CSV 27
An open-pollinated kharif variety, not a hybrid — saved seed resows without a hybrid's yield drop; recommended across all sorghum areas. No page yet.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Jowar (Sorghum)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 112–118 days
- Seed rate
- 7–8 kg per ha, about 3 kg an acre. It is an open-pollinated variety, so you can save your own seed
- Expected yield
- 26–28 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Clay / black soil
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to shoot fly and grain mould
- Release
- Directorate of Sorghum Research (DSR), Hyderabad — released 2012, notified S.O. 1708(E) dated 26.07.2012
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
CSV 27 (breeding code SPV 1870) is an open-pollinated kharif grain sorghum variety bred from the cross (GJ 38 × Indore 12)-2-1-2-1 and released in 2012 through the All India Coordinated Research Project on Sorghum, developed at the Directorate of Sorghum Research (DSR), Hyderabad. Official trial data describe it as a rainfed kharif variety with a yellow-green midrib, semi-compact symmetric panicle and greyed-yellow bold seed, resistant to grain moulds and tolerant of moisture stress.
Should you pick this variety?
CSV 27 is the variety for a farm that does not want a seed bill every year. Being open-pollinated, seed saved from this crop resows next season without the collapse a saved hybrid gives, and you still get grain-mould resistance, moisture-stress tolerance and 193 q/ha of fodder. The cost of that freedom is grain weight: 26–28 q/ha against CSH 30 at 40–43. So buy CSH 30 if you want the tonnage and will pay for seed, CSH 16 if what you are paid for is grain colour, and CSV 216R if the crop is a post-rainy one.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeThird week of June to the first week of July, with the onset of the monsoon (ICAR-IIMR kharif sorghum leaflet)
- Seed rate7–8 kg per ha, about 3 kg an acre. It is an open-pollinated variety, so you can save your own seed
- Spacing45 cm between rows and 12–15 cm between plants, which gives about 180,000 plants per ha
- Fertilizer60:30:20 kg NPK per ha on shallow soil in low-rainfall areas, and 80:40:40 on medium to deep soil in moderate to high rainfall areas. Give half the nitrogen at sowing and half 30–35 days later, with all the phosphorus and potash at sowing
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- Official data confirm the grain-mould resistance and the moisture-stress tolerance, but nowhere we could check rates CSV 27 for shoot fly. Plan for shoot fly as you would with any kharif jowar — sow with the first good rains, treat the seed — instead of counting on the variety for that part.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Telangana
- Karnataka
- Maharashtra
- Andhra Pradesh
- Madhya Pradesh
- Tamil Nadu
- Gujarat
- Rajasthan
Saving your own seed: what to mark out before harvest
The reason to grow an open-pollinated variety instead of a hybrid is that next year's seed can come off this year's field. That only works if you decide which part of the field it comes off before the harvest starts, not after the grain is in the heap.
Walk the crop at heading and pick a patch that is even in height, free of disease and as far as you can manage from any other jowar, so that stray pollen does not muddy the line. Leave those heads to ripen fully on the plant, cut them separately, thresh them gently, dry the grain properly and store it dry and insect-free in its own bag. That seed comes up true next year, which saved hybrid seed does not.
Watch the crop for drift over the years. When plants start coming up uneven in height or heading at different times, the line has picked up outside pollen and it is time to buy fresh certified seed again. And nothing about saved seed changes the agronomy: CSV 27 is still a rainfed kharif variety recommended across all sorghum-growing areas, with 26–28 q/ha of grain and 193 q/ha of fodder on the official record.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Jowar (Sorghum) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSH 16 | Kharif jowar grown to sell — bold grain that keeps its colour through a wet harvest | 100–105 days | 25–30 q/ha | Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| CSH 30 | The heaviest rainfed kharif crop here — grain and a big fodder stack off one field, on a stalk that stands till you cut it | 105–110 days | 40–43 q/ha | Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat |
| CSV 216R (Phule Yashoda) | More grain than Maldandi off a rainfed post-rainy field, and a 240–270 cm plant for the fodder stack | 115–120 days | 18–22 q/ha | Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat |
| CSV 27this page | Kharif jowar where you keep your own seed — mould-resistant grain and the heaviest fodder figure here, 193 q/ha | 112–118 days | 26–28 q/ha | Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan |
| M 35-1 (Maldandi) | A post-rainy crop on deep black soil with no irrigation at all — grown for roti grain and premium kadbi, not for tonnage | 120–130 days | 12–16 q/ha | Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| PKV Kranti | Post-rainy jowar on medium-to-deep land that gets water — white grain and the sweetest stalk of the rabi varieties here | 105–110 days | 16–20 q/ha | Maharashtra |
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 Jowar (Sorghum) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Jowar (Sorghum) 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 Jowar (Sorghum) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Jowar (Sorghum) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Jowar (Sorghum) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Jowar (Sorghum) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Jowar (Sorghum) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Who released CSV 27 and when?
The Directorate of Sorghum Research (DSR), Hyderabad, released it in 2012 through the All India Coordinated Research Project on Sorghum, formally notified the same year.
What is the parentage of CSV 27?
It comes from the cross (GJ 38 × Indore 12)-2-1-2-1, where GJ 38 itself derives from GJ 35 × E 35-1 (an early Ethiopian breeding line).
How does CSV 27 perform in official yield trials?
Official AICRP data record 28 q/ha grain yield and 193 q/ha fodder yield at 116 days maturity.
Which states can grow CSV 27?
The official AICRP recommendation covers all sorghum-growing areas of India — the state list now lists a representative set of the major sorghum-growing states rather than just two.
Can farmers save and resow CSV 27 seed?
Yes — as an open-pollinated variety rather than a hybrid, seed saved from this season's crop can be resown next season without the sharp yield drop a hybrid would suffer.
How do I keep CSV 27 seed for the next season?
Mark a healthy, disease-free patch away from any other jowar, let those heads ripen fully on the plant, dry the grain properly and store it dry and insect-free. Because CSV 27 is an open-pollinated variety and not a hybrid, that seed comes up true the next year. Go back to fresh certified seed when the crop starts looking uneven in height or in heading.
Does CSV 27 really give more fodder than a hybrid?
On the official figures, yes: 193 q/ha of fodder against the 140 q/ha recorded for CSH 30. The hybrid wins on grain, 40–43 q/ha against 26–28, so the choice comes down to whether your animals or your grain heap matter more this year.
Will CSV 27 stand a dry break in the middle of the season?
Official trial data describe it as tolerant of moisture stress as well as resistant to grain moulds, which is part of why it is recommended across all sorghum-growing areas. Tolerant means it holds on better than a susceptible crop would, not that it will fill grain through a long drought.
Is CSV 27 safe against shoot fly?
No official rating for CSV 27 against shoot fly could be checked, so do not count on any cover. The variety card lists resistance to grain mould and tolerance to moisture stress, not shoot fly. Plan for it as you would with any kharif jowar: sow early, use treated seed and look at the seedlings in the first weeks.
How long does CSV 27 take, and is it sown only in kharif?
It is a kharif variety and matures in 112–118 days. It is not a post-rainy jowar. If you want a rabi crop on stored moisture, look at M 35-1, CSV 216R or PKV Kranti instead. Count back from your next crop's sowing date, and leave a few spare days because rain and soil move the number.
Sourced from: ICAR-IIMR farmer leaflet: rainy (kharif) sorghum — varieties, sowing time, seed rate, spacing and fertiliser by soil and rainfall. editorial policy.