Pusa Sharad
From ICAR-IARI, New Delhi — a mid-early release (also catalogued as Set-309-1-2) that curds around November–December.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cauliflower
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- About 80–85 days after transplanting
- Expected yield
- 240–260 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi; commercialized since 2004 per its PPV&FRA registration citation — exact CVRC notification year not independently confirmed this phase
About this variety
Pusa Sharad is an ICAR-IARI, New Delhi cauliflower release (variety code Set-309-1-2 per its PPV&FRA registration entry) with compact, semi-dome-shaped white curds on a small-stalked, semi-erect plant with bluish-green, oblong leaves. Every source checked — a university course slide deck, ICAR/agricultural-university course material, and peer-reviewed cauliflower-breeding literature — independently places Pusa Sharad in the mid-early maturity group, with curds ready roughly 80–85 days after transplanting and main harvest in November–December.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
About 80–85 days after transplanting
Expected yield
240–260 q/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- No built-in disease resistance identified in sources checked
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Compact, non-ricey white curds valued for market appearance
- Reported yield (about 24–26 t/ha across sourced write-ups, including one giving an average curd weight of ~900 g) is among the higher figures for the IARI cauliflower releases checked this phase
- Small-stalk, semi-erect plant habit suited to close spacing
- Fills the mid-early, November–December window between the early-season and deep-winter (January–February) IARI cauliflower releases
Things to consider
- The requester-supplied PPV&FRA citation gives a 2004 commercialization date and the variety code Set-309-1-2; the PDF itself could not be machine-read this phase to independently verify the exact wording, so this is reported rather than directly confirmed.
- States list is a representative subset of the northern states named in sourced material (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, West Bengal), not an exhaustive recommendation — Rajasthan was also named in one source but omitted here for brevity.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Bihar
- West Bengal
Frequently asked questions
Does Pusa Sharad mature in January–February?
No. Sourced material consistently places Pusa Sharad in the mid-early group, with curds ready about 80–85 days after transplanting and the main harvest in November–December — that later January–February window belongs to other, genuinely late-season IARI cauliflower releases.
How is Pusa Sharad different from Pusa Snowball K-1?
Both are ICAR-IARI, New Delhi cauliflower releases, but they sit in different maturity groups — Pusa Snowball K-1 as a later, snowball-type variety around 90–100 days, and Pusa Sharad as mid-early with a semi-dome (not snowball) curd shape at about 80–85 days.
Sourced from: Commercial Varieties and Hybrids in Cabbage and Cauliflower — university course slide deck, PPV&FRA Plant Varieties Journal (January 2013) — Pusa Sharad (Set-309-1-2) registration citation, eAgri (TNAU) — cauliflower variety notes. editorial policy.