JG 11
An early chickpea (95–100 days) with strong original Fusarium wilt resistance — the biggest yield-killer on land with a wilt history.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Gram (Chana)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 95–100 days
- Seed rate
- 15–18 kg per acre as a desi gram, rising to 27 kg/acre for late-November sowing and 36 kg/acre in early December
- Expected yield
- 18–20 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Clay / black soil
- Disease resistance
- Fusarium wilt
- Release
- Released 1999, developed jointly by ICRISAT, PKV Akola and JNKVV Jabalpur; officially recommended for India’s Southern Zone (Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
JG 11 is a bold-seeded desi chickpea released in 1999, bred jointly by ICRISAT, Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth (PKV) Akola and JNKVV Jabalpur. It is an early-maturing variety, at about 95–100 days, with a bold seed of around 22 g per 100 seeds. Its official release recommendation is India’s Southern Zone: Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Its bold seed and short duration have also driven wide farmer adoption in central India. So the states listed above include the four officially recommended Southern Zone states plus Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, where front-line demonstrations, diffusion studies and ICRISAT’s own reporting of a "non-traditional area" adoption wave confirm real cultivation.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick JG 11 if your sowing window is short. At 95–100 days it is the earliest desi chana on this list — only the kabuli Kak-2 clears the field sooner — which is what makes it work after a late kharif harvest or where the cold ends early. Be clear about the grain, though: of the desi lines here that publish a 100-seed weight its 22 g is the lightest, against GNG-1958's 25.4 g and Pusa 256's 24 g, so choose it for the calendar rather than for a boldness premium. It was released by ICRISAT with PKV Akola and JNKVV Jabalpur for the Southern Zone — Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu — and is widely grown in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra too, though without a formal recommendation there, so local seed there is farmer-to-farmer rather than recommended. One caution: a multi-race screening study found the original line susceptible to some newer wilt races, so on land with a recent heavy wilt history pair it with seed treatment and rotation, or choose JAKI-9218 instead, which is rated against wilt, root rot and collar rot together.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing time25 October to 10 November (PAU)
- Seed rate15–18 kg per acre as a desi gram, rising to 27 kg/acre for late-November sowing and 36 kg/acre in early December
- Spacing30 cm rows, seed 10–12.5 cm deep
- Sowing methodPora sowing in 30 cm rows after inoculating the seed with Mesorhizobium and Rhizobacterium. Two rows of linseed after every 20 rows of gram cut gram caterpillar damage
- IrrigationHeavy pre-sowing irrigation, then one irrigation between mid-December and end-January, not earlier than four weeks after sowing. After rice on heavy soil, do not irrigate at all (PAU)
- Fertilizer6 kg N and 8 kg P2O5 per acre (13 kg urea, 50 kg single superphosphate), drilled at sowing (PAU)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Bold, attractive seed (commonly reported around 22 g/100 seed) that fetches a better market price than an average local desi chana
- Early maturity lets it fit into tight rabi windows and frees the field sooner for the next crop
Things to consider
- JG 11 was released with strong Fusarium wilt resistance. But a multi-race screening study found the original JG 11 line giving a ‘susceptible’ reaction to some of the newer wilt races and isolates tested. More than two decades of pathogen evolution have eroded part of the resistance it was released with. That is why breeders have since used JG 11 as the base for wilt-resistance-restoring lines like KCD 11
- On land with a recent, heavy wilt history, pair JG 11 with seed treatment and rotation — do not lean on its resistance alone
- This states list mixes two things. The official Southern Zone recommendation covers Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Documented farmer adoption adds Madhya Pradesh (Bundelkhand front-line demonstrations, commercial seed trade out of Indore) and Maharashtra, where ICRISAT’s own reporting named a "silent chickpea revolution in non-traditional areas" in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra together. Treat the zone states as the formal recommendation and the rest as regions where cultivation is documented but not officially notified.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Odisha
- Tamil Nadu
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
Fitting chana into a short window after rice
At 95–100 days JG 11 is one of the earliest chanas here, and in the southern zone that is exactly how it is used: sown in rabi on the moisture left in the soil after a rice crop, finishing before the heat and before the field is needed again.
Two things make that work. Sow as soon as the field is workable, because every week lost pushes pod-fill into warmer weather, and sow into moisture rather than waiting for an irrigation you may not get. Keep the plant population up so a short crop still carries enough pods. On disease, its original Fusarium wilt resistance is strong, but on land with a recent heavy wilt history pair it with seed treatment and a rotation — a resistance that is leaned on every season is the one that breaks.
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 Gram (Chana) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNG-1581 (desi) | Light north-west soils where wilt and blight both show up | About 151 days | High | Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir |
| GNG-1958 (desi) | Normal-sown irrigated chana across the North Western Plain Zone | 135–145 days | 26.8 q/ha | Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh |
| JAKI-9218 (desi) | Central-plateau chana on land with a wilt and root-rot history | About 120 days | High | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh |
| JG 11this page | Early bold-seeded chana for the southern zone and tight rabi windows | 95–100 days | 18–20 q/ha | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| JG-14 (desi) | Early desi chana for double-cropping and escaping late-season heat | 100–105 days | High | Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat |
| JGK-1 (kabuli) | Central-zone kabuli chana on good soil with careful management | 105–120 days | Medium–High | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh |
| Kak-2 (kabuli) | Extra-large kabuli grain for the premium and export market | 90–100 days | Medium–High | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat |
| Pusa 256 | Bold brown desi grain, with room for a late sowing | 110–115 days | 18–20 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh |
| Pusa 372 | Wide-area desi chana that also works for a late sowing | 130–140 days | 20–22 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan |
| Vijay (desi) | Rainfed chana on the plateau, where moisture runs out at pod-fill | 105–110 days | 20–25 q/ha | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat |
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 Gram (Chana) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Gram (Chana) 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 Gram (Chana) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Gram (Chana) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Gram (Chana) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Gram (Chana) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Gram (Chana) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is JG 11 still fully resistant to Fusarium wilt today?
Not against every wilt race. It was released with strong resistance in 1999, but a multi-race screening study later found the original line susceptible to some newer races, which is why it is now mainly used as a breeding parent for further wilt-resistance work rather than treated as immune.
Is JG 11 only meant for the Southern Zone, or does it also grow well in central India?
Its official release recommendation is India’s Southern Zone — Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. But farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have widely adopted it too, drawn by its bold seed and short duration — ICRISAT itself has documented this spread as a "silent chickpea revolution" reaching well beyond the zone it was officially released for. Both the official zone and these documented adoption states are listed above, since a variety can be worth growing in a state even without a formal recommendation there.
Can I grow JG 11 in Madhya Pradesh even though it was released for the Southern Zone?
Farmers there already do, in large numbers, drawn by the bold seed and short duration — ICRISAT itself has documented that spread. Just understand what it means: outside the official zone there is no formal recommendation behind it, so ask your KVK about local wilt races before you put the whole field under it.
What do I do about wilt if I still want to grow JG 11?
Treat the seed, keep a rotation with a non-host crop, and do not sow it back on a field that wilted badly last year. Its 1999 resistance still helps against older races, but the study showing susceptibility to newer ones means the variety alone is no longer the whole defence.
Does JG 11's bold seed actually fetch a better price?
Bold, even desi grain of around 22 g per 100 seeds usually grades above an average local lot in the mandi. The gain depends on your buyer and on keeping the lot clean and uniform, so sieve and grade before you sell rather than expecting the variety name alone to do it.
Does JG 11 fit a tight window after paddy?
That is its strongest use. At 95–100 days it is the quickest chana compared here, so a field that comes free in November can still carry a crop and be clear before the heat. Longer varieties such as GNG-1581 at about 151 days cannot do that.
How deep should JG 11 seed go?
10–12.5 cm deep, in rows 30 cm apart. On black cotton soil after paddy there is usually moisture at that depth even when the surface has dried and cracked, and that is the moisture the crop will live on.
Sourced from: Identification of multi-race Fusarium wilt resistance in chickpea using rapid hydroponic phenotyping — Phytopathologia Mediterranea, Package of Practices for Rabi Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: gram sowing window, desi seed rate, sowing method and depth, intercropping for pod borer, fertiliser and irrigation. editorial policy.