Pusa Snowball K-1
From IARI — the standard mid-season white-curd variety across the northern plains.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cauliflower
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 90–100 days from transplanting
- Seed rate
- 250 g per acre for a late-season crop
- Expected yield
- 150–200 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- pH
- 6.0–7.0
- Disease resistance
- Field tolerance to black rot — watch for curd blight
- Release
- Released by ICAR-IARI. One course slide deck attributes it to IARI, New Delhi, while an industry variety page names IARI's Regional Station at Katrain, Himachal Pradesh (IARI's dedicated hill-station cabbage and cauliflower breeding centre). The sources disagree on the exact campus, and both are plausible
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Snowball K-1 is an IARI late-maturing snowball-type cauliflower valued for snow-white, compact curds that hold their colour even if harvest is delayed, among the best-quality snowball types here. It is the crop that earlier releases like Pant Gobhi 3 are timed to beat to market. A university course slide deck and a crop-guide page both describe it this way. Sources disagree on the exact breeding station and cross (see the cautions below).
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Pusa Snowball K-1 if you grow cauliflower for the winter market and appearance decides your price. This IARI snowball type produces snow-white, compact curds that keep their colour even if you cannot cut on the exact day, which is a real advantage when labour or transport slips. It takes 90–100 days from transplanting for 150–200 q/ha, with field tolerance to black rot reported by two sources, and a steady record across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar. It needs real cold, so do not plant it for an early crop — Pant Gobhi 3 or Early Kunwari fill that window. One source reports 250–300 q/ha, so read the shown band as the cautious estimate.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeOctober to the first week of November, the late-season transplanting window PAU gives the snowball types (PAU, which lists this variety by name)
- Seed rate250 g per acre for a late-season crop
- Spacing45 x 30 cm, the late-season spacing
- Sowing methodTransplant 45-day-old seedlings for a late variety, against 25 days for an early one. Sow on raised beds in rows 10 cm apart after drenching with copper oxychloride
- IrrigationFirst irrigation after transplanting, then every 10–15 days through the winter; 8–12 irrigations in all (PAU)
- FertilizerPer acre: 40 tonnes farmyard manure, 50 kg N (110 kg urea), 25 kg P2O5 (155 kg single superphosphate) and 25 kg K2O (40 kg muriate of potash). PAU gives the same dose to all its cauliflower varieties; half the nitrogen goes on four weeks after transplanting
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Curds keep their white colour even with a delayed harvest — an advantage over rivals that yellow or turn ricey quickly
- Well-established variety with predictable performance across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar
- Considered among the best-quality snowball types for market appearance in the sources checked
Things to consider
- A course slide deck reports a yield of 25–30 t/ha (250–300 q/ha), well above the 150–200 q/ha band shown above. Treat it as a range, with the shown figure as the more cautious field estimate.
- Sources disagree on whether it was bred at IARI, New Delhi or IARI's Katrain hill station in Himachal Pradesh.
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
It needs real cold — do not use it for an early crop
Pusa Snowball K-1 is the standard mid-season white-curd variety of the northern plains, and the trait people buy it for is that the curds stay snow-white and compact even if the cutting date slips by a few days. That tolerance of a late cut is worth a lot when labour or transport does not arrive on time.
The condition is cold. Snowball types need genuinely cool weather to form a tight head; sown for an early crop in warm weather they make loose, leafy, ricey curds that no buyer wants. For September–October curding use Pant Gobhi 3 or Early Kunwari instead, and keep this variety for the main winter window. It has field tolerance to black rot, which helps, but watch for curd blight in damp weather and keep a few jacket leaves over the head to protect colour.
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 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-1this page | 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
Why do other cauliflower varieties like Pant Gobhi 3 exist alongside Pusa Snowball K-1?
Pusa Snowball K-1 is a late-season, medium-to-long-duration variety. Early releases like Pant Gobhi 3 are bred specifically to curd in the autumn heat, before Pusa Snowball K-1 would set a usable head — the two extend the marketable cauliflower window rather than compete directly.
Is Pusa Snowball K-1 resistant to black rot?
Two independent sources report field tolerance to black rot — curd blight isn't addressed either way in sourced material, so still worth watching for.
What happens if I transplant Pusa Snowball K-1 too early?
The plant runs into warm weather at curding time and gives a loose, ricey or small head that grades badly, which is the one mistake that wastes the whole crop. Time the transplant so curding falls in your coldest spell, and use an early-group variety if you want a September–October cut.
Is field tolerance to black rot enough on infected land?
It reduces damage, it does not stop the disease. On a plot that had black rot last year, treat the seed, raise seedlings in a clean nursery, keep off the field when the leaves are wet, and rotate away from cole crops. Curd blight is not addressed by the sources either way, so keep watching for it.
Can I keep Pusa Snowball K-1 standing if the market is weak?
For a while, yes, and that is its selling point: the curds stay white rather than yellowing or going ricey quickly like some rivals. Do not stretch it too far, though, because an over-mature curd loosens and loses grade whatever the variety.
How much Pusa Snowball K-1 seed do I need, and at what spacing?
250 g per acre for a late-season crop, planted at 45 x 30 cm. A late nursery holds its seedlings well in cool weather, which is why the rate is half that of an early variety such as Pusa Meghna.
How long does Pusa Snowball K-1 take, and what does it yield?
90–100 days from transplanting for 150–200 q/ha. That is a long, cool run, and it is what gives the snow-white curd that holds its colour if your harvest slips by a few days.
Sourced from: Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: Pusa Snowball K-1 description, late-season transplanting window, seed rate, spacing, fertiliser and irrigation. editorial policy.