Swarna Poorna
A cucumber from the ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region (RCER), Patna, released in 2004 (Gazette No. 493) by pure line selection. The fruit is cylindrical, long, light green and about 300 g. It tolerates powdery mildew, and the first harvest comes in 55–60 days.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cucumber
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First harvest 55–60 days after sowing
- Seed rate
- 600–700 g per hectare
- Expected yield
- 30–35 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Tolerant to powdery mildew
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Swarna Poorna is a cucumber from the ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region (RCER), Patna. It was released in 2004 (Gazette No. 493) through pure line selection. The fruit is cylindrical and long, medium-sized at about 300 g, light green, with no hollow centre. It tolerates powdery mildew. RCER recommends it for Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, sown in February–March at 2 m x 0.5 m, with a seed rate of 600–700 g per hectare. The first harvest comes 55–60 days after sowing, and RCER gives an average yield of 30–35 t/ha. In one genetic-diversity study it carried the most fruits per plant of the lines compared, 5.80, and grouped as a distinct line, at a genetic distance of 0.27 from the others.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Swarna Poorna if you farm in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha or Uttar Pradesh and sell cucumber by size. Its fruit runs about half again as heavy as Swarna Ageti's, the other RCER Patna line, and its 30–35 t/ha is the higher ceiling of the two — but it is also the later of them by about ten days to first harvest, so any early-market premium goes to Ageti. Those two are worth comparing because the figures come from the same institute's trials; Pusa Uday's 15.5 t/ha is IARI's, from different trials, and is not a sign of a weaker plant. Choose Swarna Ageti for the earlier crop, or Pusa Barkha for a monsoon sowing near Delhi.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeFebruary–March
- Seed rate600–700 g per hectare
- Spacing2 m x 0.5 m (10,000 plants per hectare)
- HarvestingFirst harvest 55–60 days after sowing
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Tolerant to powdery mildew
- A heavier fruit of about 300 g, long and cylindrical, light green, with no hollow centre
- A high listed yield of 30–35 t/ha, the highest of the cucumbers compared here
Things to consider
- The 30–35 t/ha comes from the breeding institute, RCER. IARI lists Pusa Uday at only 15.5 t/ha, because the two are measured in different trials. Compare them in your own field
- It takes 55–60 days to first harvest, about 10 days longer than Swarna Ageti
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- Odisha
- Uttar Pradesh
What 5.80 fruits per plant tells you, and how it compares with RCER's yield
In one genetic-diversity study, Swarna Poorna carried 5.80 fruits per plant, the most of the lines compared. RCER gives the fruit weight as about 300 g, so 5.80 fruits is about 1.7 kg per plant.
RCER's own figure is 30–35 t/ha at 2 m x 0.5 m, which is 10,000 plants per hectare. That is 3 to 3.5 kg per plant, about twice the study plants. The two sets of numbers come from different trials, seasons and spacings, so they will not match exactly.
Do your own count: take 10 plants, count the fruits picked over three pickings, and weigh them. That gives the real fruits and kilos per plant on your land, which is what you need to budget. With first harvest in 55–60 days, a crop sown on 15 February starts around 11 to 16 April.
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 Uday | 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 Poornathis page | 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 Swarna Poorna related to Swarna Ageti?
Both come from the same RCER Patna series. Swarna Poorna (2004, Gazette No. 493) was bred by pure line selection. Swarna Ageti (2006, Gazette No. 1422) was bred by mutation breeding. They are separate varieties, not one derived from the other.
How many fruits per plant does Swarna Poorna give?
In one genetic-diversity study, it recorded the maximum among genotypes compared, at 5.80 fruits per plant.
Is Swarna Poorna genetically distinct from other cucumber varieties?
One study found it clustered as a taxonomically distinct accession (genetic distance of 0.27 from other genotypes studied), suggesting a distinctive breeding line.
What yield does Swarna Poorna give?
RCER gives an average of 30–35 t/ha. IARI lists Pusa Uday at 15.5 t/ha, but the two come from different institutes and trials. Sow a strip of each and weigh the fruit before you decide.
When was Swarna Poorna released?
2004 (Gazette No. 493), per ICAR-RCER's booklet.
Should I choose Swarna Poorna or Swarna Ageti?
Swarna Ageti is earlier: first harvest in 45–50 days, fruit about 200 g, 30–32.5 t/ha. Swarna Poorna is heavier: 55–60 days, fruit about 300 g, 30–35 t/ha, and it is also recommended for Odisha. Both tolerate powdery mildew. Sow a strip of each.
What is the Swarna series?
Swarna is the name ICAR-RCER, Patna gives to its eastern-region releases. For cucumber it lists Swarna Ageti, Swarna Poorna and Swarna Sheetal. The same series includes bottle gourd (Swarna Sneha), bitter gourd (Swarna Yamini) and pointed gourd varieties.
Does 5.80 fruits per plant mean a high yield?
Not by itself. At about 300 g a fruit, 5.80 fruits is about 1.7 kg per plant. RCER's 30–35 t/ha at 10,000 plants per hectare is 3 to 3.5 kg per plant. So the study plants carried about half of that, because the trials differ. Weigh a 100-plant block on your own land.
Can I save seed from Swarna Poorna?
Yes. It was bred by pure line selection, so seed from a healthy crop stays close to type. Let a few healthy fruits over-ripen on the vine, take out the seed and dry it in shade, and keep the plot away from other cucumbers.
Sourced from: Plant Genetic Resources Management of Horticultural Crops in Eastern India — Indian Journal of Plant Genetic Resources, Improved Varieties of Fruit and Vegetables Developed by ICAR RCER (Technical Bulletin R-42/Ranchi-15), cucumber entries. editorial policy.