Pant Shubhra
A mid-group variety with compact white curds for the main season.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cauliflower
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 75–90 days
- Seed rate
- 250 g per acre
- Expected yield
- Medium–high
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- pH
- 6.0–7.0
- Disease resistance
- Moderate
- Release
- Identified 1981 (AICVIP), released by UP state committee 1983 and central variety release committee 1984 — GBPUAT, Pantnagar
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pant Shubhra is a December-January maturity group cauliflower developed at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, through simple recurrent selection in the germplasm line PI 272775. The All India Coordinated Vegetable Improvement Project identified it for release in 1981. The Uttar Pradesh state variety release committee then released it formally in 1983, and the central variety release committee in 1984. These dates come from corroborated secondary sources, cross-checked against GBPUAT's own list of released crop varieties. Outer leaves are semi-erect and partially cover the curds, which are compact, slightly conical, non-ricey, and a retentive creamish-white colour. It takes about 120 days from nursery sowing to marketable curd, with a reported net yield potential around 200 q/ha (secondary sources also cite roughly 20 t/ha, the same figure in different units).
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Pant Shubhra if you are planting for the December–January market and want a variety with a thorough vetting record: the national AICVIP trial network identified it, then Uttar Pradesh and the central committee both released it, where Snowball-16 has no release year at all and Early Kunwari's is not confirmed. Its net yield sits mid-table, above Pant Gobhi 3 (120–150 q/ha) and Pusa Meghna (170–180 q/ha) but well below Pusa Sharad (240–260 q/ha). Do not read its days against the others: its count runs from nursery sowing, while Pusa Snowball K-1's 90–100 days and Pusa Sharad's 80–85 run from transplanting, so it is not the slower crop it looks. Curds are compact, slightly conical, non-ricey and a retentive creamish-white, partly covered by semi-erect outer leaves. Choose Pusa Sharad for the November–December window at a higher yield, Snowball-16 for a January–March harvest, or Pant Gobhi 3 if your autumn is hot.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeAugust to mid-September transplanting as a main-season variety (PAU)
- Seed rate250 g per acre
- Spacing45 x 45 cm
- Sowing methodSow in rows 10 cm apart on raised beds drenched with copper oxychloride at 2.5 g/litre. Sowing at the proper time is the real guard against bolting and buttoning — no spray fixes a mistimed crop
- IrrigationWater after transplanting, then every 7–8 days in warm weather, 10–15 days in winter, 8–12 times altogether (PAU)
- Fertilizer40 t farmyard manure with 50 kg N, 25 kg P2O5 and 25 kg K2O per acre, with half the nitrogen held for four weeks after transplanting (PAU)
- HarvestingAbout 120 days from nursery sowing to marketable curd
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Long-validated variety — identified by the national AICVIP trial network before separate state and central release, a more thorough vetting path than many single-institute releases
- Compact, non-ricey, creamish-white curds that hold their colour well (described as "retentive")
Things to consider
- The "Medium-high" yield rating is broadly consistent with the reported ~200 q/ha (20 t/ha) figure, a qualitative-versus-numeric difference rather than a conflict.
- The facts here rest on secondary sources cross-checked against a GBPUAT variety list; none contradicted the duration or states shown above.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttarakhand
Keeping the curds white
Pant Shubhra is a mid-group variety for the December–January window, and its selling point is compact white curds. Colour is the first thing a buyer looks at: a yellowed, speckled or pink-tinged curd is discounted even when its weight is good.
Curds yellow mainly from sun and from being left standing too long. Where the outer leaves do not naturally cover the head, tie or break a couple of leaves over it for the last week before cutting, which keeps the sun off. Cut at the right stage, when the curd is firm and tight, rather than waiting for a bigger head — once the curd starts loosening, it is past its best. Harvest in the cool morning, trim with a few jacket leaves left on to protect the curd in transport, and keep the cut heads out of the sun until they are loaded.
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 Cauliflower variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Kunwari | The first cauliflower of the season, cut mid-September to mid-October | 60–75 days (after transplant) | Medium | Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi |
| Pant Gobhi 3 | Curding in the autumn heat, when snowball types cannot | 70–80 days from transplanting | 120–150 q/ha | Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pant Shubhrathis page | The December–January window, with curds that keep their colour | 75–90 days | Medium–high | Uttarakhand |
| Pusa Meghna | A well-known early cauliflower for September–October curding | 60–75 days (after transplant) | 170–180 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Sharad | The November–December window at the highest yield here | About 80–85 days after transplanting | 240–260 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, West Bengal |
| Pusa Snowball K-1 | Snow-white winter curds that hold colour if harvest slips | 90–100 days from transplanting | 150–200 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar |
| Snowball-16 | The latest window, harvested January to March | 95–110 days | High | Punjab |
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 Cauliflower is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Cauliflower 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 Cauliflower variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Cauliflower into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Cauliflower in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Cauliflower rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Cauliflower seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Who developed Pant Shubhra cauliflower?
G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, through simple recurrent selection in germplasm line PI 272775.
When was Pant Shubhra released?
Identified for release by the AICVIP in 1981, then formally released by the UP state committee in 1983 and the central variety release committee in 1984.
What does a Pant Shubhra curd look like?
Compact, slightly conical, non-ricey, and a retentive creamish-white colour, with semi-erect outer leaves that partially cover the curd.
How long does Pant Shubhra take from nursery to harvest?
About 120 days from nursery sowing to marketable curd. Pusa Snowball K-1's 90–100 days is counted from transplanting, so do not set the two side by side without adding the nursery weeks.
What yield does Pant Shubhra give?
Reported net yield potential is around 200 q/ha (about 20 t/ha), in line with the "Medium-high" yield rating.
What does a retentive creamish-white curd mean for my sale?
It means the curd holds its colour instead of yellowing if the harvest slips by a few days, which is exactly when a mandi lot loses grade. Semi-erect leaves partly covering the curd help too, by keeping direct sun off it in the field.
Is a 1980s variety still worth planting?
For this one, yes: it went through national AICVIP trials, then state and central release, which is a heavier vetting path than many single-institute varieties get, and around 200 q/ha is a respectable mid-season yield. Still ask your KVK whether a newer Pantnagar release now does better in your district.
Does 120 days include the nursery?
Yes — that figure is from nursery sowing to a marketable curd, while the 75–90 days shown above counts from a different starting point. When you plan the calendar, decide which date you are counting from and keep every variety on the same basis.
How much Pant Shubhra seed do I need, and at what spacing?
250 g per acre, transplanted at 45 x 45 cm. The wider square spacing suits a main-season variety that builds a bigger plant before curding, and it keeps the leaves from shading the curd into a loose, discoloured head.
When should I transplant Pant Shubhra?
August to mid-September, the main-season window PAU gives. Counting about 120 days from nursery sowing to a marketable curd, that puts the harvest in the December–January window this variety was bred for.
Sourced from: Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: cauliflower main-season window, seed rate, spacing, bolting and buttoning advice, fertiliser and irrigation. editorial policy.