Rudrakshi
A traditional local jackfruit type with small, roundish fruit. Assam's 2021 package of practices lists it with Singapore Jack as a cultivar for the state. We found no release record, trial or fruit-weight figure for it.
Quick facts
- Type
- Grafted plant (regional clone)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Grafted tree. TNAU says jack grafts start yielding in the 5th year; Assam's package says 6 to 8 years for its types.
- Expected yield
- No trial yield found. Assam's package gives 200–500 fruits a tree a year for its local and Singapore types in general.
- Suitable soil
- All soils
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance widely documented
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Rudrakshi is a traditional local type of jackfruit with small, roundish fruit. Assam's 2021 package of practices for horticultural crops lists Singapore Jack, Rudrakshi and local types as its jackfruit cultivars. The name is usually linked to a rind that looks like rudraksha beads, and to small seeds and sweet bulbs, but we found no release record, no trial and no fruit-weight or yield figure to back those. The Assam package gives general figures for its types: 10 to 12 m spacing, first fruiting 6 to 8 years after planting, harvest around June, and 200 to 500 fruits a tree a year. It does not split them by cultivar, so they cannot be read as Rudrakshi's own.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Rudrakshi if you want a small-fruited local jackfruit for a home orchard or a nearby market, and you can taste the fruit before you buy plants. It is listed among Assam's cultivars. Do not choose it for a stated yield or a proven fruit size, as we found none. Choose Palur-1 instead if you want numbers you can plan on (TNAU: about 80 fruits and 900 kg a tree, 12 kg a fruit) or Singapore Jack if you want the earliest fruit (KAU: about 3 years).
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timePlant grafts in June–December (TNAU). Cleft grafting for nursery plants is done in July–August on 4-month-old seedling rootstock.
- Spacing8 × 8 m (TNAU), in pits 1 m on each side. Assam's 2021 package of practices gives 10–12 m for its local and Singapore types.
- Sowing methodPlant a graft, not a seedling. TNAU fills each pit with topsoil mixed with 10 kg FYM and 1 kg neem cake. It prefers soil pH around 5.5 at planting; if the soil is more alkaline, TNAU treats the pit with 1% aluminium sulphate.
- IrrigationWater once a week until the plant is established. After that water only when needed (TNAU).
- FertilizerTNAU gives per tree, in two splits (May–June and September–October): a 1-year-old tree 10 kg FYM, 150 g N, 80 g P, 100 g K, with the same amount added each year. From the 6th year: 50 kg FYM, 750 g N, 400 g P, 500 g K.
- HarvestingTNAU says grafts start yielding in the 5th year (seedling trees in the 8th), and harvest runs March–July. TNAU puts the crop at 30–40 t/ha.
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Deep, well-drained soil (TNAU). Rich, deep alluvial soil does best (Assam package).
- pH
- 5.5
Climate
- Climate
- The crop does well on the plains and up to 1,200 m elevation (TNAU).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A long-standing local type listed among Assam's jackfruit cultivars.
- Small fruit, which is easier to sell whole in small households.
- Reported small seeds and sweet bulbs (local reputation, not a trial).
Things to consider
- No release record, trial or yield figure found, so the quality claims are reputation only.
- Small fruit means more picking and handling per kilo than a big-fruited variety such as Palur-1.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
Taste the mother tree before you plant
Rudrakshi has a local name and a local reputation. It has no published trial to check that reputation against. That makes the choice a personal one, and it is a choice you can test at low cost.
Before you buy plants, find a bearing Rudrakshi tree near you. Taste a ripe fruit. Check the bulbs: are they sweet, are they fibrous, how big are the seeds. Weigh a fruit on a kitchen scale and write the weight down.
Then buy grafts only from that tree, not from a nursery that cannot name the source. A scion cut from a good mother tree carries the fruit you tasted. A seedling grown from its seed will not. If the fruit is not what you want, you have lost an afternoon, not an orchard.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is a grafted plant: the variety on top, joined onto a rootstock below. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy grafted plants from a registered nursery or a government farm, so the plant is true to the variety and free of disease.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Jackfruit (Kathal) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gumless Jack | A low-latex jackfruit for farmers who cut and pack the bulbs and want a cleaner job, planted on trust in the trait until a trial says more | Grafted tree. NIF: the first graft (1988) began to yield about three years later. | No published trial yield. NIF reports that the first grafted tree gave 10 fruits in its second bearing year. | Karnataka |
| Konkan Prolific | A jackfruit named for the Konkan coast, best tried on a small block first because we found no verified yield, fruit or release data | Grafted tree. No bearing month or age is given for this variety. | No verified per-tree or per-hectare figure found. | Maharashtra, Goa |
| Palur-1 (PLR-1) | A documented, high-yielding jackfruit with a second crop in November–December, chosen for steady income from one tree | Regular crop April–June and an off-season crop November–December (TNAU). TNAU says jack grafts start yielding in the 5th year. | About 80 fruits, around 900 kg a tree a year; average fruit 12 kg (TNAU) | Tamil Nadu |
| Rudrakshithis page | A small-fruited local jackfruit for home orchards and local sale, planted on reputation rather than on a trial record | Grafted tree. TNAU says jack grafts start yielding in the 5th year; Assam's package says 6 to 8 years for its types. | No trial yield found. Assam's package gives 200–500 fruits a tree a year for its local and Singapore types in general. | Karnataka |
| Siddu Jack | A coppery-red, high-TSS jackfruit for direct sale of colourful bulbs, planted for colour and sweetness, with a yield still to be proven by trial | Grafted tree. Source tree about 35 years old. IIHR gives no bearing age for grafts. | IIHR estimate: about 450 fruits, 1,098 kg a tree (fruit about 2.44 kg). It is an estimate from the source tree, not a multi-location trial. | Karnataka |
| Singapore Jack (NS-1) | The early-bearing choice for farmers who cannot wait five years, planted for a first crop in about three | Bears about 3 years after planting (KAU); extremely precocious. | 250 fruits a plant a year (KAU); no kg-per-tree figure published | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal |
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 Jackfruit (Kathal) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Jackfruit (Kathal) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Jackfruit (Kathal) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Jackfruit (Kathal) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Jackfruit (Kathal) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Jackfruit (Kathal) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rudrakshi a released variety?
We found no release notification. It is a local type that Assam's 2021 package of practices lists as a jackfruit cultivar, alongside Singapore Jack and local types. If a nursery calls it released or certified, ask for the paper. A named local type is still a fair choice if you taste the fruit first.
When will a Rudrakshi tree start bearing?
TNAU says jackfruit grafts start yielding in the 5th year and seedling trees in the 8th. Assam's package gives 6 to 8 years for its types. A graft from a bearing tree is the shorter route. A seedling from Rudrakshi fruit will not come true to the type, so buy grafts.
How far apart should Rudrakshi trees be planted?
TNAU plants jackfruit grafts at 8 × 8 m. Assam's package gives 10 to 12 m for its local and Singapore types. Choose the wider spacing if your soil is rich and deep, or if you want to grow a crop under the trees in the early years. The first fruits come years later, so give the trees room from the start.
How can I check Rudrakshi quality before buying plants?
Visit a bearing tree and taste a ripe fruit. Check the rind pattern, the seed size and how sweet and fibrous the bulbs are. Ask which tree the nursery cut its scions from, and buy only from that source. Without a published trial, your own taste test and a visit to the mother tree are the only checks you have.
Sourced from: Jack — TNAU Agritech Portal, Horticulture: Fruits, Jackfruit — Package of Practices for Horticultural Crops of Assam, 2021 (AAU). editorial policy.