Kashi Bahar
An ICAR-IIVR (Varanasi) F1 hybrid with long, straight, light green fruit of 30–32 cm and 780–850 g on a vigorous green vine. The national checklist gives 50–55 t/ha, the highest listed yield among the lauki varieties here.
Quick facts
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First pick ~55–60 days
- Expected yield
- 50–55 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kashi Bahar is a hybrid bottle gourd from ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi. The national checklist describes a long-fruited hybrid with a green, vigorous vine and straight, light green fruit 30–32 cm long, weighing 780–850 g on average. It gives an average yield of 50–55 t/ha and is recommended for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar and Jharkhand. As with all hybrids, fresh seed must be bought each season.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Kashi Bahar if you farm in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar or Jharkhand and want the highest listed lauki yield (50–55 t/ha) from long, straight 780–850 g fruit, and you are ready to buy hybrid seed every season. Choose Pusa Hybrid-3 if you want a hybrid recommended for all of India and built for packing and long-distance transport. Choose Arka Bahar or Pusa Naveen if you want to save your own seed.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The highest listed yield among the lauki varieties compared here, 50–55 t/ha
- Long, straight, light green fruit of 30–32 cm and 780–850 g
- Vigorous green vine
Things to consider
- Fresh hybrid seed must be bought every season
- No special disease resistance is claimed, so aphid control and a bower still matter
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
Plan the crates before the first pick
At 780–850 g a fruit, a 20 kg crate holds about 23 to 26 fruits. A hectare listed at 50–55 t/ha produces roughly 59,000 to 70,500 fruits over the season.
That is a lot of fruit to pick on time. Lauki that stays on the vine too long turns hard and loses its price. Book pickers and crates for the whole picking period, not just the first week.
Confirm with your buyer whether he pays by weight or by piece. If he pays by piece, the 780–850 g size is your main selling point.
Where the planting material comes from
This is a hybrid, so seed kept from your own harvest will not breed true. The next crop comes up uneven in height, maturity and yield. Buy fresh certified seed every season and keep the bag tag until harvest.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Bottle Gourd (Lauki) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Bahar | An open-pollinated lauki with straight, 1 kg, light green fruit that tolerates blossom end rot | First pick ~60–65 days | 40–45 t/ha | Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh |
| Kashi Baharthis page | A high-yielding F1 lauki with long, straight, 780–850 g fruit for the eastern plains | First pick ~55–60 days | 50–55 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand |
| Punjab Komal | An early, CMV-tolerant PAU bottle gourd with oblong, light green fruit, about 200 q/acre | First fruit in about 70 days after sowing | About 200 q/acre (about 49 t/ha) | Punjab |
| Pusa Hybrid-3 | An F1 lauki built for easy packing and long-distance transport, recommended for all of India | First pick about 50–55 days | 42.5 t/ha in summer, 47 t/ha in the rainy season | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra |
| Pusa Naveen | An open-pollinated lauki with straight, 550 g fruit and no crooked neck, for two seasons | First pick ~60–65 days | 35–40 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| Pusa Samridhi | An open-pollinated lauki with long, neckless fruit, listed 14–19% ahead of Pusa Naveen | First pick about 50–55 days | 27–31 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana |
| Pusa Sandesh | An open-pollinated round lauki of about 600 g, for kitchens and markets that buy the round type | First pick about 55–60 days in the rainy season, 60–65 days in summer | About 32 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi |
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 Bottle Gourd (Lauki) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Bottle Gourd (Lauki) 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 Bottle Gourd (Lauki) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Bottle Gourd (Lauki) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Bottle Gourd (Lauki) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Bottle Gourd (Lauki) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Bottle Gourd (Lauki) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Kashi Bahar yield?
The national checklist gives an average of 50–55 t/ha. Treat that as the figure for a well-run crop on a bower with good water and fruit-fly control, not a guaranteed figure for every plot.
What size is a Kashi Bahar fruit?
The checklist gives straight, light green fruit 30–32 cm long, weighing 780–850 g on average. Check that your market buys lauki of this size before you plant a large area.
Can I save seed from Kashi Bahar?
No. It is a hybrid, so the seed from your crop will not give the same plants and the yield will fall. Buy fresh seed every season.
Does Kashi Bahar resist cucumber mosaic virus?
No resistance is claimed for it in the national checklist, so do not count on it. Control aphids early, which spread the virus, and remove plants with crinkled, mottled leaves.
Kashi Bahar or Pusa Hybrid-3: which is better?
Kashi Bahar is listed higher on yield (50–55 t/ha against about 42–47 t/ha) and is recommended for the eastern plains. Pusa Hybrid-3 is recommended for all of India, has slightly club-shaped fruit and is built for easy packing and long journeys.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (capsicum, carrot, cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd) — TNAU Agritech national bulletin. editorial policy.