Kesar
Gujarat's aromatic saffron-pulp mango, well-suited to Saurashtra and a strong export and pulp variety.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Mango
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Mid-season
- Expected yield
- High
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate
- Release
- Girnar foothills, Junagadh, Gujarat — first grafts c. 1931 (Wazir Sale Bhai), named "Kesar" 1934 by Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khan III; GI-tagged 2011 (application filed 2010 by Junagadh Agricultural University)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kesar, also known as Gir Kesar, originated in the Girnar foothills near Junagadh, Gujarat, where the first grafts were reportedly planted around 1931 by Wazir Sale Bhai at Laal Dori farm. In 1934, Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khan III named it "Kesar" for its saffron-like orange pulp. It received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2011 after Junagadh Agricultural University filed the application in 2010 — the first agricultural produce from Gujarat, and the second mango variety in India, to receive a GI tag. The fruit has deep saffron-orange, smooth, almost creamy, non-fibrous flesh, with sweetness regularly reaching 22–26°Brix, among the highest of any Indian mango variety.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Kesar if you farm in Gujarat, especially Saurashtra, and want a very sweet mango with deep saffron-orange, creamy, fibreless pulp. Its sweetness reaches 22–26°Brix, among the highest of any Indian mango, which is why it sells well for export and pulp. It has a GI tag (2011) and grows around Junagadh and the Girnar foothills. No exact yield per hectare was found, so treat 'high' as an estimate and ask Junagadh Agricultural University or your Krishi Vigyan Kendra for local figures.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeJuly to December (TNAU)
- Spacing7–10 m either way conventionally, 5 x 5 m under high density, or double hedge rows at 5 x 5 m within the pair and 10 m between pairs (TNAU)
- Sowing methodPits 1 m x 1 m x 1 m with topsoil and 10 kg farmyard manure. Set the graft in the middle with its earth ball whole, keep the union 15 cm above ground, water and stake
- IrrigationRegular water until the graft establishes, then weekly under flood irrigation, or about a third of that under drip
- FertilizerPer tree: 10 kg farmyard manure with 0.2 kg each of N, P and K in year one, increased by the same every year to 50 kg manure, 1.0 kg N, 1.0 kg P and 1.5 kg K from year six, applied in September–October (TNAU)
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Red loamy soil with good drainage
- pH
- 6.5–8.0
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- Kesar's sweetness (22–26°Brix) is among the highest of any Indian mango variety, which supports its strong export and pulp reputation.
- No exact yield-per-hectare figure was found, so treat the "High" yield rating as an estimate.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Gujarat
Export carton or pulp unit: split the crop by grade
Kesar is both an export mango and a pulp mango, and those two buyers want different things from the same tree. The export carton is bought on size, shape, clean skin and an exact stage of maturity. The pulp unit cares about sweetness and total weight, and will take fruit that is slightly off-shape or marked.
So grade the crop rather than selling it as one lot. Keep the best-sized, unblemished fruit for the export or premium fresh buyer, and send the small, marked and over-mature fruit to the pulp unit the same day, because pulp fruit that waits loses both weight and sugar. Ask the pulp unit in advance about its delivery days and rate, and the exporter about size grades and the maturity he wants, then pick to those two orders instead of picking first and looking for a buyer after.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is a grafted plant: the variety on top, joined onto a rootstock below. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy grafted 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 Mango variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alphonso (Hapus) | Premium price on the Konkan coast, not volume | Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted plant) | 40–60 kg/tree at full bearing — lower than Dashehari, priced well above it | Maharashtra, Gujarat |
| Amrapali | High-density orchards and steady yearly fruiting | Bearing from year 3–4 (grafted plant, dwarf habit) | 60–80 kg/tree at full bearing — more trees fit per acre than Dashehari | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi |
| Banganapalli | Large, fibreless table mango that stores well | Mid-season | Very high | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu |
| Dashehari | Aromatic North Indian table mango with good keeping quality | Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted plant); 60–90 days fruit maturation after flowering | 80–100 kg/tree at full bearing (year 10+) | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar |
| Kesarthis page | Very sweet saffron-pulp mango for export and pulp | Mid-season | High | Gujarat |
| Langra | Mid-season green-skinned mango with rich aroma | Mid-season | High | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, Punjab |
| Totapuri | Pulp and juice processing, not fresh eating | Mid-season | Very high | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
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 Mango is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Mango plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Mango variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Mango 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 Mango rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Mango seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Where did Kesar mango originate?
In the Girnar foothills near Junagadh, Gujarat, where the first grafts were planted around 1931 and the fruit was named "Kesar" in 1934 by Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khan III for its saffron-like orange pulp.
Does Kesar mango have a GI tag?
Yes — it received the tag in 2011, becoming the first agricultural produce from Gujarat and the second mango variety in India to be GI-tagged.
How sweet is Kesar mango?
Sweetness regularly reaches 22–26°Brix, among the highest of any Indian mango variety, alongside its distinctive saffron-orange, smooth, almost creamy flesh.
Why is Kesar mango called "saffron mango"?
Its deep saffron-orange pulp colour directly inspired the name "Kesar" (Hindi/Gujarati for saffron) when the Nawab of Junagadh named it in 1934.
Where in India is Kesar mango grown?
Primarily in Gujarat, especially the Saurashtra region around the Girnar foothills near Junagadh, its well-documented, geographically-protected origin.
What yield can I expect from Kesar?
No exact yield figure was found, so we do not give one. The 'high' rating shown is an estimate. Ask Junagadh Agricultural University or your Krishi Vigyan Kendra for yield figures from orchards in your area.
Kesar or Alphonso for Gujarat?
Kesar is the Saurashtra mango, very sweet at 22–26°Brix, with a GI tag from 2011. Alphonso is listed for Gujarat too, around Valsad and Navsari, and earns the highest mango price, but it gives only 40–60 kg per tree and can get spongy tissue in hot years. Pick Kesar in Saurashtra. Pick Alphonso in Valsad and Navsari.
Is Kesar a good mango for pulp?
Yes. Its high sweetness and deep colour make it a strong export and pulp variety. For very large pulp volumes, Totapuri is the main mango used in India's processing industry because of its high flesh-to-seed ratio.
When should I plant Kesar grafts?
July to December (TNAU). Buy grafts from a nursery that can tell you the mother tree, because Kesar sells on a name and a known pulp colour, and a doubtful graft shows that up only in year four or five.
What should I check before planting Kesar outside Gujarat?
Only Gujarat is listed for it, and the variety came out of the Girnar foothills near Junagadh. Elsewhere, ask your state horticulture department what it recommends for your district, and plant a few trees first rather than a block, because pulp colour and sweetness shift with climate.
Sourced from: Mango production guide, TNAU Agritech Portal: planting season, pit size, spacing systems, irrigation and age-wise fertiliser schedule. editorial policy.