Calcuttia
A late litchi that ripens in the last week of June (NHB). NHB calls it the best table variety of northern India and says it can be grown in hotter areas with wind protection and plenty of water. 80–100 kg a tree.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Litchi
- Type
- Air-layer (clonal variety)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Late, ripens in the last week of June (NHB)
- Expected yield
- 80–100 kg/tree/year at full bearing
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Calcuttia, written Calcutta or Kalkattia in NHB, is a late table litchi. NHB calls it the best of all the varieties grown in northern India for the table. Fruits ripen in the last week of June. They are large and oblong, with a tyrian rose colour (a deep pinkish red) and dark tubercles. The pulp is dirty creamy-white, soft, juicy and very sweet, with 18.17% TSS. A full-grown tree gives 80–100 kg. The tree is compact, about 4 m tall and 6 m wide. NHB says it can be grown even in hotter areas, if you protect it from strong hot winds and irrigate plenty.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Calcuttia if you want picking in the last week of June, long after Shahi (third week of May), and your orchard is in hotter northern India where you can give wind protection and plenty of water. NHB calls it the best of the north Indian varieties for the table. Pick Dehradun for a June crop of rose-pink fruit slightly earlier, but accept its sunburn and cracking risk. Pick Shahi if you farm in Bihar and want the earlier, heavier crop.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timePlant in August–September, after the monsoon has set in (NHB).
- Spacing8 × 8 m square. Keep 10 m apart where the tree spread is large (NHB).
- Sowing methodPlant an air-layered (gootee) plant, 6–9 months old, in a 1 m³ pit filled with top-soil, 20–25 kg FYM, 2 kg bone-meal and 400 g sulphate of potash. Water straight after planting (NHB).
- IrrigationWater young plants often, in a basin. Stop irrigation four months before flowering. The critical period is the end of January to the start of the monsoon, while the fruit grows. Missing it causes fruit drop and cracking (NHB).
- FertilizerPer tree (NHB): FYM 10–20 kg in the planting year, adding 4 kg every year up to 60 kg on a mature tree. A mature tree also gets 2.2 kg ammonium sulphate, 1.2 kg superphosphate and 1.2 kg potassium sulphate. Give FYM, superphosphate and potash in September, and the nitrogen in two parts: mid-February and after harvest.
- HarvestingPick fully ripe fruit: red colour, at least 25 mm across, tubercles flattened and the shell smooth. Cut whole bunches with a piece of twig and a few leaves. For a distant market, pick slightly early, when the colour has just started to turn (NHB).
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Deep, well-drained loam rich in organic matter. Sandy loam and clayey loam also suit (NHB).
- pH
- 5.5–7
- Irrigation
- Water table at least 1.5–2 m below the surface (NHB).
Climate
- Temperature
- About 21°C (February) to 38°C (June) maximum in litchi tracts
- Rainfall
- >125 cm, well spread through the year
- Climate
- Winter frost and dry summer heat damage the plant and crack the fruit. Constant rain at flowering interferes with pollination. Litchi grows up to 800 m, but does best at lower elevations (NHB).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Late picking, in the last week of June, long after the May varieties
- Large, very sweet fruit, with 18.17% TSS
- A smaller tree than Bombai: about 4 m tall and 6 m wide
Things to consider
- In hotter areas it needs protection from strong hot winds and plenty of irrigation water (NHB).
- NHB lists no cracking resistance for it, so keep the soil evenly moist while the fruit grows.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Northern India
- Hotter areas with wind protection and irrigation
Wind protection and water, before the first plant
NHB says Calcuttia can be grown even in hotter areas, but only with protection from strong hot winds and plenty of irrigation water. Both need to be in place before planting.
For wind protection, NHB lists silver oak, sesbania and drumstick along the orchard boundary. Plant them first, so they are growing by the time the litchi arrives.
Young litchi plants also suffer in cold waves. NHB suggests covering them with thatch by the end of November. Tie plants to a stake where the wind is strong, and water straight after planting. Do not plant when the weather is too dry or too wet.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is raised by layering: a branch is made to root while still attached to the tree, then cut away and planted. Seed out of its fruit will not give the variety back. Take layers from a known mother tree of this variety, or buy plants from a registered nursery or a government farm.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Litchi variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombai | An early West Bengal table litchi for fresh sale in the first half of May | Early, ripens first to second week of May (NHB) | 80–90 kg/tree/year at full bearing | West Bengal |
| Calcuttiathis page | A late, very sweet table litchi for hotter northern areas, if you can give wind protection and water | Late, ripens in the last week of June (NHB) | 80–100 kg/tree/year at full bearing | Northern India, Hotter areas with wind protection and irrigation |
| China | A semi-dwarf litchi for Muzaffarpur-belt orchards where a yearly mite check is part of the routine | Ripens from the third week of May (NHB, Muzaffarpur) | 80–100 kg/tree/year at full bearing | Bihar |
| Dehradun | A late, rose-pink litchi for farmers who can keep soil moisture steady through fruit growth | Late, ripens from the third week of June (NHB) | 80–90 kg/tree/year at full bearing | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab |
| Early Bedana (Early Seedless) | The earliest litchi for table sale or processing, when a regular crop matters more than the biggest crop | The earliest variety (NHB gives no date) | 50–60 kg/tree/year at full bearing | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab |
| Rose Scented | A sweet, rose-scented table litchi to grow beside Shahi for buyers who ask for aroma | Mid-season, starts ripening in the first week of June (NHB) | 80–90 kg/tree/year at full bearing | Bihar (Muzaffarpur belt) |
| Shahi | A heavy-bearing Muzaffarpur-belt table litchi, sold under the 2018 GI name 'Shahi Litchi of Bihar' | Ripens from the third week of May (NHB, Muzaffarpur) | 90–100 kg/tree/year at full bearing | Bihar (Muzaffarpur belt) |
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 Litchi is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Litchi plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Litchi variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Litchi 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 Litchi rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Litchi seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Which other litchis ripen as late as Calcuttia?
NHB lists Late Seedless (Late Bedana) in the third week of June, with 80–100 kg a tree and 20% TSS, and Gulabi in the fourth week of June, with 90–100 kg and 18.2% TSS. Dehra Dun starts in the third week of June. Calcuttia, at the last week of June, is the latest of the seven varieties here.
How much water does Calcuttia need, and when?
NHB says to stop irrigation four months before flowering. The critical period is the end of January to the start of the monsoon, while the fruit grows. If the orchard is not watered often then, fruit drops and cracks. Water young trees in a basin. A full-grown tree can be flooded or furrow-irrigated. NHB gives no litres per tree.
How many trees fit in a hectare, and what could the crop be?
At NHB's 8 × 8 m spacing, about 156 trees fit in a hectare. At the full-bearing figure of 80–100 kg a tree, that is roughly 12.5–15.6 tonnes a hectare. This holds only for mature, well-kept trees. Young trees give far less for the first years.
Do late litchis sell at a better price?
We have no price record that proves it. The idea is common, but check it for your own market. Look at your mandi's rates for litchi in May and in late June across a few seasons, and compare them to the 80–100 kg a tree you expect, before you plant a block for the late slot.
Can I grow Calcuttia from the seed of a good fruit?
Not if you want fruit like the parent. Litchi is multiplied by air-layering (gootee), the commonest method in India. Plant 6–9 month old plants in August–September, in 1 m³ pits, and have the nursery write the variety name on the bill.
Sourced from: Varieties — NHB, Litchi, Planting — NHB, Litchi, Soil and climate — NHB, Litchi, Irrigation — NHB, Litchi, Manuring and fertilization — NHB, Litchi, Harvesting — NHB, Litchi. editorial policy.