Pusa Hybrid 6 Brinjal Seed — Sowing & Yield Guide

Quick facts

Crop: Brinjal (Eggplant)
Type: Hybrid
Season: All seasons
Maturity period: 150–170 days
Seed rate: 200 g per hectare. As an F1 hybrid it takes half the seed of an open-pollinated brinjal, and you must buy it fresh every season
Expected yield: High
Suitable soil: Loam
Disease resistance: Variable
Release: Released by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. The exact notification year was not found

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

About this variety

Pusa Hybrid 6 is an ICAR-IARI, New Delhi brinjal hybrid. IARI's own technology-transfer page (ztmbpd.iari.res.in) lists its parentage as Sel Br-112 x Sel 91-2. Plants are upright and non-spiny, bearing round, purple, glossy fruits of medium size (about 200 g each). IARI's page states an average yield of 45 t/ha and first picking 55-60 days after transplanting, with the variety suited to autumn-winter cultivation. IARI's page does not mention disease or pest resistance for this hybrid at all.

Should you pick this variety?

Pick Pusa Hybrid 6 if your market wants round, glossy purple brinjal of about 200 g and you are planting for autumn-winter. It is the only round-fruited purple of the six here — Pusa Purple Long and Pusa Kranti both sell as long fruit — and the plants are upright and non-spiny, so picking is easier on the hands. Two things to plan for. It is a hybrid, so seed is a cost every season, and the yield gap that has to cover it is narrow: Arka Nidhi gives more at 48 t/ha and keeps its seed. And IARI's page lists no disease or pest resistance at all, so the Variable rating is only an estimate. On wilt-prone land Arka Nidhi is the safer choice, and Pusa Purple Long suits a market that wants long fruit.

Sowing & cultivation

Sowing timeSow the nursery in December–January or May–June
Seed rate200 g per hectare. As an F1 hybrid it takes half the seed of an open-pollinated brinjal, and you must buy it fresh every season
SpacingTransplant on ridges 60 cm apart
Sowing method100 sq m of nursery raises enough seedlings for a hectare. Treat the seed with Trichoderma viride at 4 g/kg, sow in lines 10 cm apart on raised beds, and transplant 30–35 days after sowing
HarvestingFirst picking 55-60 days after transplanting, per IARI's own page

Full Brinjal (Eggplant) growing guideSowing time, nutrients, irrigation, pests, costs and prices for Brinjal (Eggplant) as a whole crop. This is the advice that holds for every variety.

Soil & climate

Soil

Suitable soil: Well-drained soil rich in organic matter
pH: 6.5–7.5

Pest & disease considerations

Major diseases

IARI's page for Pusa Hybrid 6 does not mention disease or pest resistance, so the "Variable" rating is unconfirmed.

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

High reported yield (45 t/ha per IARI's own page) with early first picking at 55-60 days after transplanting
Round, glossy, medium-sized purple fruit — a distinct market type from the long and extra-long fruited varieties

Things to consider

IARI gives no disease or pest resistance information for this hybrid, so treat the "Variable" rating as an estimate until a source addresses resistance.
A Bihar on-farm trial (Lakhisarai district, kharif 2016, under KVK Lakhisarai) suggests Pusa Hybrid 6 has also been grown outside Maharashtra. Only Maharashtra is listed above, so check locally before growing it elsewhere.

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

Maharashtra

An early first picking, and the autumn-winter calendar

IARI puts the first picking of Pusa Hybrid 6 at 55–60 days after transplanting, with a reported 45 t/ha over the season. An early first picking matters most when it lands before the main local flush, because that is when the round purple fruit is still fetching a price.

Plan the nursery backwards from the date you want to be selling in. Keep picking every few days once it starts — round brinjal left on the plant goes dull and seedy, and a crowded plant slows the next set. IARI gives no disease or pest resistance information for this hybrid, so scout from the start for shoot and fruit borer and clip out the wilted shoots and bored fruit as you pick. And since it is a hybrid, seed from your own fruit will not come up true: buy fresh each season.

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 Brinjal (Eggplant) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.

Variety	Best for	Maturity	Yield	States
Arka Kusumakar	Small green clustered brinjal for south Indian cooking, on clean land	140–150 days from transplanting	400 q/ha (40 t/ha)	Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
Arka Nidhi	Wilt-prone fields that still need a heavy purple brinjal crop	150–160 days	High	Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh
Arka Shirish	Extra-long green brinjal for a market that wants that type	140–150 days	High	Karnataka
Pusa Hybrid 6this page	Round purple brinjal for autumn-winter, picked early	150–170 days	High	Maharashtra
Pusa Kranti	North Indian spring or autumn crop of thick, less-seeded purple fruit	70–75 days from transplanting	140–160 q/ha	Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi
Pusa Purple Long	The familiar long purple brinjal of the northern plains	70–80 days from transplanting	250–300 q/ha	Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal

Other Brinjal (Eggplant) varieties in the finder, for comparison.

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 Brinjal (Eggplant) is selling for.

Subsidy and government support

Schemes that help with the cost of Brinjal (Eggplant) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the parentage of Pusa Hybrid 6 brinjal?

Sel Br-112 x Sel 91-2, per IARI's own technology-transfer page — an ICAR-IARI, New Delhi hybrid.

What does Pusa Hybrid 6 fruit look like?

Round, purple, glossy fruit of medium size, about 200 g each, per IARI's own page.

What yield does Pusa Hybrid 6 give?

Average 45 t/ha, per IARI's own technology-transfer page.

When is the first harvest of Pusa Hybrid 6 ready?

First picking 55-60 days after transplanting, per IARI's own page; the crop is suited to autumn-winter cultivation.

Is Pusa Hybrid 6 resistant to any disease?

Not documented. IARI's page for this hybrid gives no disease or pest resistance information, so read the "Variable" rating as an estimate.

Why does a non-spiny plant matter?

Brinjal is picked many times over a long season, and spiny calyxes and stems slow the pickers and cut their hands. An upright, non-spiny plant lowers labour trouble and bruising, which shows up in how clean the fruit reaches the market.

Can I keep seed from Pusa Hybrid 6?

No. It is a hybrid of Sel Br-112 × Sel 91-2, so the next generation separates out into mixed plant types and fruit shapes and the 45 t/ha is gone. Buy fresh seed each season, or grow an open-pollinated variety like Pusa Purple Long or Pusa Kranti if saving seed matters.

Is Pusa Hybrid 6 grown outside Maharashtra?

Yes, in practice — an on-farm trial under KVK Lakhisarai in Bihar grew it in kharif 2016, for instance. Only Maharashtra is listed above, so treat other states as grown-but-not-listed and check with your local KVK first.

When should I sow the Pusa Hybrid 6 nursery?

December–January or May–June. With the first picking 55–60 days after transplanting, a December–January nursery brings the crop into the autumn-winter market this hybrid is meant for.

At what spacing should Pusa Hybrid 6 be planted?

Transplant on ridges 60 cm apart. With hybrid seed you are paying per plant, so losses in the nursery and gaps in the row cost real money. Raise 10% extra seedlings and fill gaps within the first week.