Birsa Kulthi-1 (Strain-43)
A 1985 release for Bihar, listed in the notified list as Strain-43. Slightly trailing, cream-seeded, 92 to 97 days and 800 to 1,000 kg/ha, moderately resistant to Macrophomina leaf blight.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 92 to 97 days (DPD arid legumes table)
- Seed rate
- Line sowing 25 to 30 kg/ha for a grain crop, about 40 kg/ha if broadcast for grain and fodder (DPD package); no separate rate is published for Birsa Kulthi-1. Treat the seed with carbendazim at 2 g a kg, then with Rhizobium and PSB culture at 5 to 7 g a kg.
- Expected yield
- 800 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD)
- Suitable soil
- Light to heavy soils free from alkalinity; usually poor, well-drained land
- Release
- Released 1985 for Bihar · notified 1 January 1987 as Birsa Kulthi-1 (Strain-43)
About this variety
Birsa Kulthi-1 is a horse gram released in 1985 for Bihar. The Directorate of Pulses Development table gives 92 to 97 days and 800 to 1,000 kg/ha, a slightly trailing type with cream-coloured seed, moderately resistant to Macrophomina leaf blight. The national notified list carries it as Birsa Kulthi-1 (Strain-43), release year 1985, notified 1 January 1987. We found no trial paper or breeder note for it, so the practice below is the crop-level practice from the DPD package.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Birsa Kulthi-1 if you farm horse gram in Bihar and want a shorter line than Madhu. DPD lists 92 to 97 days against Madhu's 105 to 110, a slightly trailing plant with cream seed, and moderate resistance to Macrophomina leaf blight, which Madhu has no rating for. Yield is 800 to 1,000 kg/ha against Madhu's 850 to 1,000, so you give up little. It is a 1985 release, so check that the seed is clean and recent. Birsa is the prefix of Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, but DPD names only Bihar, so do not buy it on a claim for another state.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeNo sowing date is published for Birsa Kulthi-1. DPD's package says horse gram sowing in the main season is late August to November, and in West Bengal October to November.
- Seed rateLine sowing 25 to 30 kg/ha for a grain crop, about 40 kg/ha if broadcast for grain and fodder (DPD package); no separate rate is published for Birsa Kulthi-1. Treat the seed with carbendazim at 2 g a kg, then with Rhizobium and PSB culture at 5 to 7 g a kg.
- SpacingRow spacing 40 to 45 cm in kharif and 25 to 30 cm in rabi, with about 5 cm between plants (DPD package).
- IrrigationMostly rainfed. If water is available, irrigate before flowering and at pod formation (DPD package).
- Fertilizer20 kg nitrogen and 30 kg P2O5 a hectare as a basal dose, placed 2 to 5 cm below and beside the seed (DPD package). Adjust by a soil test.
- HarvestingDPD gives 92 to 97 days. Harvest when most pods are yellowish brown.
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Light to heavy soils free from alkalinity; it is usually grown on poor, well-drained land (DPD package)
Climate
- Climate
- Warm, dry weather at 25 to 30 °C suits it; it does not grow well at high altitudes where the climate is cool and wet, and heavy rain in the early stage hurts nodule formation (DPD package).
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
92 to 97 days (DPD arid legumes table)
Expected yield
800 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Moderately resistant to Macrophomina leaf blight (DPD)
Management notes
- Weeding: one early weeding or hoeing is enough because the crop grows thick; pendimethalin 0.75 to 1 kg a hectare before emergence, then one hand weeding at 20 to 25 days (DPD package).
- Do not sow into infected soil early: for root rot, treat the seed with 2 g of captan or carbendazim per kg and avoid early sowing in infested fields.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Shorter than Madhu: 92 to 97 days against 105 to 110.
- A disease rating (moderately resistant to Macrophomina leaf blight), which Madhu lacks.
- Yield listing of 800 to 1,000 kg/ha, close to Madhu's 850 to 1,000.
Things to consider
- A 1985 release: the seed in the market may be old, so insist on a recent, labelled lot.
- Only one table (DPD) and the notified list; no trial paper or breeder note was found.
- Listed for Bihar only.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Bihar
Birsa Kulthi-1 against Madhu: the two Bihar names
DPD names two horse grams for Bihar. Madhu (1978) is a bushy plant of 105 to 110 days, 850 to 1,000 kg/ha, with dark cream seed spotted red and medium-large grain. Birsa Kulthi-1 (1985) is slightly trailing, cream-seeded, 92 to 97 days and 800 to 1,000 kg/ha, with a leaf-blight rating. The difference that matters most is time: Birsa Kulthi-1 finishes about two weeks sooner. Where the late rains stop early, that is the one to try.
Shape matters in the field. A trailing plant covers the ground and smothers weeds but is slower to cut and thresh, while a bushy plant stands taller and cuts cleaner. Neither table says which gives more fodder. Sow a strip of each beside the other, with the seed treatment and spacing in the package, and count days to harvest and weigh the grain.
Can you save seed from this crop?
This is a released open-pollinated variety, not a hybrid, and horse gram sets its own seed, so seed saved from healthy plants grows into the same type. Keep it apart from other horse gram and pick the pods together when most are yellowish brown.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Horse Gram (Kulthi) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birsa Kulthi-1 (Strain-43)this page | Bihar horse gram farmers who want a shorter, cream-seeded line with a leaf-blight rating | 92 to 97 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 800 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD) | Bihar |
| CRHG-19 | Newest CRIDA release (2014) | 100 days (DPD arid legumes table, where it is listed as Cridaharsha) | Mean 760 to 1,300 kg/ha over locations, 20.22% above the best check; 65% above local in farmers' fields; 900 kg/ha in the DPD arid legumes table | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| CRHG-4 (CRIDA Latha) | Black seed, non-shattering | 110 days (DPD arid legumes table, where it is listed as Cridalatha) | Mean 785 kg/ha over locations (range 700 to 1,100), 33.1% above the best check | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| CRIDA-18R | Disease-tolerant, 85 to 87 days | 85 to 87 days (ICAR release note); 90 to 100 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 750 to 1,150 kg/ha in trials; 912 kg/ha in farmers' fields in Andhra Pradesh; 800 to 850 kg/ha in the DPD arid legumes table | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| Gujarat Dantiwada Horsegram-1 (GHG-5) | Fields with a history of root rot or mildew, in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand or Jharkhand | 94 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 550 to 575 kg/ha (DPD) | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand |
| Horsegram CO 1 | Bold seed, old line | 110 days (TNAU); 50% flowering at 55 to 60 days | 560 kg/ha rainfed (TNAU table) | Tamil Nadu |
| Indira Kulthi-1 (IKGH-01-01) | Chhattisgarh farms that want a black-seeded, long-podded horse gram tolerant of yellow mosaic | 95 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 800 kg/ha (DPD) | Chhattisgarh |
| Madhu | Bihar farms that want an old, well-known, bushy horse gram with medium-large seed | 105 to 110 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 850 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD) | Bihar |
| Paiyur 1 | Middle step, 650 kg/ha | 110 days (TNAU); 50% flowering at 45 to 50 days | 650 kg/ha rainfed (TNAU table) | Tamil Nadu |
| Paiyur 2 | Tamil Nadu rainfed, November | 100 to 105 days (TNAU); 50% flowering at 45 to 50 days | 870 kg/ha rainfed (TNAU) | Tamil Nadu |
| PHG-9 | Karnataka dry zones | 100 to 105 days (ICAR JSS KVK, Suttur) | About 3 to 4 quintals an acre (about 740 to 990 kg/ha) under proper care, per a KVK field day; no trial figure found | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| VL Gahat-10 | Uttarakhand hill farms that want the second state-listed gahat, a little shorter than VL Gahat-8 | 113 to 117 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 700 to 800 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 9.40 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet) | Uttarakhand |
| VL Gahat-15 (VLG-15) | Northern and central India farms with a short rainfed season that need a gahat finishing in about 90 to 100 days | 90 to 100 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 600 to 700 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 7.75 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet) | Uttarakhand |
| VL Gahat-19 | Uttarakhand hills (gahat) | 100 to 105 days, medium maturity (DPD arid legumes table) | 850 to 900 kg/ha (DPD arid legumes table) | Uttarakhand |
| VL Gahat-8 | Uttarakhand hill farms that plant in June on rainfed land and want a disease-resistant gahat | 115 to 135 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 900 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 12.33 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet) | Uttarakhand |
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 Horse Gram (Kulthi) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Horse Gram (Kulthi) 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 Horse Gram (Kulthi) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Horse Gram (Kulthi) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Horse Gram (Kulthi) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Horse Gram (Kulthi) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Horse Gram (Kulthi) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Birsa Kulthi-1?
A horse gram released in 1985 for Bihar, listed in the national notified list as Birsa Kulthi-1 (Strain-43). DPD gives 92 to 97 days, 800 to 1,000 kg/ha, cream seed and moderate resistance to Macrophomina leaf blight.
Is Strain-43 the same as Birsa Kulthi-1?
The notified list writes it as Birsa Kulthi-1 (Strain-43), so Strain-43 is the original selection number. The name on the seed tag should say Birsa Kulthi-1.
Does Birsa Kulthi-1 resist yellow mosaic?
No yellow mosaic rating is published for it. DPD gives only moderate resistance to Macrophomina leaf blight. The DPD package advises growing resistant varieties and destroying infected plants for yellow mosaic, and spraying against the whitefly that carries it.
Which is the better Bihar horse gram, Birsa Kulthi-1 or Madhu?
On DPD's table Birsa Kulthi-1 is shorter (92 to 97 against 105 to 110 days) and has a leaf-blight rating, and Madhu lists a little more yield (850 to 1,000 against 800 to 1,000 kg/ha). There is no head-to-head trial. Choose by how soon you need the field back.
Sourced from: Popular varieties of arid legume crops (horse gram table) — Directorate of Pulses Development (dpd.gov.in), read from an archived copy, Notified varieties list (year of release, notification number and date) — Government of India, as hosted by Bihar DBT Agriculture, Horse gram package of practices (state variety lists, sowing, seed rate, fertiliser; source Directorate of Pulses Development) — Vikaspedia. editorial policy.