JBO 2003 H (Ira)
A tossa jute notified in 2008 by ICAR-CRIJAF. It resists premature flowering and has finer, stronger fibre than older tossa types. CRIJAF suggests it for seed production in western Odisha, where certified jute seed is short.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Jute
- Type
- Tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius)
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level)
- Seed rate
- Crop-level figures for tossa (olitorius): 5 to 6 kg/ha in rows or 6 to 7 kg/ha broadcast in Assam; 5 kg/ha in rows or 7 kg/ha broadcast in Tamil Nadu. No Ira-only rate found.
- Expected yield
- No labelled AINP yield found; about 38 q/ha of fibre is quoted in a technical presentation
- Suitable soil
- Loam or sandy loam; tossa does not do well in standing water
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to premature flowering; tolerant to stem rot (AINP)
- Release
- ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore · notified 2008 (S.O. 72(E), 10 January 2008) for West Bengal
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
JBO 2003 H, named Ira, is a tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius) variety from ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore. The AINP list on jute and allied fibres gives its notification as S.O. 72(E) of 10 January 2008, for West Bengal. It lists resistance to premature flowering, better fibre quality with less root content and fewer defects, fibre strength of 22.78 g/tex and fineness of 3.39 tex, and tolerance to stem rot. CRIJAF names Ira among the recent tossa varieties that can be considered for seed production in western Odisha. A technical presentation quotes about 38 q/ha of fibre, but we have not seen a trial behind it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Ira if you want a recent tossa jute that resists premature flowering and gives finer, stronger fibre, and if your seed dealer can show you certified Ira seed. The AINP list gives it a fibre strength of 22.78 g/tex and a fineness of 3.39 tex. We found no labelled yield for it, so if a yield figure matters most, JRO 204 (36 to 38 q/ha) and JRO 8432 (35 to 40) are the ones with numbers. For a long record, JRO 524. For low land that floods, take a white jute such as JRC 321.
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rateCrop-level figures for tossa (olitorius): 5 to 6 kg/ha in rows or 6 to 7 kg/ha broadcast in Assam; 5 kg/ha in rows or 7 kg/ha broadcast in Tamil Nadu. No Ira-only rate found.
- SpacingAssam: rows 22 to 25 cm apart, plants 5 to 7 cm apart, thinned to 60 to 70 plants a square metre.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Resists premature flowering, so the fibre crop does not flower and lose quality early.
- Finer and stronger fibre than the older tossa types: 22.78 g/tex and 3.39 tex on the AINP list.
- Less root content and fewer defects in the fibre.
Things to consider
- We found no labelled yield for Ira in the AINP list. The 38 q/ha comes from a technical presentation.
- Tossa jute does not stand waterlogging, so keep it off land that holds water.
- Certified seed of any jute variety is in short supply, so check the tag before you buy.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- West Bengal
- Bihar
- Odisha
Why certified jute seed is hard to find, and where Ira fits
A 2020 CRIJAF article in Indian Farming puts the problem in numbers. India needs about 5,000 tonnes of quality jute seed to sow about 8 lakh hectares, but certified seed output is only 1,500 to 2,000 tonnes, enough for around 35% of the area. Jute seed has traditionally been grown in the drier parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka and carried to the fibre states, so it arrives late and the transport adds to its price.
Odisha shows the effect. Its jute area is about 11,880 ha, with an average fibre yield of 17.4 q/ha, and it needs about 83,160 kg of seed a year. The CRIJAF team tried raising seed in western Odisha, in Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda. They suggest JRO 8432, JRO 128, JRO 204, S 19 and JBO 2003 H (Ira) for seed production there, and say JRO 524 can be produced in limited quantity because some farmers still ask for it.
For a fibre farmer the lesson is simple. A variety on paper is no use without seed you can trace. Ask the seller for the certified tag, the lot number and where the seed was grown. If you cannot get Ira, take another recent tossa for which you can. A good variety planted from poor seed gives a poor crop.
Can you keep your own planting material?
Ira is an ordinary, non-hybrid variety, so seed saved from your crop grows into the same type. But a fibre crop is cut before the seed is ripe, so seed comes from a separate seed plot that is left to mature. CRIJAF says certified seed covers only about 35% of India's jute area, so a farmer who wants Ira seed should ask a certified producer or the state seed corporation first.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Jute variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBO 2003 H (Ira)this page | Finer tossa fibre, no early flowering | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | No labelled AINP yield found; about 38 q/ha of fibre is quoted in a technical presentation | West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha |
| JRC-212 | White jute for mid and high land | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (crop-level) | 25 to 28 q/ha of fibre (AINP); 22 to 26 q/ha in the Assam package | West Bengal, Bihar, Assam |
| JRC-321 | Fine white jute for low land | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (crop-level) | 20 to 25 q/ha of fibre (AINP list) | West Bengal, Assam, Bihar |
| JRO 204 (Suren) | Early-sown tall tossa, 36 to 38 q/ha | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | 36 to 38 q/ha of fibre (AINP list) | West Bengal, Bihar, Assam |
| JRO-524 (Navin) | Long-record tossa, mid-March sowing | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | 32 to 40 q/ha of fibre (AINP list); 25 to 30 q/ha in the Assam package | West Bengal, Bihar, Assam |
| JRO-66 (Golden Jubilee Tossa) | Later sowing, mid-April to early May | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | 35 to 40 q/ha of fibre, TD-2 grade (AINP list) | West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha |
| JRO-8432 (Shakti Tossa) | Early-sown tossa, mid-March | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | 35 to 40 q/ha of fibre (AINP list) | West Bengal, Assam |
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 Jute is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Jute 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 Jute variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Jute into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Jute in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Jute rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Frequently asked questions
Is JBO 2003 H a tossa or a white jute?
It is a tossa jute, Corchorus olitorius. The CRIJAF article on jute seed production in Indian Farming treats it among the olitorius types. The JBO prefix goes with tossa and JRC with white jute (Corchorus capsularis). Tossa does not stand waterlogging the way white jute does.
Does Ira flower early if I sow in March?
The AINP list says Ira is resistant to premature flowering. Early flowering in tossa jute spoils fibre, because the plant branches and the fibre gets coarse. The list is the source for that trait, and we did not find a sowing-date trial for Ira alone. For a sowing date, use your state package: Assam gives mid-March to May for JRO 524, for example.
How fine and strong is Ira fibre?
The AINP list gives a fibre strength of 22.78 g/tex and a fineness of 3.39 tex, with less root content and fewer defects. A lower tex number means finer fibre. For comparison, the AINP list gives JRC 321, a white jute, a fineness of 1.50 tex, the finest of its white-jute releases. The two are different species, so do not compare them as if they were one crop.
How much seed do I need, and how should I space it?
No source gives an Ira-only rate. For tossa, the Assam package gives 5 to 6 kg/ha in rows or 6 to 7 kg/ha broadcast, with rows 22 to 25 cm apart and plants 5 to 7 cm apart, thinned to 60 to 70 plants a square metre. TNAU gives 5 kg/ha in rows at 25 x 5 cm. Treat seed with Trichoderma at 5 g per kg against seedling blight.
Sourced from: Seed production technology of jute for non-traditional western plateau region of Odisha — Sarkar, Majumdar and Bera, Indian Farming 70(2), 2020 (ICAR-CRIJAF), Details of varieties — AINP on Jute and Allied Fibres (ICAR), Package of practices for kharif crops of Assam, 2021 — jute (AAU), Crop production: jute — TNAU Agritech Portal. editorial policy.