Pusa Purple Long
From IARI — long, purple fruit and the most widely grown open-pollinated brinjal in the north, though it carries no borer resistance of its own.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 70–80 days from transplanting
- Seed rate
- 400 g per hectare for an open-pollinated variety. You can keep your own seed from this one, so the higher rate costs less than it looks
- Expected yield
- 250–300 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No built-in resistance — susceptible to shoot and fruit borer
- 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 Purple Long is an ICAR-IARI, New Delhi open-pollinated brinjal with glossy, light-purple fruits 25–30 cm long, tender and smooth — an early maturing, long-fruited type ready for harvest 100–110 days from sowing, which is the 70–80 days from transplanting shown above plus the nursery period. It has long been used as a breeding parent, most notably crossed with Hyderpur to produce the Pusa Anmol hybrid.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Pusa Purple Long if you sell in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or West Bengal and want the long purple brinjal every buyer there already knows. Against the other north Indian variety here it wins both ways: its fruit runs nearly twice the length of Pusa Kranti's thick 15–20 cm, and at 250–300 q/ha it out-yields Kranti's 140–160 by a wide margin — and being open-pollinated rather than a hybrid, you can save your own seed. Note the duration: the figure above counts 70–80 days from transplanting, while trade guides say 100–110 days from sowing, which is the same crop counted differently. Borer control is on you — sources disagree about its tolerance, so keep it in the plan. Choose Pusa Kranti for thicker, less-seeded fruit, or Arka Nidhi for wilt-prone land.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeDecember–January or May–June
- Seed rate400 g per hectare for an open-pollinated variety. You can keep your own seed from this one, so the higher rate costs less than it looks
- SpacingRidges 60 cm apart, seedlings transplanted along them
- Sowing methodTreat the seed with Trichoderma viride at 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens at 10 g/kg, then with Azospirillum at 40 g per 400 g of seed using rice gruel to make it stick. Transplant 30–35 days after sowing
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained soil rich in organic matter
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The most widely grown open-pollinated brinjal across the northern plains, with a long track record and easily saved seed
- A yield of about 27–28 t/ha is reported, within the 250–300 q/ha band shown above.
- Used as a breeding parent for the Pusa Anmol hybrid (crossed with Hyderpur)
Things to consider
- Maturity is reported as 100–110 days after planting or sowing, longer than the 70–80 days from transplanting shown above. The difference is probably the counting basis (days from sowing or nursery versus days from transplanting).
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- West Bengal
Counting days: from sowing or from transplanting?
You will see two different numbers for this variety: 70–80 days, and 100–110 days. Both are right, and they are counted from different points. The shorter figure runs from transplanting; the longer one includes the four to five weeks the seedling spends in the nursery.
It matters when you are planning a sowing date or fitting brinjal between two other crops. Work with transplanting dates for field planning, and add the nursery period when you are counting from the day you sow the seed. A quick check: if a figure looks a month longer than you expected, it is probably counted from sowing. Being open-pollinated, this variety also lets you keep your own seed from a good, true-to-type plant, which is part of why it is still the most widely grown long purple brinjal in the north.
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 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 6 | 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 Longthis page | The familiar long purple brinjal of the northern plains | 70–80 days from transplanting | 250–300 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal |
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.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Brinjal (Eggplant) 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 Brinjal (Eggplant) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Brinjal (Eggplant) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Brinjal (Eggplant) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Brinjal (Eggplant) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
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
Does Pusa Purple Long have any borer resistance?
Not reliably. It is listed as susceptible to shoot and fruit borer, though a trade variety guide calls it moderately tolerant to fruit borer and little leaf disease. Plan on borer control either way. The variety will not hold the pest on its own.
What is Pusa Anmol and how does it relate to Pusa Purple Long?
Pusa Anmol is a hybrid bred by crossing Pusa Purple Long with Hyderpur — Pusa Purple Long is one of its two parents, not a successor to it.
Can I raise my own seed from Pusa Purple Long?
Yes, that is one of its advantages — it is open-pollinated with a long track record of farmer-saved seed. Leave a few fruits on a true-to-type plant until they turn dull yellow-brown, keep that plant away from other brinjal in flower, and wash and dry the seed well before storing.
Is Pusa Purple Long tolerant to fruit borer or not?
The sources disagree: one trade guide calls it moderately tolerant to fruit borer and little leaf, while other information lists it as susceptible to shoot and fruit borer. Plan as if it is susceptible — clip wilted shoots, remove bored fruit at each picking, and spray on scouting.
Is Pusa Anmol a newer version of Pusa Purple Long?
No. Pusa Anmol is a hybrid made by crossing Pusa Purple Long with Hyderpur, so Pusa Purple Long is one of its parents, not an older edition of it. If a dealer offers Pusa Anmol, remember it is hybrid seed you cannot save.
When should I sow Pusa Purple Long, and how do I plant it out?
Sow the nursery in December–January or May–June, then transplant the seedlings along ridges 60 cm apart. Planting on the side of the ridge, not on top, keeps the stem dry and makes irrigation simpler through a long picking season.
What yield does Pusa Purple Long give?
250–300 q/ha, the heaviest of the northern-plains brinjals compared here, against 140–160 q/ha for Pusa Kranti. It carries no borer resistance though, so that yield assumes you are on top of shoot and fruit borer from the first flush.
Sourced from: Brinjal Varieties and Diseases Information — Agri Farming, Crop Production Guide (Horticulture), TNAU and Department of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu: brinjal seed rate, seed treatment, season, transplanting and spacing. editorial policy.