Siddu Jack
A coppery-red-flaked jackfruit from a farmer's tree at Chelur, Tumkur, Karnataka, found by ICAR-IIHR's CHES Hirehalli in a 2014 survey. IIHR lists the fruit at about 2.44 kg, with 25–30 bulbs and TSS of 31.0 °Brix against 27.0 for white-flaked types. IIHR's estimate is about 450 fruits and 1,098 kg a tree.
Quick facts
- Type
- Grafted plant (authenticated farmer selection)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Grafted tree. Source tree about 35 years old. IIHR gives no bearing age for grafts.
- Expected yield
- 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.
- Suitable soil
- All soils
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance widely documented
- Release
- Farmer selection from Karnataka, authenticated and promoted by ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru, around 2019
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Siddu is a farmer's selection from Chelur, Tumkur district, Karnataka. ICAR-IIHR's Central Horticultural Experiment Station at Hirehalli surveyed the traditional jackfruit tracts of southern Karnataka in 2014. Of 128 samples shortlisted, 42 were evaluated, and this tree was picked as one superior accession. The source tree is about 35 years old and broadly pyramidal. IIHR lists the fruit at about 2.44 kg, in the small class (2–5 kg), irregular in shape, with 25–30 bulbs. The bulbs are coppery red, 24.5 g each and 8.5 mm thick, with TSS of 31.0 °Brix against 27.0 for white-flaked types. IIHR estimates about 450 fruits and 1,098 kg a tree. Another ICAR report names Siddu and Shankara as the two coppery-red selections finalised from the survey. The IIHR page does not state a formal release, notification or authentication.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Siddu if you sell bulbs directly and want a colour that sets your bulbs apart: coppery red flakes with TSS of 31.0 °Brix against 27.0 for white-flaked types (IIHR). Its fruit is small, about 2.44 kg, so it suits a buyer who wants small, easy-to-handle fruit. Do not choose it for a proven yield. IIHR's 1,098 kg a tree is an estimate from one 35-year-old source tree. Choose Palur-1 instead if you want yield figures from a university (TNAU: about 900 kg a tree, 12 kg a fruit).
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
- Coppery-red bulbs, a colour few other jackfruit varieties offer.
- TSS of 31.0 °Brix against 27.0 for white-flaked types (IIHR).
- Small fruit, about 2.44 kg, easier to sell whole than a 12 kg fruit.
Things to consider
- The yield (1,098 kg a tree) is an estimate from one 35-year-old tree, not a trial across places.
- Small fruit means more fruit to pick and handle for the same weight.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
Selling the colour: what to do with a coppery-red bulb
Most jackfruit is yellow or pale. Siddu's coppery-red bulb, with TSS of 31.0 °Brix against 27.0 for white-flaked types (IIHR), is something a buyer can see and taste. The farmer's job is to turn that difference into a better price.
Sell it as bulbs, not as whole fruit. Whole fruit hides the colour, and at about 2.44 kg it is small. Packed bulbs in a clear box show it. A few cut fruit at a farm gate or a weekend market will do more for the name than a bag of unmarked fruit at a mandi.
Keep the name honest. Say which tree your plants came from, and give the buyer the same fruit every time. If you cannot supply enough for a regular buyer, start with direct sale in your own town. Do not plan the orchard around IIHR's 1,098 kg estimate. Count your own fruit first.
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 |
| Rudrakshi | 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 Jackthis page | 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
Where did Siddu jackfruit come from?
From a farmer's tree at Chelur, Tumkur district, Karnataka. ICAR-IIHR's Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Hirehalli, surveyed traditional jackfruit tracts in southern Karnataka in 2014 and shortlisted 128 samples. It evaluated 42 and picked this accession. The source tree is about 35 years old. IIHR's page does not mention a formal release or notification.
How big is a Siddu fruit?
IIHR lists it at about 2.44 kg, in the small class (2–5 kg), with an irregular shape and 25–30 bulbs. Each bulb weighs 24.5 g and is 8.5 mm thick. That is far smaller than Palur-1, whose average fruit is 12 kg (TNAU). A small fruit is easier to carry and sell whole, but you handle more fruit for the same weight.
Is the 1,098 kg a tree figure real?
It is IIHR's estimate for the source tree: about 450 fruits of 2.44 kg. It is not a trial across several orchards and tree ages. TNAU gives about 900 kg for a mature Palur-1 tree. Do not plan your income on 1,098 kg. Plant a few trees, count their fruit in the first bearing seasons, and use those numbers.
What is special about the coppery-red bulb?
IIHR reports deep coppery-red flakes with TSS of 31.0 °Brix, against 27.0 for white-flaked types. It also reports higher carotenoids (4.43 mg per 100 g) and lycopene (1.12 mg) than the yellow types it compared. Colour is a selling point in a bulb sold on its own. IIHR lists no shelf-life or price data.
Siddu or Shankara?
A report in the Indian Journal of Horticulture names Siddu and Shankara as the two coppery-red selections finalised from the IIHR survey of southern Karnataka (2014–2018). The article we could read gives no figures to compare them. If you can, visit both source trees or ask IIHR Hirehalli for the data before you decide.
Sourced from: Jack — TNAU Agritech Portal, Horticulture: Fruits, Research achievements (Siddu jackfruit) — ICAR-IIHR, Jackfruit varieties serve niche for growers — Indian Horticulture. editorial policy.