Mahima
Also from IISR — root-knot nematode resistance is its standout trait, with a bold, plumpy rhizome favoured for both fresh and dry ginger.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Ginger
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 200 days
- Expected yield
- 220–270 q/ha (fresh rhizome)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Root-knot nematode resistant
- Release
- Released 2001 · ICAR-IISR, Calicut · selection from germplasm (specific accession/cross not stated)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Mahima (formally IISR-Mahima) is a ginger release from ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Calicut, notified in 2001 as a selection from germplasm. IISR’s own variety page gives it a 200-day duration, a research-station yield of 23.2 t/ha, 19% dry recovery (IISR’s variety table and TNAU give 23.0%), 1.72% essential oil and 3.26% fibre content, with plumpy, round, bold rhizomes carrying brown scale on a plant about 65 cm tall with roughly 13 tillers per clump. IISR rates it resistant to root-knot nematode and recommends it for Kerala.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Mahima if root-knot nematode has hurt your ginger before. Of the nine gingers here it is the only one carrying a named resistance rating at all — the rest are listed as "moderate" or carry no rating — so on nematode-sick land there is nothing else on this list to put in the ground. Its second use is the fresh and candy trade: its fibre is the lowest figure published for any ginger here, just under Varada's range, and low fibre is what a preserve or candy buyer looks for. Do not pick it for saunth on the strength of one number, though: IISR’s variety page gives 19% dry recovery, but IISR’s variety table and TNAU both give 23.0%, so the real figure is unsettled, while Rejatha is at 23% on both IISR sources. And read the resistance narrowly — IISR does not separately confirm rhizome-rot or bacterial-wilt tolerance, so nematode cover is not cover from every ginger disease. Choose Varada instead if you have no nematode problem and want a shorter crop that also dries well. Choose Maran or Nadia outside Kerala.
Sowing & cultivation
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- High research-station yield (23.2 t/ha), in line with the 220–270 q/ha range
- Root-knot nematode resistance, a trait IISR confirms and not every ginger release has
- Bold, plump rhizome shape favoured for both fresh and dry ginger
Things to consider
- IISR gives two dry-recovery figures for Mahima: 19% on its variety page and 23.0% in its variety table, and TNAU also lists 23.0%. We cannot tell which is right, so this page does not rank Mahima for saunth. Ask a buyer, or dry a test lot of your own, before you plan a dry crop.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
If nematodes have hit your field before
Root-knot nematodes are small worms in the soil that swell the roots and weaken the plant. Mahima is rated resistant to them by IISR, which makes it the variety to look at first if your ginger has failed from that cause.
Resistance deals with one problem. IISR does not separately confirm tolerance to rhizome rot or bacterial wilt in Mahima, so a nematode field can still lose a crop to those if the drainage and seed are poor.
Plan the whole crop around that. Take clean seed rhizomes, plant on drained land and rotate away from ginger and turmeric where you can. If you are not sure nematodes are your problem, have your KVK check a soil or root sample before you pay for a resistant variety.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is planted from rhizomes, so your own field can supply next season. Lift plump rhizomes with healthy buds from plants that showed no rot or yellowing, store them where it is cool, dry and dark, and leave out every soft or mouldy piece — rot carries over in the planting material. Take fresh, clean rhizomes from a research station, a KVK or a government farm when yields drop.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Ginger variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IISR Rejatha | Oil-rich, low-fibre ginger for fresh or dry use | 200 days (Indian Horticulture 2025); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | 22.4 t/ha fresh rhizome (IISR) | Kerala, Karnataka |
| IISR Surasa | Kitchen gardens and grow-bags in Kerala | 220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | 24.33 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR) | Kerala |
| IISR Vajra | The highest IISR ginger yield, with strong flavour | 220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | 26.38 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR variety page) | Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal |
| IISR Varada | Low-fibre, plump ginger with 20.7% dry recovery, for both fresh sale and drying | 195–205 days | ~225 q/ha | Karnataka |
| Mahimathis page | Ginger rated resistant to root-knot nematode, with bold, plump rhizomes, for Kerala | 200 days | 220–270 q/ha (fresh rhizome) | Kerala |
| Maran | Pungent, strong-flavoured ginger from Tamil Nadu and the Karnataka hills, with 10.0% oleoresin and 25.21 t/ha in the TNAU table | About 200 days; harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | Medium–high | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka |
| Nadia | The Meghalaya farmer's ginger (Ing Bah) with 28.55 t/ha, 22.6% dry recovery and low fibre in the TNAU table | About 200 days; harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | High | Meghalaya |
| Rio-de-Janeiro | Bold ginger with high oil (2.3%) and the highest oleoresin (10.5%) in the TNAU table, grown for the fresh market | About 190 days; harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | 17.65 t/ha fresh rhizome (TNAU table) | Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh |
| Suprabha | Ginger for drying into saunth: 20.5% dry recovery, 8.9% oleoresin and low fibre | About 229 days | About 166 q/ha (fresh rhizome) | Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha |
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 Ginger is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Ginger plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Ginger variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Ginger 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 Ginger rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Ginger seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What disease or pest resistance is confirmed for Mahima?
IISR’s own testing rates it resistant to root-knot nematode.
How tall does Mahima grow, and how many tillers does it make?
IISR gives a plant height of about 65 cm and roughly 13 tillers per clump.
Does Mahima's yield match the 220–270 q/ha range?
IISR's research-station yield is 23.2 t/ha, about 232 q/ha, which sits inside that range. Plan on 220 q/ha at the start and treat anything higher as a bonus.
Is Mahima good for dry ginger?
It suits both. IISR’s variety page gives 19% dry recovery, but IISR’s variety table and TNAU give 23.0%, so the true figure is unsettled. Essential oil is 1.72%, and the bold, plump rhizome is favoured for fresh and dry ginger alike. Suprabha and Varada recover 20.5% and 20.7%, more than the lower Mahima figure and less than the higher one.
Mahima or Varada — what decides?
Nematodes decide. Mahima is rated resistant to root-knot nematode and gives 23.2 t/ha at the research station in 200 days, with 19% dry recovery on IISR’s variety page and 23.0% in its table. Varada gives 20.7% dry recovery, between those two figures, and 22.6 t/ha in about 200 days, but it carries no nematode resistance rating. If root-knot nematode has hurt you, take Mahima. If not, Varada.
Can I grow Mahima outside Kerala?
IISR recommends it for Kerala, and no other state is listed for it. Outside Kerala, choose a ginger recommended for your own state: Maran in Tamil Nadu, Nadia in Meghalaya, or Varada where it has been adopted. Try Mahima on a small strip first if you have a nematode problem and nothing else on offer.
Sourced from: IISR-Mahima (Ginger) — ICAR-IISR (variety page: 19% dry recovery), Spice varieties table — ICAR-IISR (ginger row for IISR Mahima: 23.0% dry recovery, 23.2 t/ha), Ginger production technology, TNAU Agritech Portal (variety table: IISR Mahima 23.2 t/ha green ginger, 200 days, 23.0% dry recovery). editorial policy.