editorial policy.