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Kale (Karam Saag)RabiOpen-pollinatedUpdated 2 September 2026

Lacinato / Tuscan kale (Nero di Toscana)

A dark, blistered, strap-leaved Italian heirloom type increasingly sold to Indian home gardeners and specialty growers for the salad and health-food market.

SeasonRabi
Maturity period60–75 days
Expected yieldMedium
Suitable soilLoam

Quick facts

Crop
Kale (Karam Saag)
Type
Open-pollinated
Season
Rabi
Maturity period
60–75 days
Seed rate
A small home-garden or specialty-plot quantity is typical — check the seed packet, since it is usually sold in small retail quantities rather than bulk agricultural lots
Expected yield
Medium
Suitable soil
Loam
Release
A long-established Italian heirloom type increasingly sold through specialty retailers, not an ICAR release

About this variety

Lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan kale or by its Italian name Nero di Toscana ("black of Tuscany"), is a long-established Italian heirloom type with distinctive long, narrow, dark blue-green leaves with a blistered, savoyed texture, quite different in appearance from the tightly curled Scotch and hybrid types. It has become a popular item in the international health-food and salad market, and this popularity has carried over to India, where it is increasingly sold to home gardeners and specialty growers supplying the same urban market, rather than through mainstream agricultural seed channels. Being open-pollinated, seed can be saved from a good stand for the next season.

Key characteristics

    Plant typeOpen-pollinated
    Maturity60–75 days
    Yield potentialMedium
    Disease resistanceNot specifically documented
    SoilLoam
    SeasonRabi

Sowing & cultivation

  • Sowing timeAugust–October, the crop's general window, suited to home and specialty gardens across India's cooler regions and hill stations
  • Seed rateA small home-garden or specialty-plot quantity is typical — check the seed packet, since it is usually sold in small retail quantities rather than bulk agricultural lots
  • Spacing45 × 30 cm, or somewhat closer for a compact home-garden bed

Yield & maturity

Maturity period

60–75 days

Expected yield

Medium

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

Pest & disease considerations

Major diseases

  • Not specifically documented

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

  • Commands strong recognition and demand in the urban health-food and salad market, where its distinctive appearance and name carry real buyer appeal.
  • Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved and re-sown from a good stand.

Things to consider

  • Sold mainly through home-garden and specialty retailers rather than agricultural seed suppliers, so bulk commercial quantities may be harder to source than for Namdhari or Bejo hybrids.
  • Its market is specifically the urban health-food and salad trade — a grower should confirm demand before planting at any commercial scale, since it is not yet a mainstream mandi crop.

Suitable regions

Sold to home and specialty gardeners nationwide, increasingly through urban health-food and gardening retailers, not tied to one recommended growing state.

  • Wide adaptability

Sourced from: Kale Cultivation: Simple Methods to Grow Kale in India — Krishi Jagran. editorial policy.