Yamuna Safed (G-1)
Another NHRDF white release, favoured over G-41 where the crop needs to hold in storage longer before sale.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Garlic
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 120–130 days
- Seed rate
- 400–500 kg of cloves per hectare, all above 1.5 g
- Expected yield
- 150–170 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- pH
- 6.0–8.0
- Disease resistance
- Good storage life
- Release
- NHRDF release, notified nationwide by the Government of India — no fetchable source states an exact release year
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Yamuna Safed (G-1) is a National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) garlic release, notified by the Government of India for cultivation across the country — a wider official reach than Agrifound White’s two-state notification. No source found states an exact release year. ICAR-DOGR's garlic variety table lists it as a short-day NHRDF variety for All India, maturing in 120–130 days and yielding 15–17 t/ha — those are the figures given above. Bulbs run 4.0–4.5 cm across with 25–30 sickle-shaped cloves. Sources agree it is a good storer, which is the main reason farmers pick it over Agrifound White when the crop needs to hold longer before sale.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Yamuna Safed (G-1) when the crop has to sit in store for months before you sell. Sources consistently rate it a better storer than Agrifound White, and its cloves are larger as well. It is notified for cultivation across the whole country, a wider official reach than Agrifound White's two-state notification, and is grown mainly in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Choose Yamuna Safed-3 for bolder export-grade bulbs, or Agrifound White for the widest seed availability.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeSeptember to November in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, October–November in Rajasthan, harvested in March (ICAR-DOGR)
- Seed rate400–500 kg of cloves per hectare, all above 1.5 g
- SpacingRows 15 cm apart with 10 cm between cloves, set 2 cm deep
- Sowing methodSeparate the cloves shortly before planting, keep the basal plate unbroken, and treat with 0.1% carbendazim. Garlic competes badly with weeds, so a pre-planting herbicide plus one hand weeding at 40–60 days is the standard routine
- IrrigationIrrigate at planting and then every 7–10 days, 12–13 times through the rabi crop. Stop 10–15 days before harvest — this variety is kept for its storage life, and wet bulbs at lifting throw that away
- Fertilizer75:40:40:40 kg NPKS per hectare for Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, over organic manure worth 75 kg N (about 15 t/ha of farmyard manure). One-third of the nitrogen with the full P, K and S at planting, the rest in two splits at 30 and 45 days (ICAR-DOGR)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Notified for cultivation across the whole country, unlike Agrifound White’s narrower two-state notification
- Rated a better storer than Agrifound White across the sources checked, the main reason it is favoured when the crop must hold longer before sale
- Larger cloves (25–30 sickle-shaped cloves/bulb) than Agrifound White’s 20–25
Things to consider
- NHRDF's own pages give a longer 140–150 days and 150–175 q/ha. The 120–130 days and 15–17 t/ha shown above come from the ICAR-DOGR variety table, which is the more official of the two. Expect a late crop in a cold northern winter.
- No release year, breeding institute detail beyond “NHRDF”, or specific disease-resistance rating could be confirmed.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Gujarat
- Rajasthan
- Madhya Pradesh
Breaking bulbs into cloves at planting time
This variety has 25–30 sickle-shaped cloves per bulb, more than Agrifound White's 20–25, and that changes the arithmetic of planting. More cloves per bulb means fewer bulbs needed for the same area, but it also means the cloves at the centre are smaller — and clove size decides bulb size.
So grade as you break. Break the bulbs only a day or two before planting, not weeks ahead, because separated cloves dry out and lose vigour. Keep the large outer cloves for the field, and set the small inner ones aside for the kitchen rather than planting them, since a small clove gives a small bulb however well you manage it. Discard any clove that is soft, mouldy or has lost its skin. Plant at the recommended spacing and depth with the pointed end up, and keep the soil moist but not waterlogged until the shoots are through.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is planted from cloves, not from a seed packet, so your own field can supply next season. Keep the biggest, firmest bulbs from a patch that stayed free of rot, and break them into cloves only at planting time. Plant the fat outer cloves — small inner cloves give small bulbs, every season. Bring in clean stock when the size starts slipping or rot shows up in store.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Garlic variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agrifound Parvati (G-313) | Hill garlic with very large bulbs and a long cool season | 230–250 days | 200–225 q/ha | Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| Agrifound White (G-41) | The default plains white garlic, with good keeping quality | 150–160 days | 120–150 q/ha | Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh |
| Bhima Omkar | Holding the crop in storage until the off-season price lifts | 120–135 days | 100–120 q/ha | Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan |
| Bhima Purple | An early purple-skinned crop with a market of its own | 120–135 days | 60–70 q/ha | Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh |
| Yamuna Safed (G-1)this page | Long storage before sale, with large sickle-shaped cloves | 120–130 days | 150–170 q/ha | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh |
| Yamuna Safed-3 (G-282) | Bold large-cloved white garlic for the export and premium trade | 140–150 days | 175–200 q/ha | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh |
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 Garlic is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Garlic plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Garlic variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Garlic into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Garlic rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Garlic seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose Yamuna Safed or Agrifound White?
Reach for Yamuna Safed when the crop needs to hold in storage longer before you sell — sources consistently rate it a better storer. Agrifound White has the wider track record and larger average yield reported across most sources.
How long does Yamuna Safed take to mature?
About 120–130 days, per the ICAR-DOGR garlic variety table. NHRDF's own pages give a longer 140–150 days, which is closer to what a cold northern winter does to the crop.
How do I store garlic so it actually lasts?
Cure it first: dry the bulbs with tops on in shade for two to three weeks until the necks are tight, then trim, grade out any soft or damaged bulb, and keep the rest in a dry, airy, dark place off the floor. Check monthly and remove sprouting bulbs before they spoil the lot.
Which duration and yield figure should I plan on?
Plan on the ICAR-DOGR figures shown above — 120–130 days and 15–17 t/ha. It is an old nationwide variety grown in very different climates, so a cold northern winter can stretch it to 140–150 days, which is what NHRDF's own pages report. Ask your KVK what it records for your district.
Are sickle-shaped cloves harder to peel or sell?
No, they sell normally; the shape just describes the curved, elongated cloves typical of this variety, and at 25–30 per bulb they are a good size for both the kitchen and the trade. What matters at sale is that the bulbs are firm, clean-skinned and uniform.
How many cloves do I need for one hectare of Yamuna Safed?
400–500 kg of cloves per hectare, all above 1.5 g. Weigh a sample rather than judging by eye. Seed cloves are the biggest single cost in a garlic crop, so both over-planting and planting undersized cloves cost you real money.
At what spacing and depth should Yamuna Safed cloves go in?
Rows 15 cm apart with 10 cm between cloves, set 2 cm deep. Planting deeper does not help garlic. The bulb forms close to the surface, and a deep-set clove comes up late and makes a misshapen bulb.
Sourced from: Yamuna Safed (G-1) variety profile — Kisaan Helpline, Garlic Variety Yamuna Safed — Global Agriculture, Garlic Agropedia, ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research: planting calendar by state, clove rate, spacing, fertiliser dose and irrigation. editorial policy.