Early Bedana (Early Seedless)
The earliest litchi variety, grown for table and processing in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab (NHB). Small to medium heart to oval fruit, creamy-white pulp, 19.8% TSS. Yield is low at 50–60 kg a tree, but it bears regularly.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Litchi
- Type
- Air-layer (clonal variety)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- The earliest variety (NHB gives no date)
- Expected yield
- 50–60 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
Early Bedana, also called Early Seedless, is the earliest litchi variety (NHB). It is grown mainly for the table and for processing in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. NHB calls it a medium to poor yielder that bears regularly, at 50–60 kg a tree. Fruits are small to medium, heart to oval in shape, with carmine-red tubercles when ripe. The pulp is creamy-white, with 19.8% TSS, and NHB rates the overall fruit quality as good. NHB gives no ripening date for it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Early Bedana if being first to the market and sweet pulp (19.8% TSS) matter more to you than yield. NHB calls it a medium to poor yielder at 50–60 kg a tree, but a regular bearer. Pick Bombai (80–90 kg) for another early crop with larger fruit but lower TSS (17%). Pick Shahi (90–100 kg) if you can wait for the third week of May and want the 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
- The earliest litchi variety, so it can reach the market first (NHB)
- Bears regularly every year
- Sweet pulp, 19.8% TSS, and suited to both table and processing
Things to consider
- Yield is low: 50–60 kg a tree, the lowest of the seven varieties here.
- Fruit is small to medium, so it will not look as big as Shahi or Bombai in the crate.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab
The early price you need to beat Shahi
Early Bedana pays only if the early price makes up for the low yield. Do the sum for your own orchard first.
At NHB's 8 × 8 m spacing, about 156 trees fit in a hectare. At full bearing, Early Bedana's 50–60 kg a tree gives roughly 7.8–9.4 tonnes a hectare. Shahi's 90–100 kg gives roughly 14–15.6 tonnes.
That means Early Bedana needs to sell at about 1.7 times Shahi's price per kg to bring in the same money from a hectare. Ignore costs and picking for now: they change the answer a little, not the idea.
Check your mandi's price for the first litchis of the season against the price a fortnight later. If the gap is smaller than that, the earlier crop does not pay.
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 |
| Calcuttia | 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)this page | 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
Is Early Bedana really seedless?
NHB lists it as Early Seedless (Early Bedana) but gives no seed detail. For its sibling Late Seedless, NHB says the fruit is not completely devoid of seed, but the seed is shrivelled and small. Cut open fruit from the mother tree before you promise 'seedless' to a buyer.
How much does one Early Bedana tree give?
NHB gives 50–60 kg a tree for a full-grown tree. It calls the variety medium to poor yielding. NHB's overall figure for a full-grown litchi tree of any variety is 80–150 kg, so Early Bedana sits below that range.
Can Early Bedana go to a processor?
NHB says it is grown for the table and for processing in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. That does not mean a buyer is waiting near you. NHB gives no processing price or specification. Talk to a processor first, and ask what size, colour and TSS the buyer takes.
What other litchis ripen early?
Bombai ripens in the first to second week of May in West Bengal, per NHB. Shahi and China start from the third week of May at Muzaffarpur. NHB calls Early Bedana the earliest variety but gives no date, so compare dates in your own district.
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.