Pusa Vishesh
An IARI open-pollinated karela with a dwarf vine suited to high plant density. The national checklist describes medium-long, medium-thick, glossy green fruit suited to pickling and dehydration, and lists no separate yield figure.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- No separate figure published
- 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 Vishesh is an open-pollinated bitter gourd from ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, with a dwarf vine that is easier to train and suits planting at high density. The national checklist describes medium-long, medium-thick, glossy green fruit suitable for pickling and dehydration, and recommends it for Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It gives no separate figure for yield or days to harvest. The shorter vine allows closer spacing, so it works on small plots and kitchen gardens as well as in the field.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Vishesh if you have a small plot or kitchen garden, or want to plant karela at a higher density than usual, and you want open-pollinated seed. Its dwarf vine is easier to train. It suits pickling and dehydration buyers. The catch is that no separate yield figure is published. Choose Pusa Hybrid-1 or Pusa Hybrid-2 for a listed yield of about 19–20 t/ha if you can pay for hybrid seed. Choose Pusa Do Mausami if you want a rainy-season sowing as well.
Sowing & cultivation
- SpacingCan be grown at closer spacing than most karela because of the compact vine; still best on a bower
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Dwarf vine that is easier to train and manage
- Suits high plant density, so it works on small plots and in kitchen gardens
- Fruit suited to pickling and dehydration
Things to consider
- No special disease resistance, so the melon fruit fly and mildews need managing
- No yield figure is published for it, and the checklist describes Pusa Hybrid-1 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
How many plants can your plot carry? A spacing test
Pusa Do Mausami is planted with rows 1.5–2.0 m apart and hills 0.5–1.0 m apart. That works out at roughly 5,000 to 13,300 hills per hectare.
Pusa Vishesh has a dwarf vine, so it can go closer, but the national checklist gives no distance. Do not guess for the whole plot.
Mark two blocks of 20 hills. Plant one at the usual spacing and the other about 20% closer. Pick both for a month and weigh the fruit from each. The block that gives more fruit per square metre without disease and rotting at the base is your spacing.
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 Mausami | 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 Visheshthis page | 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
How close can I plant Pusa Vishesh?
The national checklist says only that the dwarf vine suits planting at high density, and gives no distance. Try one block at your usual spacing and one a little tighter, such as 20% closer, and compare the fruit.
Is Pusa Vishesh mildly bitter?
The national checklist does not say so. It describes glossy green fruit suited to pickling and dehydration. Taste a sample before you tell buyers it is mild.
What yield does Pusa Vishesh give?
No separate yield is published. The checklist lists Pusa Hybrid-1 as a higher yielder than Pusa Vishesh, at about 20 t/ha, so expect less than that.
Can I save seed from Pusa Vishesh?
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.
Can I grow Pusa Vishesh in a kitchen garden?
Yes. The dwarf vine is easier to train and suits close planting, so it fits a small space. Give it a trellis or a bower, because it still gives cleaner, straighter fruit off the ground.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (capsicum, carrot, cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd) — TNAU Agritech national bulletin. editorial policy.