Pusa Meghna
An early-group variety that curds in the warmer weather of September–October.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cauliflower
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 60–75 days (after transplant)
- Seed rate
- 500 g per acre for an early-season crop
- Expected yield
- 170–180 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- pH
- 6.0–7.0
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to black rot and downy mildew (used as a susceptible base parent in resistance-breeding studies)
- 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 Meghna is an early-maturity-group cauliflower released by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. A PMC study on marker-assisted gene pyramiding used Pusa Meghna as its popular recurrent parent because of its established market popularity, and it reports that the variety 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 study does not say whether it counts those days from sowing or from transplanting, so the figure cannot be set directly against the 60–75 days after transplanting given above — treat the two as different measures until an official release record settles it. The 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 weaknesses the pyramiding project was set up to fix in its improved derivatives.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Pusa Meghna if you want an early cauliflower the market already knows, with a bigger crop than the smallest early types: about twice Early Kunwari's 80 q/ha (8 t/ha) and above Pant Gobhi 3's 120–150 q/ha, in the same 60–75 days after transplanting as Early Kunwari. It was popular enough that breeders chose it as the base parent for a resistance project, and that tells you the catch too: it is the only cauliflower here whose susceptibility was actually measured, and the result was bad for both black rot and downy mildew, where Pusa Snowball K-1 is reported field-tolerant to black rot. So treat disease management as part of the plan, and if a gene-pyramided improved version is available locally, ask for that. Do not set the study's days to half curd maturity against the 60–75 days, because the study does not say whether it counts from sowing or from transplanting. Choose Pant Gobhi 3 if your autumn is hot, Early Kunwari for the earliest cut.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeJune–July transplanting, since it curds in the warmer early window (PAU season groups)
- Seed rate500 g per acre for an early-season crop
- Spacing45 x 30 cm
- Sowing methodSow on raised nursery beds drenched with copper oxychloride at 2.5 g/litre, in rows 10 cm apart, and transplant 25-day-old seedlings for an early variety
- IrrigationFirst irrigation after transplanting, then every 7–8 days while it is still warm and 10–15 days once winter sets in (PAU)
- Fertilizer40 t farmyard manure with 50 kg N, 25 kg P2O5 and 25 kg K2O per acre, the second half of the nitrogen four weeks after transplanting (PAU)
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
- Pusa Meghna is susceptible to both black rot and downy mildew, with hard screening numbers (disease index 4; 98% incidence). It was used as the susceptible base parent for this reason. Farmers wanting resistance to these two diseases should look at gene-pyramided derivatives of Pusa Meghna, not the base variety itself.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
An early crop with no disease cover of its own
Pusa Meghna curds in the warmer weather of September–October, which is what makes it useful, and it is susceptible to black rot and downy mildew — it has even been used as the susceptible parent in resistance-breeding studies. So the crop depends on your management, not on the variety.
Build the defence into the routine. Use clean, treated seed and raise the nursery on raised beds away from old crucifer ground. Keep spacing as recommended so the canopy dries after dew, since downy mildew shows as pale patches on the upper leaf with greyish growth underneath in cool, damp weather. Do not handle a wet crop, and remove affected plants rather than leaving them standing. Rotate out of the cabbage family for a season or two in any plot where black rot has appeared, and ask your KVK which sprays are cleared this season for both problems.
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 Shubhra | The December–January window, with curds that keep their colour | 75–90 days | Medium–high | Uttarakhand |
| Pusa Meghnathis page | 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
Is Pusa Meghna resistant to black rot or downy mildew?
No. A 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 its early maturity group. The study does not state whether those days run from sowing or from transplanting, so it is a different measure from the 60–75 days after transplanting in the quick facts.
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, in line with the 170–180 q/ha shown above.
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.
What does downy mildew at 98% incidence mean in practice?
Under screening conditions almost every plant got infected, so in a cool, damp, dewy spell expect the disease to arrive. Space the plants for airflow, avoid evening irrigation, scout the undersides of leaves, and keep a protective spray schedule ready rather than reacting late.
Should I look for an improved version of Pusa Meghna?
Yes, if your field sees black rot or downy mildew every year. Breeders pyramided resistance genes into Pusa Meghna's own background precisely to fix those weaknesses, so ask your KVK or IARI dealer whether an improved derivative has reached the seed market near you.
Pusa Meghna or Early Kunwari for the early market?
Early Kunwari curds first, mid-September to mid-October, but averages about 8 t/ha. Pusa Meghna gives roughly 175 q/ha with a 350–400 g curd, so more crop a little later. If the very first lot is where your price is, Early Kunwari; if you want volume from the early window, Pusa Meghna.
Why does Pusa Meghna need 500 g of seed per acre?
Because it is an early-season crop, and an early cauliflower nursery loses far more seedlings to heat and rain than a main-season one. Main-season varieties such as Pusa Sharad are sown at 250 g per acre. Raise the extra plants and plant out at 45 x 30 cm.
Can I grow Pusa Meghna outside Uttar Pradesh?
Only Uttar Pradesh is listed for it. It is a well-known early variety and is grown more widely in practice, but it is susceptible to black rot and downy mildew, so a new district is a reason to start small and to ask your KVK what the local disease pressure is.
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, Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: cauliflower seed rate and transplanting window by season group, spacing, fertiliser and irrigation, Crop Production Guide (Horticulture), TNAU and Department of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu: cauliflower nursery drenching and seedling age for early varieties. editorial policy.