Pusa Jwala
An IARI release grown as much for its high pungency as its yield — open-pollinated, so seed can be saved from a true-to-type plant.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Chilli
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 150–160 days
- Seed rate
- 1.0 kg per hectare for an open-pollinated variety, against 200–250 g/ha for a hybrid
- Expected yield
- 16–18 q/ha (dry chilli)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate leaf curl virus tolerance
- Release
- Bred by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, from the cross NP-46A × Puri Red. A release year of 1977 is commonly reported but is not confirmed by an official document
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Jwala is a long-fruited, dwarf-and-bushy chilli variety bred by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, from the cross NP-46A × Puri Red (the commonly reported release year of 1977 is not confirmed by an official document). Its light-green, highly pungent 9–10 cm fruits form in clusters of six to fourteen, aiding bunch harvesting, and it's consistently described across sources as fairly tolerant of thrips and mites, which helps with leaf curl virus because thrips spread it. Multiple independent agronomy sources — reporting production potential in both tonnes/ha and quintals/acre — consistently put its yield at about 8.5 t/ha for green chillies but only about 1.7–1.8 t/ha (roughly 17–18 q/ha) for dry red chillies.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Pusa Jwala if you want a hot chilli that is quick to harvest and whose seed you can keep. The plant is dwarf and bushy and sets light-green fruit in clusters of six to fourteen, so a picking fills the basket faster, and the fruit is longer than Arka Lohit's 7 to 8 cm. Expect about 8.5 t/ha green but only 1.7–1.8 t/ha (about 17–18 q/ha) dry — drying takes most of the weight away, and that dry figure sits below Guntur Sannam and Teja at 20 to 25 q/ha. Its leaf-curl tolerance is indirect, coming from thrips and mite tolerance, so keep managing thrips. Choose Kashi Anmol for an earlier green crop, or Guntur Sannam and Teja if dry chilli is the main sale.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeJanuary–February, June–July or September–October
- Seed rate1.0 kg per hectare for an open-pollinated variety, against 200–250 g/ha for a hybrid
- Spacing60 x 45 cm for varieties; hybrids go wider at 75 x 60 cm
- Sowing methodSow in lines 10 cm apart on raised nursery beds and cover with sand. Drench the nursery with copper oxychloride at 2.5 g/litre every 15 days against damping off. Transplant 40–45 day old seedlings with the ball of earth onto ridges 60 cm apart
- IrrigationIrrigate at weekly intervals
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained loam rich in organic matter
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Thrips-and-mite tolerance is documented across several sources. Since thrips spread leaf curl virus, this gives moderate tolerance to the virus.
- Its bunched fruiting habit (six to fourteen fruits per cluster) is repeatedly cited as an advantage for harvest efficiency, on top of its established high pungency.
Things to consider
- The commonly cited 1977 release year comes from a single source and is not confirmed by an official IARI document, so it is stated as reported rather than verified.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Andhra Pradesh
Saving chilli seed from a true-to-type plant
Pusa Jwala is open-pollinated, so seed from your own crop can be sown again — but only if you choose the plant, not the leftover fruit. Chilli flowers do cross with neighbouring plants, so seed taken carelessly drifts away from the variety within a few seasons.
Mark the plants during the season, not at harvest: pick healthy, vigorous plants that look like the variety should, free of leaf curl and other virus symptoms, and leave a few fruits on them to ripen fully red. Keep those plants as far as you reasonably can from other chilli varieties. Take the seed from fully ripe fruit, wash and dry it in shade rather than hot sun, and store it dry in a closed container. Discard seed from any plant that showed virus, because a virus-struck mother plant is the one thing worse than buying seed.
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 Lohit | 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 Jwalathis page | 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 |
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.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Chilli 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 Chilli variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Chilli into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Chilli in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Chilli rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
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
How does Pusa Jwala's dry-chilli yield compare to its green-chilli yield?
Multiple sources consistently report about 8.5 t/ha for green chillies but only around 1.7–1.8 t/ha (roughly 17–18 q/ha) for dry red chillies — the large gap reflects how much weight chillies lose in drying.
Why is Pusa Jwala tolerant of leaf curl virus if it has no direct viral resistance bred in?
Sources describe its tolerance as coming through thrips and mite tolerance rather than a direct antiviral trait. Thrips are the main vector of chilli leaf curl virus, so insect tolerance reduces infection indirectly. That is why the rating is "moderate", not "resistant".
Should I sell Pusa Jwala green or dry it?
Green, in most cases. It gives about 8.5 t/ha green against only 1.7–1.8 t/ha dry, so unless the dry price is more than four to five times the green price in your market, the fresh sale carries the crop.
Can I keep seed from my own Pusa Jwala plants?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Pick fully ripe fruit from a true-to-type plant — dwarf and bushy, long light-green fruit in big clusters — and keep that plant away from other chilli in flower so the seed stays close to type.
Why is bunched fruiting an advantage?
Because six to fourteen fruits sit together, a picker's hand takes more chilli per movement, so labour cost per quintal drops. On a crop where picking is repeated every few days through the season, that adds up more than it looks.
What spacing does Pusa Jwala need, and why is it closer than a hybrid's?
60 x 45 cm, where hybrids go wider at 75 x 60 cm. A hybrid plant grows bigger and is expected to carry more per plant. Pusa Jwala earns from plant numbers and bunch picking instead, so keeping the stand full is how you hold the 16–18 q/ha of dry chilli.
How often should Pusa Jwala be irrigated?
At weekly intervals. Watch the crop closely at flowering and early fruit set, because that is when a missed irrigation shows up later as flower drop and a thin bunch, and bunched fruiting is the whole advantage of this variety.
Sourced from: Crop Production Guide (Horticulture), TNAU and Department of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu: chilli seed rate for varieties and hybrids, spacing, season, nursery management and irrigation. editorial policy.