Pusa Meghna
An early-group variety that curds in the warmer weather of September–October. Not yet individually researched for a detail page.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cauliflower
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 60–75 days (after transplant)
- Expected yield
- 170–180 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi — exact notification year not found in sources checked this phase
About this variety
Pusa Meghna is an early-maturity-group cauliflower released by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. A directly-fetched PMC study on marker-assisted gene pyramiding — which used Pusa Meghna as its popular recurrent parent precisely because of its established market popularity — confirms it forms white, compact, medium-sized curds (350-400 g) with an average yield of 175 q/ha, reaching 50% curd maturity in about 104-105 days. That same study is explicit that Pusa Meghna itself is susceptible to both black rot (disease index 4) and downy mildew (98% disease incidence) — the very traits the pyramiding project was bred to fix in its improved derivatives, a real and directly-sourced conflict with this record's own diseaseResistance field.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
60–75 days (after transplant)
Expected yield
170–180 q/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Well-established market popularity — popular enough to be chosen as the base parent for a dedicated disease-resistance breeding project
- Reliable early-season curding (104-105 days to 50% curd maturity) with a consistent 350-400 g curd size
Things to consider
- Corrected 2026-08-15: diseaseResistance previously said "Moderate." A directly-fetched PMC study explicitly describes Pusa Meghna as susceptible to both black rot and downy mildew, with hard screening numbers (disease index 4; 98% incidence) — used as the susceptible base parent specifically because of this weakness. The field now reads "Susceptible to black rot and downy mildew (used as a susceptible base parent in resistance-breeding studies)." Farmers wanting resistance to these two diseases specifically should look at gene-pyramided derivatives of Pusa Meghna, not the base variety itself.
- Corrected 2026-08-15: yieldPotential previously said "Medium," a vague qualitative band. The PMC study reports a concrete 175 q/ha average for Pusa Meghna, so the field now reads 170–180 q/ha.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
Frequently asked questions
Is Pusa Meghna resistant to black rot or downy mildew?
No — a directly-fetched PMC study found Pusa Meghna itself susceptible to both (disease index 4 for black rot, 98% incidence for downy mildew). It was used as the recurrent parent in a marker-assisted breeding project specifically to fix this weakness in improved derivatives.
How long does Pusa Meghna take to curd?
About 104-105 days to reach 50% curd maturity, per the PMC study — consistent with this record's own "early maturity group" description.
What does a Pusa Meghna curd look like?
White, compact, medium-sized, weighing 350-400 g, per the PMC study.
What yield does Pusa Meghna give?
175 q/ha on average, per the PMC study, matching this record's 170–180 q/ha yieldPotential field.
Why was Pusa Meghna chosen for a gene-pyramiding breeding project?
Because it is a popular, well-established early cauliflower variety in the market — but its popularity came with susceptibility to black rot and downy mildew, which the project aimed to fix by pyramiding resistance genes into it.
Sourced from: Marker-Assisted Pyramiding of Downy Mildew-Resistant Gene Ppa3 and Black Rot-Resistant Gene Xca1bo in Popular Early Cauliflower Variety Pusa Meghna — PMC. editorial policy.