NRCC Selection-2
A 1989 selection from ICAR-DCR, Puttur (from tree 2/9 at Dicherla), recommended for cultivation. In the Odisha trial it was one of the five outstanding varieties, with 8.81 kg a tree over four harvests and 29.65 to 30.7% shelling.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cashew (Kaju)
- Type
- Softwood grafted planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Short duration; flowers November to January, fruits February to March (ICAR-DCR)
- Expected yield
- ICAR-DCR: 9 kg of nuts a tree; 9.3 g nut, 28.6% shelling, W210. Odisha trial: 8.81 kg a tree over four harvests (1,798 kg/ha), fourth of 25
- Suitable soil
- Tolerant of poor, lateritic and sandy coastal soil
- Release
- ICAR-DCR (formerly NRCC), Puttur, released 1989, a selection from tree 2/9 at Dicherla; status: recommended for cultivation (ICAR-DCR)
About this variety
NRCC Selection-2 is a cashew selection released in 1989 by the Directorate of Cashew Research (formerly the National Research Centre for Cashew), Puttur, from tree 2/9 at Dicherla. ICAR-DCR lists a medium compact canopy with intensive branching, flowering in November to January and fruiting from February to March, a short-duration type with a pink apple. The nut weighs 9.3 g (108 to a kilo), with a 2.15 g kernel, 28.6% shelling and the W210 export grade. The mean yield is 9 kg of nuts a tree, and the status is recommended for cultivation. Planting material comes from DCR Puttur and the Agricultural Research Station, Chintamani. In the Odisha trial (planted 2008) it gave 5.15 kg a tree in 2014 and 8.81 kg over four harvests, with shelling of 29.65% and 30.7%.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose NRCC Selection-2 if you want a DCR-recommended, short-duration cashew with an independent trial behind it. ICAR-DCR lists a 1989 selection with a medium compact canopy, intensive branching, a pink apple, a 9.3 g nut (108 to a kilo), 28.6% shelling and the W210 grade, still marked recommended for cultivation. In the Odisha trial of 25 varieties it gave 8.81 kg a tree over four harvests (1,798 kg/ha), fourth of 25 behind BPP-8, Vengurla-7 and Bhaskara, and the authors named it among five outstanding varieties. It is one of the better-documented cashews. Do not rely on DCR's 2.15 g kernel weight, which does not fit its own 9.3 g nut and 28.6% shelling (that would be 2.66 g).
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeJune to December is the best planting time (TNAU).
- Spacing7 x 7 m, about 204 trees a hectare (TNAU crop-level figure).
- Sowing methodPlant softwood grafts in pits of 45 x 45 x 45 cm filled with topsoil, 10 kg of FYM and 1 kg of neem cake (TNAU).
- IrrigationCashew is normally rainfed. TNAU says watering from flushing to fruit maturity improves yield.
- FertilizerTNAU crop-level schedule, per tree per year: year 1, 10 kg FYM, 70 g N, 40 g P and 60 g K; from year 5, 50 kg FYM, 500 g N, 200 g P and 300 g K. Apply in November-December on the East Coast, or in two equal doses in June-July and October-November.
- HarvestingICAR-DCR lists flowering in November to January and fruiting from February to March for NRCC Selection-2. Pick the apples fresh if you process them, and dry the nuts in the sun for 2 to 3 days to 10-12% moisture.
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Tolerant of poor, lateritic, gravelly or sandy coastal soil; pH 5.0–6.5 (TNAU)
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Short duration; flowers November to January, fruits February to March (ICAR-DCR)
Expected yield
ICAR-DCR: 9 kg of nuts a tree; 9.3 g nut, 28.6% shelling, W210. Odisha trial: 8.81 kg a tree over four harvests (1,798 kg/ha), fourth of 25
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Still marked recommended for cultivation by ICAR-DCR.
- Fourth in cumulative yield of 25 varieties in the Odisha trial: 8.81 kg a tree, 1,798 kg/ha.
- Shelling of 29.65% and 30.7% at Bhubaneswar, above the 28% standard.
Things to consider
- DCR's own 28.6% shelling is low, and its kernel weight (2.15 g) does not fit its nut weight.
- ICAR-DCR gives no recommended states.
- No disease rating published.
Suitable regions
Developed at ICAR-DCR Puttur, Karnataka; ICAR-DCR gives no state list. The Odisha trial grew it at Bhubaneswar.
- Karnataka
Check the arithmetic: DCR's kernel figure and the trial's shelling
Shelling is kernel weight over nut weight. ICAR-DCR lists NRCC Selection-2 at a 9.3 g nut, a 2.15 g kernel and 28.6% shelling. But 2.15 over 9.3 is 23.1%, and a 28.6% shell-out on a 9.3 g nut would give a 2.66 g kernel. Both cannot be right. The Odisha trial measured shelling directly, 29.65% in 2013 and 30.7% in 2014, which supports a shelling of 28 to 30% and points to the 2.15 g figure as the odd one out.
Why this matters to you: the kernel weight and the grade are what a processor pays on. Treat the shelling as roughly 29 to 30% and ask your buyer for a test on a sample of your own nuts. The other numbers hold together. 108 nuts to a kilo works out to 9.26 g, the trial gives 8.7 g and 7.9 g nut weights, and the yield per tree is backed by the trial's 8.81 kg over four harvests.
Can you save seed from this crop?
This one is raised from planting material — suckers, grafts, cuttings or tubers — not from a seed packet. Take it 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 Cashew (Kaju) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akshaya | Kerala farms that sell on kernel size and can accept a shell-out just above the 28% standard | First bearing in about 3 years (grafted, TNAU crop-level); flowers December to January, fruits January to March | TNAU: 11.78 kg of nuts a mature tree; 11 g nut (the largest on the KAU sheets), 28.36% shelling, W180 | Kerala |
| Amrutha (H-1597) | Small plots or trials where a compact tree and a high shelling percentage matter more than early yield | First bearing in about 3 years (grafted, TNAU crop-level); flowers December to January, fruits January to March | TNAU: 18.35 kg of nuts a mature tree; 7.18 g nut, 31.58% shelling, W210. Odisha trial: 3.07 kg a tree over four harvests (627 kg/ha) | Kerala |
| Anagha | Kerala farms that want a large-kernel nut with the best listed yield among the Anakkayam hybrids | First bearing in about 3 years (grafted, TNAU crop-level); flowers January to February, fruits February to April | TNAU: 13.73 kg of nuts a mature tree, the highest of the three Anakkayam hybrids; 10 g nut, 29% shelling, W180 | Kerala |
| Bhaskara | Steady nut yield on normal spacing | First bearing in 3 years (grafted) | Odisha trial: 9.85 kg a tree over four harvests (2,010 kg a hectare at 7 x 7 m) | Karnataka |
| Bhubaneswar-1 | Odisha farms that want a locally sourced variety with high shelling and a medium canopy | First bearing in about 3 years (grafted, TNAU crop-level); no flowering calendar was found for Bhubaneswar-1 | Odisha trial: 7.12 kg of nuts a tree over four harvests (1,453 kg/ha); shelling 30.77% and 30.68% | Odisha |
| BPP-8 | Farmers in eastern, Odisha-type conditions who want the variety with the best published trial yield | First bearing in about 3 years (grafted, TNAU crop-level); no flowering calendar was found for BPP-8 | Odisha trial: 11.86 kg of nuts a tree over four harvests (2,420 kg/ha), the best of 25 released varieties; 6.0 kg a tree in 2014 | Andhra Pradesh |
| Dhana | Large cashew apples plus a good nut | First bearing in 3 years (grafted) | TNAU: 10.66 kg of nuts a mature tree; 8.2 g nut, 29.8% shelling, W210. Odisha trial: 7.28 kg a tree over four harvests | Kerala |
| Dharasree | Kerala farms that want a compact tree with a mid-size nut that shells out well, from the Anakkayam station | First bearing in about 3 years (grafted, TNAU crop-level); flowers December to January, fruits January to March | TNAU: 10.66 kg of nuts a mature tree; 7.8 g nut, 30.5% shelling, W240 | Kerala |
| Kanaka (H-1598) | Farmers who want a high shelling percentage and a steady early yield, and have room for an open, tall tree | First bearing in about 3 years (grafted, TNAU crop-level); flowers November to December, fruits December to March | TNAU: 12.8 kg of nuts a mature tree; 6.8 g nut, 30.58% shelling, W280. Odisha trial: 7.16 kg a tree over four harvests (1,461 kg/ha) | Kerala |
| NRCC Selection-1 | Farmers who already have these trees, or are offered the name by a nursery and want to know what it means | Short duration; flowers December to February, fruits March to April (ICAR-DCR) | ICAR-DCR: 10 kg of nuts a tree; 7.6 g nut, 28.8% shelling, W210. Withdrawn from recommendation | Karnataka |
| NRCC Selection-2this page | Farmers who want a short-duration, DCR-recommended selection with a good trial record, and plant for the nut | Short duration; flowers November to January, fruits February to March (ICAR-DCR) | ICAR-DCR: 9 kg of nuts a tree; 9.3 g nut, 28.6% shelling, W210. Odisha trial: 8.81 kg a tree over four harvests (1,798 kg/ha), fourth of 25 | Karnataka |
| Priyanka | The heaviest cashew apple, for processing | First bearing in 3 years (grafted) | TNAU: 17.03 kg of nuts a mature tree; 10.8 g nut, 26.57% shelling, W180. Odisha trial: 4.15 kg a tree over four harvests | Kerala |
| Sulabha | Kerala farmers who want a big nut and a compact tree, and can accept a late flowering season | First bearing in about 3 years (grafted, TNAU crop-level); flowers January to February, fruits February to April | TNAU: 21.9 kg of nuts a mature tree, the highest of the KAU sheets; 9.8 g nut, 29.4% shelling, W210 | Kerala |
| Ullal-3 | Early, short flowering season in Karnataka | First bearing in 3 years (grafted) | TNAU: 14.7 kg of nuts a mature tree. Odisha trial: 8.04 kg a tree over four harvests (1,641 kg a hectare) | Karnataka |
| Vengurla-4 | Older, proven west-coast cashew | First bearing in 3 years (grafted) | TNAU: 17.2 kg of nuts a mature tree. Odisha trial: 7.68 kg a tree over four harvests | Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka |
| Vengurla-7 | Bold nuts for export-grade kernels | First bearing in 3 years (grafted) | ~18.5 kg/tree average; bold 10 g nuts, W180 kernel grade, ~30.5% shelling | Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka |
| VRI-3 | A smaller tree with W210 kernels | First bearing in 3 years (grafted) | TNAU: 11.68 kg of nuts a mature tree (another TNAU page says 14.19 kg); 7.18 g nut, 29.1% shelling, W210 | Tamil Nadu |
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 Cashew (Kaju) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Cashew (Kaju) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Cashew (Kaju) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Cashew (Kaju) 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 Cashew (Kaju) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Cashew (Kaju) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is NRCC Selection-2?
A cashew selection from ICAR-DCR (formerly NRCC), Puttur, released in 1989 from tree 2/9 at Dicherla. ICAR-DCR lists it as short duration, 9 kg of nuts a tree, and recommended for cultivation.
How did NRCC Selection-2 do in the Odisha trial?
It gave 5.15 kg a tree in 2014 and 8.81 kg over four harvests (1,798 kg/ha), behind BPP-8 (11.86), Vengurla-7 (10.32) and Bhaskara (9.85). The authors named it with BPP-8, Vengurla-7, Bhaskara and Ullal-3 as outstanding for most traits. Its canopy reached 22.82 square metres in 2014, so give it room.
NRCC Selection-2 or Bhaskara?
Both are ICAR-DCR varieties and both were in the Odisha trial's outstanding five. Ask for the Bhaskara details on its own page. NRCC Selection-2 is the older (1989) and shorter-duration line; Bhaskara is the newer release with its own gazette notification. Test a few trees of each.
Where do I get NRCC Selection-2 grafts?
ICAR-DCR lists DCR Puttur and the Agricultural Research Station at Chintamani as the source of planting material. Buy from a nursery that can show it is accredited and name the mother block; do not buy from an unlabelled roadside stock.
Sourced from: DCR varieties (NRCC Selection-1, NRCC Selection-2, Bhaskara) — ICAR-DCR Puttur, Tripathy, Sethi and Mukherjee, Evaluation of released cashew varieties under Odisha condition — Int. J. Bio-resource and Stress Management 6(5), 2015, Model Profile for 1.0 ha Cashew Cultivation — NABARD/TNAU. editorial policy.