JGK-1 (kabuli)
A bold-seeded kabuli type on the same premium, extra-large-grain export line as Kak-2, needing richer soil and management than desi. No page yet.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Gram (Chana)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 105–120 days
- Seed rate
- 37 kg per acre for kabuli gram, against 15–18 kg for desi. Budget for it: seed is the biggest single cost in a kabuli crop
- Expected yield
- Medium–High
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate; kabuli is generally more disease-sensitive than desi
- Release
- Released 2002 · JNKVV (Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya), Jabalpur — for the Central Zone (MP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bundelkhand region of UP)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
JGK-1 (Jawahar Gram-1), released in 2002 by JNKVV (Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya), Jabalpur, is a large-seeded, short-duration kabuli chickpea recommended for the Central Zone — Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh — moderately resistant to wilt and yielding 15–18 q/ha in 110–115 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick JGK-1 (Jawahar Gram Kabuli-1) if you can give kabuli chana the soil and care it needs, your market pays for large cream grain, and the Central Zone recommendation matters to you — JNKVV released it for Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Bundelkhand belt of Uttar Pradesh. Weigh it against the other kabuli here before you buy, because Kak-2 beats it on both counts that usually decide a kabuli crop: Kak-2 publishes a 100-seed weight of 34–38 g, which is the export grade, where JGK-1 publishes none, and Kak-2 clears the field two to three weeks sooner. JGK-1's yield is also the lowest published figure on this list. Karnataka appears in the state list above but not in the JNKVV release material, so check locally before sowing there. Remember too that kabuli is generally more disease-sensitive than desi: if your land carries disease, a desi variety like JAKI-9218 is the safer crop.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing time25 October to 10 November (PAU)
- Seed rate37 kg per acre for kabuli gram, against 15–18 kg for desi. Budget for it: seed is the biggest single cost in a kabuli crop
- Spacing30 cm rows, seed 10–12.5 cm deep
- Sowing methodInoculate with Mesorhizobium and Rhizobacterium, shade-dry, and sow within the hour using a broad-fluted drill
- IrrigationHeavy pre-sowing irrigation and one more between mid-December and end-January (PAU)
- Fertilizer6 kg N and 16 kg P2O5 per acre for kabuli gram — 13 kg urea with 100 kg single superphosphate, drilled at sowing (PAU)
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- The state list above follows the JNKVV release material: Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh that means Bundelkhand, not the whole state. Karnataka used to be listed here and has been removed — no release material names it.
- JGK-1 has since been used as a breeding parent (crossed with Phule G 0517 to make the kabuli variety Madhav), a sign of its standing in kabuli breeding. The seed-weight and other figures for Madhav belong to that variety, not to JGK-1.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Gujarat
- Uttar Pradesh
What a kabuli crop asks for that desi does not
A kabuli chana is grown for large, clean, cream-coloured grain, and that grain is more demanding than desi. It wants better soil, even moisture and more careful management, and kabuli types are generally more disease-sensitive than desi, so the crop gives less room for mistakes.
Practically: sow on a well-drained loam rather than light or waterlogging-prone land, treat the seed, keep the plant stand even, and do not let the crop go dry during pod-fill, which is when grain size and colour are set. Watch for wilt and pod borer from the start rather than after damage shows. The premium is paid on appearance, so at harvest keep the lot clean and dry, and grade out shrivelled, stained and broken grain before you take it to the buyer. One note on the states list: the JNKVV release material recommends Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh, so outside those, ask your KVK for local trial results first.
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 11 | 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)this page | 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
What does the name "JGK-1" stand for?
It stands for Jawahar Gram Kabuli-1, released by JNKVV, Jabalpur.
When and where was JGK-1 released?
Released in 2002 by JNKVV, Jabalpur, for the Central Zone (MP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bundelkhand-UP).
How does JGK-1 compare to Kak-2, the other kabuli variety on this crop page?
Both are bold-seeded kabuli types on the export/premium line, but JGK-1 is an Indian (JNKVV) release for the Central Zone while Kak-2 (ICCV 92311) is an ICRISAT release most widely adopted in Andhra Pradesh — different breeding origins and target states.
What yield and duration does JGK-1 give?
15–18 q/ha in 110–115 days, per the JNKVV release material.
Is JGK-1 disease-resistant?
Sources describe it as moderately resistant to wilt.
JGK-1 or Kak-2: which kabuli should I sow?
JGK-1 is the Indian JNKVV release for the Central Zone, giving 15–18 q/ha in 110–115 days. Kak-2 is the ICRISAT release with extra-large cream seed of 34–38 g per 100 seeds, maturing earlier in 90–100 days, and is the one that fetches the real export premium. Go by what your buyer grades for, and by whether you can finish the longer crop comfortably.
Can I grow JGK-1 in Karnataka?
The JNKVV release material does not name Karnataka — it recommends Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh. Karnataka farmers do buy it, but ask your KVK or dealer for local trial results before committing a field there.
Why does kabuli chana need better soil than desi?
The large seed needs steady moisture and nutrients to fill out, and kabuli types are generally more sensitive to disease than desi. On poor or patchy land the grain stays small, which is exactly the trait the premium is paid for, so the extra price disappears.
When should I sow JGK-1?
25 October to 10 November. A kabuli takes 105–120 days here, so timely sowing is what keeps the grain filling before the heat. Late-sown kabuli gives small, shrivelled grain, and small grain is exactly what loses the kabuli premium.
How deep and how far apart should JGK-1 go?
Rows 30 cm apart with the seed 10–12.5 cm deep. Kabuli seed is large, so weigh out your seed rate by grain size rather than copying a desi field, and make sure the drill is not cracking the big seed as it goes in.
Sourced from: Package of Practices for Rabi Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: gram sowing window, kabuli seed rate and fertiliser dose, spacing, seed inoculation and irrigation. editorial policy.