Kak-2 (kabuli)
A bold, extra-large-seeded kabuli type for the premium export market — higher priced but needing richer soil and management than desi. No page yet.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Gram (Chana)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 90–100 days
- Seed rate
- 37 kg per acre — kabuli gram takes more than twice the seed of a desi variety, because the grain is so much larger
- Expected yield
- Medium–High
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate; kabuli is generally more disease-sensitive than desi
- Release
- Released around 1999–2000 (sources give both years) · ICRISAT — reported as the first large-seeded kabuli chickpea variety released in India
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kak-2 (ICCV 92311) is a bold, extra-large-seeded kabuli chickpea bred by ICRISAT — described as the first large-seeded kabuli variety released in India — with a cream-coloured 100-seed weight of roughly 34–38 g that fetches premium prices, often near-double desi rates, in domestic and export markets.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Kak-2 (ICRISAT's ICCV 92311) if you are growing for the kabuli premium and can manage a crop that must produce large, clean, cream-coloured grain. Its 100-seed weight of about 34–38 g is what earns prices often near double ordinary desi rates. It matures in a short 90–100 days, which is why Andhra Pradesh farmers took it up most, sowing it in rabi on residual soil moisture after rice. Kabuli types are more disease-sensitive than desi, so this needs good soil and watchful management. Choose JGK-1 for a Central Zone kabuli with a longer season, or a desi like JAKI-9218 or Vijay if you want the lower-risk crop.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing time25 October to 10 November, the same window PAU gives both desi and kabuli gram
- Seed rate37 kg per acre — kabuli gram takes more than twice the seed of a desi variety, because the grain is so much larger
- SpacingRows 30 cm apart with the seed 10–12.5 cm deep
- Sowing methodSow by pora or a seed-cum-fertiliser drill with broader flutes — a large kabuli seed will not pass an ordinary flute cleanly. Inoculate with Mesorhizobium and Rhizobacterium first
- IrrigationHeavy pre-sowing irrigation, then one between mid-December and end-January, not earlier than four weeks after sowing (PAU)
- FertilizerKabuli gram gets twice the phosphorus of desi: 6 kg N and 16 kg P2O5 per acre, which is 13 kg urea with 100 kg single superphosphate, all drilled at sowing (PAU)
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- The release year is given as 1999 in one source and 2000 in another.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Gujarat
Grain size is the price: keeping the 100-seed weight up
Kak-2 earns prices near double ordinary desi rates because of one number: a 100-seed weight of about 34–38 g. Buyers for the premium and export trade count and weigh grain, so anything that shrinks the seed takes the premium away even when the yield looks fine.
Seed size is set during pod-fill. Keep moisture even through that stage — on residual moisture after rice, as the biggest kabuli-gram farmers do in Andhra Pradesh, that means the soil must still hold water then, so sow early enough. Avoid heat stress at pod-fill, keep pod borer off the crop, and do not delay harvest until pods start shattering. After harvest, dry properly, keep the lot free of desi grain and dust, and grade out the small and shrivelled seed into a separate lot rather than letting it pull down the whole heap.
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) | Central-zone kabuli chana on good soil with careful management | 105–120 days | Medium–High | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh |
| Kak-2 (kabuli)this page | 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 "Kak-2" mean, and is it known by another code?
Kak-2 is the release/trade name; its ICRISAT breeding designation is ICCV 92311.
Why does Kak-2 fetch a premium price?
Its extra-large, cream-coloured seed (100-seed weight ~34–38 g) is preferred in domestic and export kabuli markets, often fetching close to double the price of ordinary desi chickpea.
Which state grows the most Kak-2?
Andhra Pradesh, the leading adopter per the ICRISAT source, grown in the rabi season on residual soil moisture after rice.
How long does Kak-2 take to mature?
90–100 days, per the ICRISAT ISSCA page.
Is Kak-2 more disease-prone than desi types?
Moderate. Kabuli types are generally more sensitive to disease than desi types, which is a well-known pattern in chickpea.
Can I sow Kak-2 after rice on leftover soil moisture?
That is how the farmers who grow the most of it use it. In Andhra Pradesh it is sown in rabi on residual moisture after rice, and its short 90–100 day duration is what makes that work. The grain still needs the moisture to hold through pod-fill, so a field that dries out early will give small seed and lose the premium.
How big is the price gap between Kak-2 and desi chana?
Kabuli grain of this grade often fetches close to double ordinary desi rates in domestic and export markets. That is for large, clean, uniform seed — a lot with small or stained grain gets graded down, so the premium rewards management as much as the variety.
Is Kak-2 risky on poor land?
Yes, more so than a desi variety. Kabuli types are generally more sensitive to disease, and the whole reason to grow Kak-2 is grain size, which fails first on poor or uneven soil. On weak land a wilt-resistant desi such as JAKI-9218 keeps more money in hand.
Can I keep my own Kak-2 seed?
Yes, chana is self-pollinated, so saved seed breeds true. With a kabuli it is worth going further: grade the seed and keep only the largest grain for sowing, because the premium you are growing for is paid on grain size.
How deep and how far apart should Kak-2 go?
Rows 30 cm apart with the seed 10–12.5 cm deep. Big kabuli seed needs good contact with moist soil to come up evenly, and an uneven stand in a premium crop costs you twice, once in yield and once in grading.
Sourced from: ICRISAT ISSCA — High-yielding, extra-large chickpea kabuli variety ICCV 92311 (KAK 2), Package of Practices for Rabi Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: gram sowing window, kabuli seed rate and phosphorus dose, spacing, sowing method and irrigation. editorial policy.