CISH J-37
An ICAR-CISH Lucknow selection. In a two-year sodic-soil trial at ICAR-CSSRI Karnal it was the only one of four cultivars rated tolerant (score 0.76). At Godhra it grew the biggest trees and came second to Goma Priyanka in yield.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Starts bearing
- Grafted plant: first fruit in about 4–7 years (guides differ; TNAU says 6–7)
- Expected yield
- No kg-per-tree figure published; second-highest yield of four cultivars at Godhra
- Suitable soil
- Saline / marginal
- Disease resistance
- Rated tolerant of sodic soil (score 0.76) in a Karnal trial; the other three cultivars were only moderately tolerant
- Release
- ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
CISH J-37 is a jamun selection from ICAR-CISH, Lucknow. Two papers compare it with Goma Priyanka, Konkan Bahadoli and CISH J-42. At ICAR-CSSRI Karnal, young grafted plants stood two years on sodic soil (pH 8.45–9.11, ESP 18–40%). CISH J-37 was the only one rated tolerant, with a score of 0.76 against 0.36–0.45 for the rest. Its trunk area fell 18%, against 22–33% in the others. At CHES Godhra, under rain, nine-year-old J-37 trees grew the tallest with the widest spread. They gave the second-highest yield per tree after Goma Priyanka. Fruit and pulp weight matched Goma Priyanka's, and TSS was second-highest. Acidity was the highest of the four, 0.44%. Neither paper gives a kg-per-tree figure for J-37.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose CISH J-37 if your land is sodic or alkaline. In the Karnal trial it was the only one of four cultivars rated tolerant. At Godhra its fruit and pulp weight matched Goma Priyanka's and its yield came second to Goma's. Pick Goma Priyanka on ordinary land if you want the highest yield from a smaller tree. Pick CISH J-42 only if pulp share (over 92%) matters more than yield or soil tolerance.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeSpring (February–March) or monsoon (July–August). The monsoon is better (TNAU).
- Spacing10 × 10 m (TNAU). The Godhra trial planted these cultivars at 5 × 5 m.
- Sowing methodPlant a budded or grafted plant, not seedling jamun, in a 1 × 1 × 1 m pit filled with 75% top soil and 25% well-rotted farmyard manure or compost (TNAU).
- IrrigationYoung trees need 8 to 10 irrigations a year. A mature tree needs about half that, given in May and June while the fruit ripens. In autumn and winter irrigate only when the soil is dry (TNAU).
- HarvestingHarvest in June–July by hand. Ripe fruit cannot stay on the tree, so pick as it ripens (TNAU).
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Deep, well-drained loam gives the best yield. The tree tolerates salinity and waterlogging. Very heavy or very light sandy soils are uneconomical (TNAU).
Climate
- Climate
- Tropical and subtropical, up to 1,300 m in the lower Himalayas. Dry weather is needed at flowering and fruit set, and early rain helps ripening (TNAU).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Rated tolerant of sodic soil (score 0.76), the best of four cultivars compared at Karnal
- Fruit weight and pulp weight matched Goma Priyanka's at Godhra
- Second-highest yield and second-highest TSS of the four at Godhra
Things to consider
- The trees grew tallest and widest at Godhra, so give them more room than Goma Priyanka, which stays medium tall.
- It had the highest acidity of the four (0.44%).
- No kg-per-tree figure is published, and Goma Priyanka yielded more at Godhra.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
What the sodic-soil trial tells you, and what it does not
The trial ran at ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal, from 2018 to 2020. One-year-old grafted plants stood in sodic soil with pH 8.45–9.11 and ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage) of 18–40% in the top metre. Soil without the problem had ESP of 8–17%.
CISH J-37 scored 0.76 and was rated tolerant. Goma Priyanka (0.45), Konkan Bahadoli (0.42) and CISH J-42 (0.36) were moderately tolerant. The plants were young, and the authors say they did not measure fruit yield or quality on sodic land.
So test your soil first. Ask a soil lab for pH and ESP at 0–30, 30–60 and 60–100 cm. If your numbers are close to the trial's, J-37 is the best-supported pick. If they are much worse, nobody has tested it there, so start with a few plants.
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 Jamun (Indian Blackberry) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISH J-37this page | Jamun on sodic or alkaline land, where the other cultivars lose more growth | Grafted plant: first fruit in about 4–7 years (guides differ; TNAU says 6–7) | No kg-per-tree figure published; second-highest yield of four cultivars at Godhra | Uttar Pradesh |
| CISH J-42 (seedless type) | A seedless jamun for fresh sale or pulp, on ordinary non-sodic land | Grafted plant: first fruit in about 4–7 years (guides differ; TNAU says 6–7) | No kg-per-tree figure published; lowest yield of four cultivars at Godhra | Uttar Pradesh |
| Goma Priyanka | A productive, smaller jamun tree for closer planting on ordinary soil | Grafted plant: first fruit in about 4–7 years; ICAR's 50–70 kg a tree is from the 10th year | 50–70 kg/tree from the 10th year (ICAR) | Gujarat, Maharashtra |
| Konkan Bahadoli | A jamun that grafts with fewer losses, for nurseries and first-time farmers | Grafted plant: first fruit in about 4–7 years (guides differ; TNAU says 6–7) | No kg-per-tree figure published; below Goma Priyanka and CISH J-37 on yield at Godhra | Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Narendra Jamun-6 | An eastern Uttar Pradesh jamun to plant only after you have seen it fruiting | Grafted plant: first fruit in about 4–7 years (guides differ; TNAU says 6–7) | No separate figure published | Uttar Pradesh |
| Rajendra Jamun-1 | A Bihar jamun to plant only after a fruit and pulp test on a tree you can see | Grafted plant: first fruit in about 4–7 years (guides differ; TNAU says 6–7) | No separate figure published | Bihar |
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 Jamun (Indian Blackberry) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Jamun (Indian Blackberry) 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 Jamun (Indian Blackberry) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Jamun (Indian Blackberry) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Jamun (Indian Blackberry) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Jamun (Indian Blackberry) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Jamun (Indian Blackberry) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Does 'tolerant' mean CISH J-37 is safe on any sodic soil?
No. It was the least affected, not unaffected. At Karnal its trunk area still fell 18%, net photosynthesis dropped by about 18%, and leaf sodium rose 86%. The authors say none of the cultivars was highly tolerant. They also did not measure fruit yield on sodic soil.
How does CISH J-37 compare with Goma Priyanka on yield?
At Godhra, on rain alone, Goma Priyanka gave the highest yield per tree in both years. CISH J-37 came second, and CISH J-42 was last. The paper's summary gives no kg-per-tree numbers. Fruit and pulp weight were about equal for the two.
How much room does CISH J-37 need?
More than Goma Priyanka. At Godhra, J-37 had the tallest trees and the widest spread of the four. TNAU gives 10 × 10 m for jamun in general, and the Godhra trial used 5 × 5 m. No source gives a separate spacing for J-37, so watch how wide your own trees grow.
Is CISH J-37 a seedless jamun?
No source calls it seedless. The seedless type from the same institute is CISH J-42, which had over 92% pulp at Godhra. J-37 matched Goma Priyanka on pulp weight, and we have no pulp-share figure for it.
When does a grafted CISH J-37 plant start to fruit?
TNAU says a grafted or budded jamun bears in 6–7 years and starts commercial bearing 8–10 years after planting. No source gives a separate age for J-37. The Godhra trial measured trees that were nine years old, so plan for a long wait.
Sourced from: Jamun — TNAU Agritech Portal, Horticulture: Fruits, Impact of systematic improvement in jamun cultivars on yield and quality of fruits — Indian Journal of Arid Horticulture (ICAR e-Pubs), Physiological traits underlying sodicity tolerance in jamun cultivars — PeerJ / PMC, Effect of grafting on success and survivability of jamun varieties — Journal of Horticultural Sciences (ICAR-IIHR). editorial policy.