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Lobia (Cowpea)KharifOpen-pollinatedUpdated 2 September 2026

Arka Garima

ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru's tall, vigorous bush-type cowpea — bred as a cross of T.U.V.762 with the long-podded sesquipedalis (yardlong bean) subspecies for a longer, fleshier pod.

SeasonKharif
Maturity period90 days
Expected yield18 t/ha green pod
Suitable soilLoam

Quick facts

Crop
Lobia (Cowpea)
Type
Open-pollinated
Season
Kharif
Maturity period
90 days
Seed rate
15–20 kg/ha as a vigorous, tall vegetable type
Expected yield
18 t/ha green pod
Suitable soil
Loam
Release
ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru — exact notification year not confirmed in this research pass

About this variety

Arka Garima is a vegetable cowpea released by ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru, developed through backcrossing and pure line selection from the cross T.U.V.762 × Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis (the yardlong bean, cowpea's long-podded cousin). The result is a tall, vigorous, bushy plant with small vines, light green leaves and purple flowers, distinguishing it visually from the more compact bush types like Kashi Kanchan and Kashi Nidhi. It reaches maturity in about 90 days and produces long, thick, round, fleshy and stringless light-green pods, with a documented pod yield of 18 t/ha. Its standout trait is stress tolerance — IIHR describes it as tolerant to heat, drought and low-soil-moisture conditions, making it a reasonable choice for a grower whose irrigation is not fully reliable through the crop's life, though this is a general stress-tolerance trait rather than resistance to a named pathogen.

Key characteristics

    Plant typeOpen-pollinated
    Maturity90 days
    Yield potential18 t/ha green pod
    Disease resistanceDocumented tolerance to heat, drought and low-moisture stress rather than a specific disease
    SoilLoam
    SeasonKharif

Sowing & cultivation

  • Sowing timeKharif, June–July, with the monsoon
  • Seed rate15–20 kg/ha as a vigorous, tall vegetable type
  • SpacingWider than compact bush types — around 60 cm between rows, 30 cm between plants, given its taller, more vigorous growth

Soil & climate

Climate

Climate
Documented tolerance to heat, drought and low soil-moisture stress — a genuine advantage on land where irrigation is not fully reliable through the crop's life

Yield & maturity

Maturity period

90 days

Expected yield

18 t/ha green pod

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

Pest & disease considerations

Major diseases

  • Documented tolerance to heat, drought and low-moisture stress rather than a specific disease

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

  • Genuine documented tolerance to heat, drought and low-moisture stress, unlike a plain vegetable variety with no stated stress trait.
  • A high pod yield of 18 t/ha from long, thick, fleshy, stringless pods gives it strong market appeal.
  • Its taller, more vigorous plant habit gives more total foliage and pod-bearing surface than a compact bush type, on land with room to let it grow.

Things to consider

  • Its taller, spreading growth habit needs wider spacing than the compact Kashi-series varieties, so it is not the best fit for a very small, tightly planted plot.
  • Its documented tolerance is to heat/drought/moisture stress specifically, not a named disease — it should not be assumed resistant to yellow mosaic virus or bacterial blight without local confirmation.

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

  • Karnataka
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Tamil Nadu

Frequently asked questions

What makes Arka Garima different from a bush cowpea like Kashi Kanchan?

Arka Garima is taller and more vigorous, with small vines rather than a fully compact bush, and it was bred from a cross with the yardlong bean subspecies for a longer, thicker, fleshier pod. It also carries documented heat, drought and low-moisture tolerance, whereas Kashi Kanchan's standout trait is disease resistance.