Kagzi Kalan
A north-Indian lemon type with larger, juicy fruit for the fresh and juice market.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Lemon & Lime
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Bearing from year 3 (grafted plant)
- Expected yield
- Medium–high
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate
- Release
- Reported as released in 1990 and recommended for cultivation across India; no official release notification was found
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kagzi Kalan is a true lemon (Citrus limon) type, reported as released in 1990 and recommended for cultivation across India. West Bengal, Assam and Uttar Pradesh are named as its main growing states. NHB describes the fruit of lemons in these states as large, ovoid to round and dark green, with a rind that sticks to the pulp, moderately juicy and acidic. It bears twice a year, in May–August and December–January, on semi-vigorous trees that start fruiting after three years.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Kagzi Kalan if you want a true lemon (Citrus limon) with two harvests a year, in May–August and December–January, for the fresh and juice market in West Bengal, Assam or Uttar Pradesh. NHB describes the fruit of these lemons as large, ovoid to round and dark green, moderately juicy and acidic. A tree starts fruiting after three years and gives about 7–10 kg after 10 years. Choose Pant Lemon 1, a single-plant selection from Kagzi Kalan made at GBPUAT, if you want a documented selection from an Indian university. Choose Vikram or Balaji if your buyer wants a kagzi lime.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- The 7–10 kg a tree after 10 years is a per-tree figure, so work out your per-acre income from your tree count, not from a per-hectare number
- The release year rests on one secondary source, and NHB describes lemons of this type in general without naming Kagzi Kalan, so check the plant you buy
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- West Bengal
- Assam
- Uttar Pradesh
Two harvests a year: plan the gap months
Kagzi Kalan fruits in May–August and again in December–January. That leaves September to November and February to April with no fruit from this variety.
If you sell to the same buyers all year, they will ask what you can supply in those months. Decide in advance whether to say you do not supply then, to keep a second variety with a different fruiting time, or to pass the buyers on to a neighbour in your area.
Two peaks also mean two spells of labour and picking, so line up helpers for both. A tree gives about 7–10 kg after 10 years, so for the first years, treat the orchard as a long-term investment and plan other income meanwhile.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is budded onto a rootstock, not grown from seed. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy budded plants 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 Lemon & Lime variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assam Lemon (Kaji Nemu) | GI-tagged aromatic Assam lemon, large near-seedless fruit | Bearing from year 3–4 (grafted plant) | 100–130 q/ha at full bearing | Assam |
| Balaji | Leading Andhra Pradesh acid lime, round smooth juicy fruit | Bearing from year 3 (grafted plant) | About 13.8 t/ha in a Karnataka trial | Andhra Pradesh |
| Eureka (lemon) | True thornless lemon with tender, sour, mostly seedless fruit | Bearing from year 3 (grafted plant) | Medium | Maharashtra |
| Kagzi Kalanthis page | True lemon bearing twice a year, for fresh and juice use | Bearing from year 3 (grafted plant) | Medium–high | West Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh |
| Lisbon (lemon) | Clean-looking international true lemon, unproven yield in India | Bearing from year 3 (grafted plant) | Medium | Maharashtra |
| Pant Lemon 1 | University-selected lemon from Kagzi Kalan for the Tarai belt | Bearing from year 3–4 (grafted plant) | 150–180 q/ha at full bearing | Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab |
| Pramalini (Kagzi lime) | Tall, many-fruited acid lime with mid-range trial yield | Bearing from year 3 (grafted plant) | About 12.5 t/ha in a Karnataka trial | Andhra Pradesh |
| Sai Sharbati | Private-nursery acid lime with larger, very tart fruit | Bearing from year 3 (grafted plant) | About 9.8 t/ha in a Karnataka trial | Andhra Pradesh |
| Vikram (Kagzi lime) | Best-yielding acid lime in recent trials, with long shelf life | Bearing from year 3–4 (grafted plant) | 120–150 q/ha at full bearing | Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh |
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 Lemon & Lime is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Lemon & Lime plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Lemon & Lime variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Lemon & Lime 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 Lemon & Lime rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Lemon & Lime seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kagzi Kalan a true lemon or an acid lime?
It is a true lemon (Citrus limon), distinct from the Kagzi/acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia) group despite the shared 'Kagzi' naming convention used loosely across north-Indian markets.
When does Kagzi Kalan fruit?
Twice a year, May to August and again December to January, giving you two harvest windows instead of one.
Which states grow Kagzi Kalan?
Sources name West Bengal, Assam and Uttar Pradesh as its core states.
How much fruit does one Kagzi Kalan tree give?
About 7–10 kg per tree after 10 years of growth on semi-vigorous trees. This is a per-tree figure, not a per-area yield.
What does Kagzi Kalan fruit look like?
Large, ovoid to round, with dark-green skin and a rind that adheres closely to the pulp — moderately juicy and acidic, per the National Horticulture Board's description of this fruit type.
In which months will I have no Kagzi Kalan fruit?
It fruits in May–August and December–January, so September to November and February to April are the gap months. If you sell all year, plan a second variety, or a buyer who accepts a break.
How long until the first fruit?
The trees are semi-vigorous and start fruiting after three years. A tree reaches about 7–10 kg after 10 years, so the full crop comes slowly and you should not count on much income in the first years.
What is 7–10 kg a tree worth per hectare?
At TNAU's acid-lime spacing of 5–6 m, about 280 to 400 trees fit in a hectare, so 7–10 kg a tree is about 2 to 4 t/ha. That is a rough guide, since no lemon-specific spacing is published here.
Kagzi Kalan or Pant Lemon 1?
Pant Lemon 1 is a single-plant selection from Kagzi Kalan made at GBPUAT Pantnagar, so they are close relatives. Pant Lemon 1 has a university origin and nursery fruit figures of 80–100 g and about 19 days shelf life. Kagzi Kalan has the wider listed range, West Bengal, Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
How should I check the plant I am buying?
The release year here rests on a secondary source, and NHB describes lemons of this type without naming Kagzi Kalan. Ask the nursery for the name of the parent tree and a written source, and look at fruit from the mother plant before you buy.