Arka Lohit Chilli Seed — Sowing & Yield Guide

Quick facts

Crop: Chilli
Type: Open-pollinated
Season: Kharif
Maturity period: 150–170 days
Seed rate: 1.0 kg per hectare as an open-pollinated variety
Expected yield: Medium–High
Suitable soil: Loam
Disease resistance: Moderate

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

About this variety

Arka Lohit is an ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru chilli variety, described by IIHR's variety pages as a pure-line selection from IHR 324, a local collection. Plants are tall, with fruits 7-8 x 1 cm, pendent, firm, dark green turning deep red on maturity, smooth and straight, highly pungent (capsaicin 0.708%, capsanthin 0.205% per one of the two pages). It is suited to both irrigated and rainfed cultivation. IIHR's own pages give different yield figures: one states 75–80 q (green) / 15–18 q (dry) per acre, the other 25 t/ha green and 3 t/ha dry, and the two do not fully match when converted to the same unit. One IIHR page also gives a duration of 180 days, slightly above the 150–170 days shown above.

Should you pick this variety?

Pick Arka Lohit if you want a highly pungent chilli and your field may not get steady water — the institute's own pages say it suits both irrigated and rainfed cultivation. The fruit is firm, smooth and straight, dark green turning deep red, and very hot, which is what pickle and chutney buyers want; at 7–8 cm it is shorter than Pusa Jwala's 9 to 10. It is a pure-line selection from IHR 324. Two things to know: the institute's pages disagree on yield, so a band is given above rather than one figure, and no disease resistance is documented for it. Choose Kashi Anmol if you want an early green-chilli crop, Guntur Sannam or Teja for the dry-chilli trade, and Byadgi if your buyer pays for colour.

Sowing & cultivation

Sowing timeJanuary–February, June–July or September–October
Seed rate1.0 kg per hectare as an open-pollinated variety
Spacing60 x 45 cm
Sowing methodPrepare the field with 25 t/ha of farmyard manure, form ridges and furrows 60 cm apart, irrigate them, and transplant 40–45 day old seedlings with the ball of earth onto the ridges
IrrigationWeekly irrigation

Full Chilli growing guideSowing time, nutrients, irrigation, pests, costs and prices for Chilli as a whole crop. This is the advice that holds for every variety.

Soil & climate

Soil

Suitable soil: Well-drained loam rich in organic matter
pH: 6.5–7.5

Pest & disease considerations

Major diseases

IIHR's variety pages for Arka Lohit do not mention any specific disease or pest resistance, so the "Moderate" rating is unconfirmed.

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

Long, slender, dark-green-to-red fruit valued for pickles and chutneys, with high pungency (capsaicin 0.708% per one IIHR page)
Suited to both irrigated and rainfed cultivation, widening where it can be grown

Things to consider

IIHR's two variety pages disagree on yield: one gives 75–80 q (green) / 15–18 q (dry) per acre, the other 25 t/ha green / 3 t/ha dry. Because the pages contradict each other, the broad "Medium-High" yield band is shown instead of a single unreliable figure.
One IIHR page states 180 days duration, slightly above the 150–170 days shown above.

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

Karnataka

Picking for pickle and chutney buyers

Arka Lohit is a pungent long chilli, and its buyers are not all after the same thing. A pickle unit usually wants firm, unblemished green fruit of an even length, while a chutney or masala buyer takes ripe red fruit and cares more about heat and colour than looks.

Decide which one you are picking for before the first harvest, because the stage changes everything: green fruit needs picking every few days at a firm stage, red fruit stays on the plant longer and then has to be dried. Do not mix stages in one bag. Keep fruit off the soil, pick dry rather than after rain, and remove sun-scalded and borer-struck fruit at the field itself. Being open-pollinated, this variety also lets you keep your own seed from a healthy, true-to-type plant.

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 Chilli variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.

Variety	Best for	Maturity	Yield	States
Arka Lohitthis page	Pungent long chilli for pickles and chutney, irrigated or rainfed	150–170 days	Medium–High	Karnataka
Byadgi	Deep red colour for the oleoresin and masala trade, not heat	170–180 days	8–15 q/ha (dry chilli)	Karnataka
G4 (Guntur)	Guntur-belt chilli for both the green export trade and dry red sale	160–170 days	40–45 q/ha (dry chilli)	Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
Guntur Sannam (LCA-334)	The GI-registered dry-chilli grade for domestic trade and export	160–180 days	High (20–25 q/ha dry)	Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
Kashi Anmol	Early green chilli from a short, compact plant	150–170 days	Medium–High	Uttar Pradesh
Pusa Jwala	High-pungency chilli with easy bunch picking, seed you can save	150–160 days	16–18 q/ha (dry chilli)	Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh
Teja (S-17)	Extreme-heat dry chilli for oleoresin extraction and export	160–180 days	High (20–25 q/ha dry)	Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh

Other Chilli varieties in the finder, for comparison.

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 Chilli is selling for.

Subsidy and government support

Schemes that help with the cost of Chilli seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the parentage of Arka Lohit chilli?

A pure-line selection from IHR 324, a local germplasm collection, per IIHR's variety pages.

What does Arka Lohit fruit look like?

Long and slender (7-8 x 1 cm), pendent, firm, dark green turning deep red on maturity, smooth, straight and highly pungent, per IIHR's own pages.

Is Arka Lohit resistant to any disease?

Not documented. IIHR's variety pages do not mention specific disease or pest resistance for this variety, so treat the "Moderate" rating as unconfirmed.

What yield does Arka Lohit give?

IIHR's two pages disagree: one says 75–80 q (green) / 15–18 q (dry) per acre, the other 25 t/ha green / 3 t/ha dry, and the two do not fully match when converted to the same unit. Treat the "Medium-High" band as the safer guide.

Is Arka Lohit suitable for rainfed cultivation?

Yes — IIHR's own pages state it is suitable for both irrigated and rainfed cultivation.

Is Arka Lohit good for pickle, or for dry red chilli?

Mainly for pickles and chutneys, because of its long, slender, highly pungent fruit. It does turn deep red on maturity so it can be dried, but the dry-chilli trade grades on colour and uniformity, where Guntur Sannam and Byadgi are the established names.

Can I grow Arka Lohit without assured irrigation?

Yes, IIHR lists it as suitable for rainfed as well as irrigated cultivation, which is its main advantage over varieties bred only for irrigated fields. Yield will still be lower without water at flowering and fruit set, so save whatever irrigation you have for those stages.

Why is there no single yield figure for Arka Lohit?

Because IIHR's own two variety pages do not agree — one gives 75–80 q green and 15–18 q dry per acre, the other 25 t/ha green and 3 t/ha dry, and the two do not match when converted. Rather than pick one, a Medium–High band is given and the conflict named.

How much Arka Lohit seed do I need, and at what spacing?

1.0 kg of seed per hectare as an open-pollinated variety, transplanted at 60 x 45 cm. Raise the nursery on a raised bed and plant out healthy seedlings only. A weak seedling never catches up in a chilli crop that stands 150–170 days.

Which of the three sowing windows should I use for Arka Lohit?

The windows are January–February, June–July and September–October. Pick on water and on the market: the June–July crop runs on the monsoon, the September–October crop needs irrigation at the end, and the January–February crop fills the summer gap when prices are usually higher.