Vikram (Kagzi lime)
Grafted, not from seed. Linked to Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani — Rahuri and Akola test it only as a comparison. A kagzi lime, heavier crop.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Lemon & Lime
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Bearing from year 3–4 (grafted plant)
- Expected yield
- 120–150 q/ha at full bearing
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to citrus canker — needs a spray schedule in a wet year
- Release
- Consistently linked across research to Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani (now Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth) as an improved Kagzi lime selection. No primary release notification was to pin down an exact year, but no source credits MPKV Rahuri or PDKV Akola as the originating institute either — both instead run Vikram as a comparison/check clone in their own acid-lime variety trials.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Vikram is an improved kagzi (acid) lime clone grown across Maharashtra, with Pramalini, Sai Sharbati, PKM-1 and Balaji, in commercial orchards that have gradually replaced unselected seedling kagzi trees. Its origin is most often tied to Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani (now Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth). MPKV Rahuri and PDKV Akola use it as a comparison clone in their own trials. In an Akola Hasta Bahar trial of eight clones it was second, at 25.0 kg a plant, behind PDKV lime's 29.73 kg, with 47.4% juice and 7.67 °Brix. In a 2025 Karnataka trial of nine varieties it was first, at 18.84 t/ha, with the lowest acidity (6.91%) and the longest shelf life (19.84 days). The two rankings differ, most likely because of place, season and the clones compared.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Vikram if you want the acid lime with the strongest recent trial record. In a 2025 Karnataka trial of nine varieties it was first, at 18.84 t/ha, with the lowest acidity (6.91%) and the longest shelf life (19.84 days). In an Akola Hasta Bahar trial it was second, at 25.0 kg a plant. TNAU lists Vikram, with PKM 1, as a preferred variety for marketing. It is susceptible to citrus canker, so plan a spray routine. Choose Balaji if you are in Andhra Pradesh, PKM 1 if canker is your biggest loss.
Sowing & cultivation
- Spacing5–6 m between trees, in pits of 75 × 75 × 75 cm (TNAU, acid-lime guide)
- IrrigationWater well after planting, then every 7–10 days once established; avoid waterlogging (TNAU)
- FertilizerPer tree: first year 10 kg farmyard manure, 200 g N, 100 g P2O5, 100 g K2O; from the sixth year 30 kg, 600 g, 200 g, 300 g. N in two doses, March and October (TNAU, general acid lime)
- HarvestingBearing begins in the third year after planting (TNAU, acid lime)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- In a Akola-region Hasta Bahar trial, ranked the second-highest yielder of eight tested kagzi-lime clones (25.0 kg/plant), with sound juice content (47.4%) and TSS (7.67° Brix)
- A separate published evaluation rates Vikram as the best all-round performer of its own tested clone set (highest yield, lowest acidity, longest shelf life), so it is a competitive, actively recommended kagzi lime selection, even though the exact numbers vary from trial to trial
- Routinely used as a benchmark/comparison clone across multiple Maharashtra university variety trials, a sign of its established standing among improved kagzi limes
Things to consider
- No primary release notice names Vikram's year or originating institute, so ask your nursery for the source of your plants
- Vikram is listed as susceptible to citrus canker, and the two trials above did not test canker, so plan a spray routine in a wet year; an ICAR-CCRI trial found no acid lime fully resistant
- Its yield differs by trial (25.0 kg a plant at Akola, 18.84 t/ha in Karnataka), so plan on the lower side until your own block shows what it gives
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Maharashtra
- Gujarat
- Andhra Pradesh
Two trials, two rankings: how to read them
In an Akola Hasta Bahar trial of eight clones, Vikram came second, at 25.0 kg a plant, behind PDKV lime's 29.73 kg. In a 2025 Karnataka trial of nine varieties it came first, at 18.84 t/ha. The two tables are measured in different units and compare different sets of clones.
So do not ask which trial is right. Ask what they have in common. In both, Vikram was among the best yielders, with juice at about 47% at Akola and the lowest acidity and longest shelf life in Karnataka. That is a good sign for the variety, not a number to put in your budget.
Budget on the lower yield and plan your own check. Plant a block of Vikram with a block of the local variety and a block of one more clone, note yield per tree for two seasons, and decide from your own land.
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 Kalan | 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)this page | 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 Vikram the same as a plain kagzi (acid) lime, or an improved selection?
It’s an improved kagzi-lime clone, tested alongside other named selections like PDKV lime, Sai Sharbati and PKM-1 in Maharashtra university trials — not the unselected seedling kagzi tree most older orchards started with.
Which institute actually released Vikram?
Not MPKV Rahuri. Evidence consistently ties Vikram to Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani (now Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth). MPKV Rahuri and PDKV Akola do work with Vikram, but as evaluating institutions running it as a comparison/check clone in their own acid-lime trials, not as its developer.
What canker spray routine does TNAU advise?
Right after pruning, spray copper oxychloride at 0.3%, then give four monthly sprays of streptocycline at 100 ppm with copper oxychloride. Vikram is susceptible to canker, so do not skip this in a wet year, and check the current dose with your KVK.
Which yield should I use for my budget?
Use the lower figure. The card shows 120–150 q/ha at full bearing, the Karnataka trial gave 18.84 t/ha, and Akola gave 25.0 kg a plant. Young plants, spacing and season all change the number, so wait for your own block to show what it gives.
When does a Vikram plant start to fruit?
Bearing is given above from year 3–4 for a grafted plant, and TNAU says acid lime begins bearing in the third year. Plan no income before the third year.
What spacing and pit size should I use?
TNAU's general acid-lime guide gives 5–6 m between trees in pits of 75 × 75 × 75 cm. That is a crop-level figure, so check with your KVK for your area.
Vikram or PKM 1 for canker-prone land?
A 2019–23 ICAR-CCRI trial in Nagpur found NRCC acid lime-7 and PKM-1 more tolerant of canker, with PKM-1 giving 11.72 t/ha. No acid lime was fully resistant. On land where canker costs you the most, test PKM-1 beside Vikram.
Sourced from: Performance of Acid Lime Varieties for Hasta Bahar under Akola Conditions — Longdom, TNAU Agritech Portal — Acid lime. editorial policy.