Pusa Kesar
A widely grown IARI Asiatic red variety with long, self-red (skin and core) roots, a small green top, and reliable colour without hard cold — the standard commercial red carrot of the northern plains.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Carrot (Gajar)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 80–90 days
- Expected yield
- About 30 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Deep, loose, stone-free sandy loam to loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance; standard leaf-blight watch
- 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 Kesar is a tropical (Asiatic) red carrot from ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, and one of the long-standing commercial red carrots. The roots are tapering, deep red and coloured right through, with a small core, short tops and a high carotene content. The national checklist recommends it for all of India, with 80–90 days to maturity and an average yield of about 30 t/ha. It colours without needing the hard cold that temperate types require.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Kesar if you want the proven, all-India red carrot: deep red, self-coloured, 80–90 days and about 30 t/ha. It is open-pollinated, so you can save seed. Choose Pusa Rudhira if you want a slightly higher listed yield (about 33 t/ha) and delayed bolting. Choose Pusa Vrishti if you want to sow in July for the early market. Choose Nantes only if your buyer wants small, sweet orange carrots for salads.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Self-red roots — coloured through the core, not just the skin
- Colours reliably in the plains without the hard cold temperate types need
- Long, well-shaped roots with good keeping quality
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved from over-wintered roots
Things to consider
- No special disease resistance — Alternaria leaf blight still needs a protective spray in favourable weather
- Root shape and freedom from forking depend entirely on a deep, loose, stone-free seedbed with no fresh manure
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Rajasthan
Get the seedbed right: it decides the root shape
A carrot root grows in the shape of the soil around it. Stones, clods, a hard pan or a pocket of fresh manure make it split, fork or bend, and the mandi will not pay full price for that root.
Plough deep and break the clods fine. Pick out the stones from the top 20–25 cm. Use only well-rotted manure, mixed in before sowing, never fresh manure.
Sow thinly, then thin the seedlings so each plant has room. Crowded plants give small roots even in a good bed.
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 Carrot (Gajar) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hisar Gairic | A long-rooted red carrot from CCS HAU, with a self-coloured core, for Haryana | No separate figure published | About 30 t/ha | Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh |
| Nantes | The small, sweet, bright orange temperate carrot for salads and the table, sown in the cool season | 90–100 days | About 12 t/ha | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu |
| Pusa Asita (black carrot) | A black, anthocyanin-rich carrot for kanji, juice and natural colour, from IARI | 95–100 days | About 30 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan |
| Pusa Kesarthis page | The all-India standard red carrot from IARI: deep red, self-coloured, 80–90 days | 80–90 days | About 30 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan |
| Pusa Nayanjyoti | An orange, coreless carrot hybrid from IARI, for the NCR and Himachal Pradesh | No separate figure published | 35–45 t/ha | Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh |
| Pusa Rudhira | An improved red carrot from IARI with 85–90 days, delayed bolting and about 33 t/ha | 85–90 days | About 33 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Rajasthan, Delhi |
| Pusa Vrishti | A heat-tolerant carrot that can be sown from July, for the early market, from IARI | ~85–90 days | About 25 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana |
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 Carrot (Gajar) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Carrot (Gajar) 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 Carrot (Gajar) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Carrot (Gajar) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Carrot (Gajar) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Carrot (Gajar) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Carrot (Gajar) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Pusa Kesar take and how much does it yield?
The national checklist gives 80–90 days to maturity and an average yield of about 30 t/ha. It is recommended for all of India.
Why are my Pusa Kesar roots forked or rough?
Usually the seedbed, not the seed. Forking comes from stones, hard layers, clods or fresh manure. Dig deep, make the bed loose and stone-free, and use only well-rotted manure.
Should I choose Pusa Kesar or Pusa Rudhira?
Pusa Rudhira is listed at about 33 t/ha, 85–90 days and delayed bolting. Pusa Kesar is listed at about 30 t/ha and 80–90 days. They are close, so sow a strip of each and see which pays on your soil.
Can I save Pusa Kesar seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated, so roots left or replanted for the second stage make seed that stays close to type. Choose well-shaped, evenly red roots, and keep the plot away from other carrots.
Does Pusa Kesar need a very cold winter to colour?
No. As a tropical type, it colours in the plains without the hard cold that temperate types such as Nantes need. That is why it suits the plains winter.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (capsicum, carrot, cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd) — TNAU Agritech national bulletin. editorial policy.