Pusa Uday
An early IARI cucumber with light green, cylindrical fruit for the fresh market, suited to both spring-summer and the rainy season. The national checklist gives 50–55 days and 155 q/ha, 28% above Poinsette, for the NCR.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cucumber
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- 50–55 days to first pick
- Seed rate
- About 1.45 kg of seed per acre
- Expected yield
- About 15.5 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Uday is an IARI, New Delhi cucumber of the Indian type, with separate male and female flowers on the same plant and fruit that needs pollination. It suits both the spring-summer and the rainy season. The fruit is light green, medium-sized, about 15 cm long, straight, soft-skinned and without prickles. The national checklist gives maturity in 50–55 days and an average yield of 155 q/ha, 28% above Poinsette, for the NCR. Other sources give about 65 q/acre, which is about the same. We did not find a release year.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Uday if you farm near Delhi-NCR and want one open-pollinated cucumber for both spring-summer and the rainy season: 50–55 days to first harvest and 155 q/ha, 28% above Poinsette. Choose Pusa Barkha if you sow only in the monsoon and want downy mildew resistance and 40–45 days. Choose Poinsette for the older, widely known type. Choose Poona Khira only for the russet heirloom market.
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rateAbout 1.45 kg of seed per acre
- HarvestingFirst harvest in 50–55 days
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Listed 28% above Poinsette in the release trials, at 155 q/ha
- Suits both spring-summer and the rainy season
- Straight, soft-skinned fruit without prickles, good for the fresh market
Things to consider
- We did not find a release year for Pusa Uday. A search once returned 2013 for it, but that year belongs to Pusa Barkha, so it is not used here
- The disease cover is listed only as moderate, so keep a mildew spray plan, especially in the rainy season
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
Count the days for both of its seasons
With first harvest in 50–55 days, a spring crop sown on 15 February starts picking between 6 and 11 April. A rainy-season crop sown on 1 July starts between 20 and 25 August.
These are example dates, so shift them to your own sowing date. Use them to book pickers and crates before the first fruit shows up.
Write down the sowing date, the first picking date and the kilos from a block of 100 plants in each season. After a year you will know which season gives you more, and where to put the bigger area.
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 Cucumber variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poinsette | The classic open-pollinated slicing cucumber, tolerant to both mildews, with seed you can save | 55–60 days | 100–120 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Poona Khira | A traditional Pune heirloom cucumber with a colour-changing skin and mild, crisp flesh for the local salad trade | 60–65 days | 100–130 q/ha | Maharashtra |
| Pusa Barkha | The extra-early, downy-mildew-resistant rainy-season cucumber, with first harvest in 40–45 days | 40–45 days to first harvest | About 18.8 t/ha in the rainy season | Delhi, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Udaythis page | An early cucumber for both spring-summer and the rainy season, listed 28% above Poinsette in the NCR | 50–55 days to first pick | About 15.5 t/ha | Delhi, Uttar Pradesh |
| Swarna Ageti | An early, long-fruited cucumber from ICAR-RCER, with 30–32.5 t/ha and tolerance to powdery mildew | First harvest 45–50 days after sowing | 30–32.5 t/ha | Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh |
| Swarna Poorna | A heavier, 300 g cucumber from ICAR-RCER, with 30–35 t/ha and tolerance to powdery mildew | First harvest 55–60 days after sowing | 30–35 t/ha | Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar 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 Cucumber is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Cucumber 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 Cucumber variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Cucumber into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Cucumber in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Cucumber rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Cucumber seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pusa Uday gynoecious or parthenocarpic?
No. It is an Indian-type cucumber with separate male and female flowers on the same plant, and it needs pollination to set fruit. Breeders have used it as a parent to make gynoecious lines, but the variety itself is a normal open-field type.
What does a Pusa Uday fruit look like?
Light green, medium-sized, about 15 cm long, straight, soft-skinned and non-prickled.
What yield does Pusa Uday give?
The national checklist gives 155 q/ha, about 15.5 t/ha. Other sources give about 65 q/acre, which is about the same.
Why do breeders use Pusa Uday as a parent?
In genetic studies it passed on long, thick, heavy fruit better than the other lines compared. That is useful to breeders. It does not change how you grow it on your farm.
How much seed does Pusa Uday need per acre?
About 1.45 kg per acre.
Pusa Uday or Pusa Barkha: which one should I sow?
If you sow in two seasons, Pusa Uday: it is listed for spring-summer and the rainy season, at 50–55 days and 15.5 t/ha. If you sow only in the rains, Pusa Barkha: 40–45 days, downy mildew resistance and 18.8 t/ha in kharif.
Can I save seed from Pusa Uday?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Let a few healthy fruits turn yellow and over-ripe on the vine, then take out the seed and dry it in shade. Keep the plot away from other cucumber varieties.
How much better is Pusa Uday than Poinsette?
The checklist says 28% more in the release trials, with Poinsette as the check. On your farm the gain may be smaller. Sow a strip of each and weigh both before you switch.
Can I sow Pusa Uday in the rainy season?
Yes, the national checklist lists it for both spring-summer and the rainy season. Its disease cover is only moderate, so in the rains keep a mildew spray plan, a trellis and a good drain.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (capsicum, carrot, cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd) — TNAU Agritech national bulletin. editorial policy.