GCH 8
A wilt-resistant castor hybrid (JP-96 x DCS-89) from Sardarkrushinagar, notified in 2018 for all castor-growing states. It averaged 18.95 q/ha rainfed and 35.88 q/ha irrigated in AICRP trials, 13.01 to 17.64% above the check hybrids, with 48.3% to 48.6% seed oil.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Castor
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- About 7 months with four pickings (sown in mid-August, last picking in the last week of March at Sardarkrushinagar)
- Seed rate
- 5 kg a hectare, two seeds a hill, thinned to one plant at 15 days, in ICAR hybrid demonstrations in Rajasthan. No GCH 8-specific rate is published.
- Expected yield
- 19 q/ha rainfed; 36 q/ha irrigated
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to wilt; tolerant to root rot
- Release
- Released 2018. Notified for all castor-growing states by S.O. 1379(E) of 27 March 2018; registered as IC 0622891 at NBPGR.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
GCH 8 (SHB 896) is a wilt-resistant castor hybrid from the Castor-Mustard Research Station, Sardarkrushinagar, made by crossing the pistillate line JP-96 with the male line DCS-89. It was tested for nine years, from 2006-07 to 2015-16, and released in 2018. In AICRP trials from 2013-14 to 2015-16 it averaged 18.95 q a hectare rainfed and 35.88 q irrigated, which is 13.01 to 17.64% more than the check hybrids DCH 177, DCH 519 and GCH 7. Seed oil was 48.3% rainfed and 48.6% irrigated. The plant branches freely, resists lodging and seed shattering, and was resistant to wilt and root rot in the paper's readings. At Sardarkrushinagar in 2016-17 it gave 4,859 kg a hectare, the most of five hybrids.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose GCH 8 when yield is the first goal. It led DCH 177, DCH 519 and GCH 7 by 13.01 to 17.64% in AICRP trials, and gave 4,859 kg a hectare at Sardarkrushinagar, the most of five hybrids. It is resistant to wilt (18.4% irrigated) and had the least root rot of four hybrids (16.9%). Choose GCH 7 instead if wilt on irrigated land is your only worry, since it had 7.9% wilt in the same trial. Do not expect GCH 8 to beat the others on grey mould or whitefly. Its readings were about the same as the checks, and worse for whitefly.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing time14 August at Sardarkrushinagar (2016-17); the first week of August in Rajasthan hybrid demonstrations.
- Seed rate5 kg a hectare, two seeds a hill, thinned to one plant at 15 days, in ICAR hybrid demonstrations in Rajasthan. No GCH 8-specific rate is published.
- Spacing120 x 60 cm in the Sardarkrushinagar trial; 120 x 90 cm in Rajasthan hybrid demonstrations.
- IrrigationSix irrigations in the Sardarkrushinagar trial (kharif 2016-17, 585 mm of rain).
- FertilizerThe Sardarkrushinagar trial's recommended dose for irrigated castor was 180-37.5-0-20 kg N-P-K-S a hectare. A quarter of the N, all the P and the S went in at sowing, and the rest of the N in three equal parts at 30-35, 60-65 and 90-95 days.
- HarvestingFour pickings, finished in the last week of March when sown on 14 August (Sardarkrushinagar, 2016-17). Oil yield averaged 9.15 q a hectare rainfed and 16.37 q irrigated in AICRP trials.
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Loamy sand at the Sardarkrushinagar trial site
- pH
- 7.4 at the Sardarkrushinagar trial site
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Out-yielded DCH 177, DCH 519 and GCH 7 by 13.01 to 17.64% in AICRP trials, rainfed and irrigated.
- Gave 4,859 kg a hectare at Sardarkrushinagar in 2016-17, the most of five hybrids, with 50.7% seed oil.
- Branches freely and resists lodging and seed shattering.
Things to consider
- Its irrigated wilt reading (18.4%) was higher than GCH 7 (7.9%) and DCH 519 (17.0%) in the same trial, so it is resistant but not the lowest.
- Grey mould severity was 56.4%, about the same as the checks, so it is no safer on that disease.
- Whitefly adults were higher than on the checks (6.2 a plant against 1.8 on GCH 7 and 3.1 on DCH 177).
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Gujarat
Where GCH 8 led and where it did not
GCH 8 is the best-documented castor hybrid in this set, so it is worth reading what the trial tables actually show. It led on yield: 13.01 to 17.64% above DCH 177, DCH 519 and GCH 7 across 53 AICRP locations, and 4,859 kg a hectare at Sardarkrushinagar in 2016-17. It also had the highest oil yield, 9.15 q rainfed and 16.37 q irrigated.
On disease the picture is mixed. Its irrigated wilt reading was 18.4%. That is resistant by the paper's scale, but GCH 7 had 7.9% and DCH 519 17.0% in the same trial. Its root rot was the lowest of the four (16.9%). Grey mould, at 56.4% severity, was about the same as the others, and whitefly adults were more numerous than on the checks.
So GCH 8 is the hybrid to pick for seed and oil yield and for general wilt and root-rot safety. It is not a cure-all. Keep drainage good, watch the crop in humid weather, and scout for whitefly. Buy sealed, labelled seed, because the 2018 notification covers the named hybrid only.
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 Castor variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCH-519 | Rainfed or irrigated fields where a proven, wilt-resistant hybrid with easy seed supply is wanted | 200–230 days (staggered picking) | 1,740 kg a hectare rainfed and 2,130 kg irrigated (ICAR-IIOR); 3,874 kg in Rajasthan farmer-field demonstrations | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat |
| GAUCH 1 | Farmers who already grow GAUCH 1 and have land with no wilt history | 150–180 days | About 1,520 kg a hectare irrigated (ICAR-IIOR); no rainfed figure published | Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| GCH 8this page | Farmers who can irrigate and want the highest-yielding, wilt-resistant castor hybrid | About 7 months with four pickings (sown in mid-August, last picking in the last week of March at Sardarkrushinagar) | 19 q/ha rainfed; 36 q/ha irrigated | Gujarat |
| GCH-4 | Farmers who already grow GCH-4 and can get its seed, on land with little wilt | 200–220 days (staggered picking) | 1,200 kg a hectare rainfed and 2,200 kg irrigated (ICAR-IIOR table) | Gujarat |
| GCH-7 | Irrigated Gujarat fields with a wilt problem, where the farmer already knows this hybrid and its seed | 200–220 days (staggered picking) | About 3,000 kg a hectare irrigated (ICAR-IIOR); 4,324 kg in a 2016-17 trial at Sardarkrushinagar | Gujarat |
| GNCH-1 | Irrigated Gujarat fields, including late-kharif, rabi and after-paddy sowings, where wilt and leafhopper are the main risks | 200–220 days (staggered picking) | Around 2,545 kg/ha in trials, roughly 14% higher than GCH-7; 20–25 q/ha under good irrigated management | Gujarat |
| Kranti | Rainfed farmers who want seed they can save, and who accept a lower yield than a hybrid | Not published for Kranti. Castor in general needs 5 to 10 months for a paying seed yield (ICAR-IIOR). | No published figure for Kranti. ICAR-IIOR gives 1,100 kg a hectare rainfed for the comparable open-pollinated variety 48-1 (Jwala). | Rajasthan, Gujarat |
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 Castor is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Castor 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 Castor variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Castor into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Castor in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Castor rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Castor seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How much higher-yielding is GCH 8 than older castor hybrids?
In AICRP trials from 2013-14 to 2015-16 it gave 16.03, 14.02 and 13.01% more seed than DCH 177, DCH 519 and GCH 7 on rainfed land (18.95 q a hectare), and 16.19, 17.64 and 16.57% more on irrigated land (35.88 q). It topped 15 of 27 rainfed locations and 18 of 24 irrigated ones.
Is GCH 8 approved for all states or only Gujarat?
It is notified for all castor-growing states. The Gujarat state committee released SHB 896 as GCH 8, and the Government of India notified it for cultivation in all castor-growing states by S.O. 1379(E) dated 27 March 2018, after the central sub-committee on crop standards considered it. It is registered at NBPGR as IC 0622891. ICAR-IIOR lists it for rainfed and irrigated areas.
How much wilt and root rot does GCH 8 get?
In AICRP trials, wilt was 18.4% on irrigated land and 29.1% on rainfed land, against 99.3% and 100% in the susceptible check. The paper counts 20% or less as resistant and 20 to 40% as moderately resistant. Root rot was 16.9% at Junagadh, against 26.3% for DCH 177, 19.7% for DCH 519, 33.7% for GCH 7 and 51.1% in the susceptible check.
How did GCH 8 do against other hybrids in a plain station trial?
At Sardarkrushinagar in 2016-17, with 120 x 60 cm spacing and six irrigations, GCH 8 (SHB 896) gave 4,859 kg a hectare. DCH 1720 gave 4,472 kg, GCH 7 4,324 kg, DCH 519 4,284 kg and DCH 177 3,926 kg. GCH 8 also had the most effective branches (21.9), the heaviest seed (32.35 g for 100 seeds), 50.7% seed oil and the best net return.
Does GCH 8 get more pests than other hybrids?
The paper says its attack was at par with the checks or somewhat less. Leafhoppers were 15.9 per three leaves, against 19.2 on DCH 177, 16.5 on DCH 519 and 14.9 on GCH 7. Whitefly adults were higher, 6.2 a plant against 3.1, 5.6 and 1.8. Capsule damage was 6.6%. No hybrid in the trial was free of grey mould, which ran at 56.4% severity on GCH 8.
How many pickings does GCH 8 need, and when does harvest end?
In the Sardarkrushinagar trial, sown on 14 August 2016, four pickings were finished by the last week of March. The plant branches freely and resists lodging and seed shattering, so ripe spikes hold their seed between pickings. Plan for about seven months in the field and for labour in March.
Sourced from: A high yielding and wilt resistant castor (Ricinus communis) hybrid for India — Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (ICAR ePubs), SDAU Varieties — Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Castor Cultivation Information Guide — Agri Farming, ICAR-IIOR hybrids and varieties table, Vikaspedia (high yielding hybrids and varieties of castor), Jat and Desai, Performance of castor hybrids under different fertility levels, Annals of Arid Zone 59(3&4), 2020, Moola Ram and Meena, Seed yield and economic performance of castor at farmers' field in Rajasthan, Annals of Arid Zone 59(3&4), 2020. editorial policy.