Arka Jeet
A small-fruited IIHR type (about 300–500 g) with white, flavourful flesh, powdery-mildew resistance and use as a single-serve table melon as well as for juice.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First harvest ~80–85 days
- Expected yield
- About 17 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to powdery mildew
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Arka Jeet is a small-fruited muskmelon from ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru, with fruit of only about 300–500 g. IIHR describes round fruit that is flat at both ends, with skin that turns from dark green to golden orange at full slip, and white flesh of medium texture and excellent flavour. It carries resistance to powdery mildew, matures early at about 80–85 days, and is used both as a single-serve table melon and for juice. An IIHR research highlight puts its yield at about 17 t/ha, against about 25 t/ha for the newer Arka Siri.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Arka Jeet if you want a small, single-serve melon of 300–500 g that resists powdery mildew and comes in early, at about 80–85 days. IIHR describes white, flavourful flesh and skin that turns golden orange at full slip. The yield is about 17 t/ha, lower than a large-fruited type, so it earns by price per fruit, not tonnage. Choose Arka Rajhans for a bigger, keeping fruit that also resists powdery mildew, Pusa Sharbati for a classic sweet orange melon, or Punjab Hybrid for uniform pack-out.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Resistant to powdery mildew; early at about 80–85 days
- White, flavourful flesh — good for table use and for juice
- Small fruit suits closer planting and single-serve retail
Things to consider
- Small fruit and lower per-hectare tonnage than a large-fruited type
- Resistance covers powdery mildew only — downy mildew and Fusarium wilt still need managing
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Tamil Nadu
Sell by the fruit, not by the tonne
Arka Jeet gives about 17 t/ha and the fruit weighs only 300–500 g, so a hectare holds a lot of small melons. The money comes from selling each one to someone who wants exactly one melon.
That means juice stalls, tiffin and office-lunch sellers, small fruit shops and hotels that serve a single portion. Visit three of them before you sow and ask what they pay per piece and how many a week they would take.
Grade at picking. A tray of same-size, clean fruit sells at a better price than a mixed heap, and the early 80–85 day crop lets you reach them before the big-fruited melons arrive.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Muskmelon (Kharbuja) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Jeetthis page | Small single-serve melon, resistant to powdery mildew | First harvest ~80–85 days | About 17 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Rajhans | Powdery-mildew resistant melon with good keeping quality | First harvest ~90–100 days | 20–25 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana |
| Durgapura Madhu | Hardy open-pollinated melon for dry land and river beds | First harvest ~80–90 days | 15–22 t/ha | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh |
| Hara Madhu | Very sweet melon for nearby markets only | First harvest ~90–100 days | 15–20 t/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan |
| Punjab Hybrid | Uniform F1 melon for the commercial north-west crop | First harvest ~80–90 days | 22–28 t/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan |
| Punjab Sunehri | Netted, transportable open-pollinated melon, north-west staple | First harvest ~85–95 days | 18–22 t/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Sharbati | Classic sweet, aromatic melon for north and central India | First harvest ~85–90 days | 15–20 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana |
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 Muskmelon (Kharbuja) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Muskmelon (Kharbuja) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Muskmelon (Kharbuja) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Muskmelon (Kharbuja) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Muskmelon (Kharbuja) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Muskmelon (Kharbuja) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Muskmelon (Kharbuja) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What colour is Arka Jeet's flesh?
IIHR's variety listing describes white flesh of medium texture and excellent flavour, with skin turning golden orange at full slip. If you hear it called orange-fleshed, check the fruit you are buying before promising a colour to a buyer.
Why is the yield only about 17 t/ha?
Fruit is small, 300–500 g, so tonnage is lower. An IIHR highlight compared it with the newer Arka Siri at about 25 t/ha. Plan your costs on 17 t/ha, and count the fruit, not only the weight.
Does the resistance cover every mildew?
No. It resists powdery mildew only. Downy mildew and Fusarium wilt still need managing, so rotate away from cucurbits and keep leaves dry where you can.
Can I plant it closer than a big melon?
The small fruit and short vine duration suit closer planting, but no official closer spacing is published. TNAU's general muskmelon layout is 2.5 m between channels and 0.6 m between hills. Try a closer block first and watch for mildew.
Can I save Arka Jeet seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Choose fully ripe, healthy fruit true to type, and keep your seed plot away from other melons, because they cross-pollinate.
Sourced from: ICAR-IIHR — variety listing, muskmelon Arka Jeet, TNAU Agritech Portal — Muskmelon. editorial policy.