PKV Kranti Jowar Seed — Sowing & Yield Guide

Quick facts

Crop: Jowar (Sorghum)
Type: Open-pollinated
Season: Rabi
Maturity period: 105–110 days
Seed rate: 8–10 kg per ha, about 3 kg an acre; use 10–12 kg per ha if sowing is late
Expected yield: 16–20 q/ha
Suitable soil: Clay / black soil
Disease resistance: Moderate grain mould tolerance
Release: Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV), Akola (no fetchable source states an exact release year)

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

About this variety

PKV Kranti is a post-rainy (rabi) sorghum variety bred at Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV), Akola, and recommended for irrigated medium-to-deep soils in Maharashtra and, in some listings, Karnataka. It is described in official state and central variety references as a "ruling" rabi variety of good grain quality — white-grained, with a sweeter stalk than the traditional M 35-1 (Maldandi), which keeps it valued for fodder as much as for grain. Multiple official state-wise variety listings (Government of India’s nutri-cereals portal, PDKV Akola’s own crop recommendations) confirm it as an established, widely recommended irrigated rabi jowar, but no fetchable source gave an exact release/notification year.

Should you pick this variety?

PKV Kranti earns its place where rabi jowar is irrigated: on medium-to-deep soil with water it gives 16–20 q/ha in 105–110 days, quicker than M 35-1 and with a stalk the animals clear up better. On land that will get no water at all it is the wrong pick — that is M 35-1 or CSV 216R ground. And if your buyer is paying for the Maldandi name, stay with M 35-1, the germplasm PKV Kranti itself was built from.

Sowing & cultivation

Sowing timeSecond fortnight of September to the first fortnight of October; up to the second fortnight of October when the field carries two crops a year (ICAR-IIMR rabi sorghum leaflet)
Seed rate8–10 kg per ha, about 3 kg an acre; use 10–12 kg per ha if sowing is late
Spacing45 cm between rows and 15 cm between plants; plan on 150,000 to 180,000 plants per ha under irrigation
FertilizerUnder irrigation, 80:40:40 kg NPK per ha: half the nitrogen at sowing and half 30–35 days later, with all the phosphorus and potash at sowing

Full Jowar (Sorghum) growing guideSowing time, nutrients, irrigation, pests, costs and prices for Jowar (Sorghum) as a whole crop. This is the advice that holds for every variety.

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

White grain and sweeter stalk than the traditional M 35-1 (Maldandi) give it value for both grain and fodder markets
Recommended specifically for irrigated, medium-to-deep soils — a step up in yield potential over rain-fed M 35-1 where irrigation is available

Things to consider

Some variety listings recommend PKV Kranti in Karnataka as well as Maharashtra, so if you farm just across the border, ask your KVK whether it is on the list for your state before you buy seed. No source we could reach gives its release year, so no year is stated here.

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

Maharashtra

When rabi jowar gets water: what changes

Most rabi jowar in the Deccan is a gamble on stored moisture. PKV Kranti is written for the other situation — medium-to-deep land with water available — and that is what its 16–20 q/ha in 105–110 days assumes. On a field that gets nothing after the monsoon, this is the wrong variety, and M 35-1 or CSV 216R will do better because both are built to finish on soil moisture alone.

Where water is available, the two things worth planning are the critical stages and the fodder. Jowar pays back water most at flowering and grain-fill; if you only have a couple of waterings in hand, that is where to spend them rather than early in a crop that is still small. And remember the variety is kept as much for fodder as for grain: its stalk is described in official references as sweeter than M 35-1, which is why cattle and buffalo clear it up better and less of the kadbi is wasted.

Its 105–110 days also leave the field earlier than M 35-1's 120–130, which matters if a summer crop follows. On grain mould only moderate tolerance is claimed, so do not leave a ripe crop standing through unseasonal rain.

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 27	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 Krantithis page	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

Other Jowar (Sorghum) varieties in the finder, for comparison.

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.

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

What makes the PKV Kranti stalk better fodder than M 35-1?

Official state and central variety references describe its stalk as sweeter than the traditional M 35-1 (Maldandi). A sweeter stalk is cleared up better by cattle and buffalo, so less of the kadbi is left over and wasted — which is why the variety is kept as much for fodder as for grain.

Does PKV Kranti need irrigation?

It is recommended for irrigated medium-to-deep soils, and that is where its 16–20 q/ha comes from. On a field that gets nothing after the monsoon, M 35-1 or CSV 216R will do better, because both are meant to finish on stored soil moisture alone.

What year was PKV Kranti released?

No source we could reach states the year. It appears as an established, widely recommended irrigated rabi variety in the Government of India nutri-cereals listings and in PDKV Akola's own crop recommendations, so the institute is named above but no release year. For seed, ask PDKV Akola or your state seed outlet.

PKV Kranti or M 35-1 — how do I decide?

Decide by water and buyer. With a watering or two on medium-to-deep soil, PKV Kranti gives 16–20 q/ha in 105–110 days and a sweeter stalk. With no water at all, M 35-1 gives 12–16 q/ha on stored moisture, takes 120–130 days and carries the Maldandi name. If your buyer pays for that name, keep M 35-1.

Can I grow PKV Kranti in Karnataka?

The listed state is Maharashtra only. Some variety listings also recommend it in Karnataka, so if you farm near the border, ask your KVK whether PKV Kranti is on the list for your district before you buy seed. No source here gives a Karnataka trial figure, so do not assume the Maharashtra yield carries over.