Pusa Hybrid-3
An IARI F1 hybrid with green, slightly club-shaped fruit and no neck, built for easy packing and long-distance transport. The national checklist gives 42.5 t/ha in summer and 47 t/ha in the rainy season, for all of India.
Quick facts
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First pick about 50–55 days
- Seed rate
- About 1.5–2 kg/ha (under 1 kg/acre) — far less than an open-pollinated variety
- Expected yield
- 42.5 t/ha in summer, 47 t/ha in the rainy season
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Vigorous; good field tolerance of leaf diseases
- 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 Hybrid-3 is an F1 hybrid bottle gourd from ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. The fruit is green, slightly club-shaped and has no neck, which makes it easy to pack and suited to long-distance transport. The national checklist gives the first picking at 50–55 days and a yield of 42.5 t/ha in summer and 47 t/ha in the rainy season, and recommends it for all of India. A bower and good management help it reach that yield. Fresh seed must be bought each season.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Hybrid-3 if you sell to a distant market and want a neckless, slightly club-shaped fruit that packs well: 50–55 days to first picking, 42.5 t/ha in summer and 47 t/ha in the rainy season. It needs a seed rate of only 1.5–2 kg/ha. Choose Kashi Bahar for a higher listed yield (50–55 t/ha) in the eastern plains. Choose Arka Bahar or Pusa Naveen if you want open-pollinated seed you can save.
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rateAbout 1.5–2 kg/ha (under 1 kg/acre) — far less than an open-pollinated variety
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Green, slightly club-shaped fruit with no neck, easy to pack and good for long journeys
- A high listed yield of 42.5 t/ha in summer and 47 t/ha in the rainy season
- Recommended for all of India
Things to consider
- Fresh hybrid seed must be bought every season
- Needs a bower and good management to reach its yield potential
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Maharashtra
Pick for the truck, not for the plant
Pusa Hybrid-3 is built for a long trip. The shape helps, but the picking stage matters just as much. Pick the fruit while it is still tender and the skin is shiny, before the rind hardens.
Pick in the cool part of the day and keep the fruit in shade. Grade by size so that each crate holds fruit of a similar weight, because a mixed crate gets the price of its worst fruit.
Do not pile fruit loose on a truck. Use crates or lined baskets, and keep the stalk end clean and dry.
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 Bahar | 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-3this page | 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 Pusa Hybrid-3 yield?
The national checklist gives 42.5 t/ha in summer and 47 t/ha in the rainy season. Reaching that yield needs a bower, steady water and a fruit-fly control programme.
Why is Pusa Hybrid-3 good for long-distance sale?
The checklist describes the fruit as slightly club-shaped with no neck, suitable for easy packing and long-distance transport. A fruit without a thin neck breaks less in a crate.
Can I save seed from Pusa Hybrid-3?
No. It is an F1 hybrid, so seed from your crop will not give the same plants. Buy fresh seed every season. The seed rate is only 1.5–2 kg per hectare, under 1 kg per acre.
Which season gives the better yield, summer or rainy?
The checklist lists 47 t/ha in the rainy season against 42.5 t/ha in summer. But rain brings more fruit fly and mildew, so the rainy crop needs more spraying and a good drain.
Pusa Hybrid-3 or Arka Bahar: which should I grow?
The listed yields are close, about 42.5 to 47 t/ha against 40–45 t/ha. Choose Pusa Hybrid-3 for the packing shape and long-distance sale. Choose Arka Bahar if you want to save seed and avoid the hybrid seed cost.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (capsicum, carrot, cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd) — TNAU Agritech national bulletin. editorial policy.