Contender
An IARI bush variety recommended for all of India. Early (first picking in about 50 days), with large, meaty, stringless pods that have curved tips, and 20 t/ha in the national checklist.
Quick facts
- Crop
- French Bean
- Type
- Bush type
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- First picking in about 50 days
- Seed rate
- 60–80 kg/ha (about 24–32 kg/acre)
- Expected yield
- 20 t/ha green pods (200 q/ha)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No disease resistance is listed for it in the national checklist
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. Listed in the national checklist as recommended for all of India.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Contender is an early bush French bean from IARI, New Delhi, and the national vegetable checklist recommends it for all of India. It has pink flowers and large green pods with curved tips that are stringless and meaty. IARI advises sowing in the hills from April to June, and in the plains from the last week of September to the beginning of October. The first picking comes in about 50 days and the listed yield is 200 q/ha. The checklist names no disease resistance for it, so clean seed and field hygiene matter.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Contender if you want a bean that is ready in about 50 days and your market likes large, meaty pods. It is listed for all of India at 20 t/ha. Pick Pusa Parvati (22.5 t/ha, resistant to mosaic and powdery mildew) if those diseases hit your area, and Arka Anoop (20 t/ha, resistant to rust and bacterial blight) if rust is the problem. Sow the plains crop in the last week of September or the first week of October.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeHills: April to June. Plains: last week of September to the beginning of October (IARI)
- Seed rate60–80 kg/ha (about 24–32 kg/acre)
- SpacingRows 30–45 cm apart, plants 8–10 cm apart in the row
Soil & climate
Soil
- pH
- 5.5–6.8
Climate
- Temperature
- 20–25°C for growth and pod yield
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Early: first picking in about 50 days, the same as Pusa Parvati.
- Large, meaty, stringless pods that sell well as a fresh vegetable.
- Recommended for all of India, for the hills and the plains, in the national checklist.
Things to consider
- The national checklist lists no disease resistance for Contender, unlike Pusa Parvati (mosaic and powdery mildew) and Arka Anoop (rust and bacterial blight).
- Bacterial blight and anthracnose travel in the seed of any French bean. Buy certified seed and do not plant seed from a spotted crop.
- Pods are large and curved at the tip, so check what your market pays for before you pick this over the straight-podded Pusa Parvati.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab
- Karnataka
Count 50 days from your autumn sowing
IARI's plains window for Contender is the last week of September to the beginning of October, and the first picking comes in about 50 days.
Work it out from your date. Sown on 25 September, the first picking is around 14 November. Sown on 1 October, it is around 20 November. Picking then runs on for some weeks.
The checklist ties good growth to an air temperature of 20–25°C. That is why the window is so narrow: sow much later and the crop meets winter cold before it has set pods. If your sowing slips past the first week of October, plan to take a smaller crop or move to a variety you know in your 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 French Bean variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Anoop | The disease-resistant Arka bean: rust and bacterial blight | No separate days-to-first-pick figure is published | 20 t/ha green pods | Karnataka |
| Arka Komal | A flat-podded bush bean that travels well, with an optional dry-seed crop | First pick about 70–75 days (IIHR variety list) | 20 t/ha pods, or 1,500 kg/ha dry seed | Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala |
| Arka Suvidha | A stringless, fleshy-podded bean that earns a better price | First pick about 70–75 days (IIHR variety list) | 19 t/ha green pods | Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir |
| Contenderthis page | An early, widely adapted bush bean for the plains' autumn sowing | First picking in about 50 days | 20 t/ha green pods (200 q/ha) | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka |
| Kentucky Wonder | A climbing heirloom bean for gardens that already have supports | Seed sellers list 58–72 days to first picking; picking then continues for weeks | No Indian public trial figure is published | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka |
| Pant Anupama | A resistant bush bean for the hills and tarai, grown for pod quality, not for yield | First picking in 55–65 days after sowing | 9 t/ha green pods (90 q/ha) | Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand |
| Pusa Parvati | The highest-yielding Indian bush bean here, with mosaic and powdery mildew resistance | First picking in about 50 days | 22.5 t/ha green pods (225 q/ha) | Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana |
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 French Bean is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your French Bean 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 French Bean variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for French Bean into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for French Bean in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's French Bean rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of French Bean seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
When should I sow Contender in the plains and in the hills?
IARI advises sowing in the hills from April to June, and in the plains from the last week of September to the beginning of October. The plains window matters, because the crop grows best at an air temperature of 20–25°C.
How early does Contender give the first picking, and how much?
The national checklist gives the first picking in 50 days and a yield of 200 q/ha, which is 20 t/ha of green pods.
Contender or Pusa Parvati: which should I grow?
Both are IARI bush beans, both ready for first picking in about 50 days, and both listed for all of India. Pusa Parvati gives more (22.5 t/ha against 20 t/ha), has long pods with straight tips and is resistant to mosaic and powdery mildew. Contender has large pods with curved tips and no listed resistance. Pusa Parvati is the safer choice if mosaic or mildew is a problem in your area.
Can I save my own Contender seed?
Yes, it is an open-pollinated variety and French bean flowers mostly pollinate themselves, so saved seed usually comes true. The risk is disease: bacterial blight and anthracnose travel in the seed. Keep seed only from healthy plants and throw away any spotted pods.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables — TNAU Agritech Portal (national bulletin). editorial policy.