RGC-936
Released in 1991 by RARI, Durgapura, RGC-936 remains guar's most widely used reference/check variety over three decades later — a testament to its drought hardiness and consistent yield.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 75–90 days (early maturing)
- Seed rate
- 10–12 kg/ha for normal rainfed sowing
- Expected yield
- About 0.92 t/ha in rainfed trials — the highest of six compared varieties (RGC-1066, RGC-1002, HG-563, HG-365, RGC-1035)
- Suitable soil
- Light, well-drained arid and semi-arid soils
- Release
- Released 1991 · Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute (RARI), Durgapura
About this variety
RGC-936 is an early-maturing, branched, dwarf guar variety released in 1991 by the Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute (RARI), Durgapura, for cultivation across Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan — the heart of India's guar belt. It is documented as drought-hardy, high-yielding for its era, and carrying medium-sized, light pink seed. Its real significance today is as the field-trial reference (check) variety guar breeders compare newer releases against: in one published rainfed comparison across six varieties, RGC-936 gave the highest seed yield (about 0.92 t/ha), beating RGC-1066 by 87.8%, RGC-1002 by 44.0%, HG-563 by 35.7% and HG-365 by 26.5%. That it is still the benchmark variety more than three decades after release says something about how hard it has been for newer lines to clearly beat it under genuinely dry, rainfed conditions.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeLate June to July, with the onset of a reliable monsoon shower (30–40 mm)
- Seed rate10–12 kg/ha for normal rainfed sowing
- Spacing45 cm between rows, 20–25 cm between plants for its dwarf, branched habit
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
75–90 days (early maturing)
Expected yield
About 0.92 t/ha in rainfed trials — the highest of six compared varieties (RGC-1066, RGC-1002, HG-563, HG-365, RGC-1035)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Not separately documented; valued mainly for drought hardiness
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Documented as the highest-yielding of six major guar varieties compared under genuinely rainfed conditions, including against several newer RGC releases.
- Drought-hardy and dwarf-branched — well suited to the light, low-fertility, low-and-erratic-rainfall soils that dominate its Gujarat-Haryana-Rajasthan growing belt.
- A long, well-documented track record over three decades gives more confidence than a recently released, less field-tested line.
Things to consider
- Being an older release, it does not carry the specific documented bacterial blight or Alternaria leaf blight tolerance bred into some newer lines — scout it for disease the same as any variety.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Rajasthan
- Gujarat
- Haryana
Frequently asked questions
Why is RGC-936 still popular more than 30 years after release?
Because it keeps performing — in a published rainfed comparison against five other varieties including several newer RGC releases, RGC-936 gave the highest seed yield of the group. That consistency under genuinely dry, rainfed conditions is exactly what a guar grower needs, and it has made RGC-936 the standard check variety breeders measure new releases against.
