Arka Rajhans
An IIHR (Bengaluru) variety with round, netted fruit, a thick white-cream flesh and good keeping quality, and resistance to powdery mildew — a strong choice where that disease is a regular problem.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First harvest ~90–100 days
- Expected yield
- 20–25 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 Rajhans is an open-pollinated muskmelon from ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru, with round, netted fruit, a thick white-to-cream flesh, good sweetness and good keeping quality. Its key trait is resistance to powdery mildew, one of the two mildews that most often strip a muskmelon crop in the dry pre-monsoon plains, so it is a strong choice where that disease is a recurring problem. It matures at about 90–100 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Arka Rajhans if powdery mildew keeps ruining your muskmelon crop and you want a fruit that keeps a few days longer. IIHR's variety has round, netted fruit with thick white-to-cream flesh, takes about 90–100 days, and the card shows 20–25 t/ha. Its resistance does not cover downy mildew or Fusarium wilt. The flesh is not deep orange, so check your buyer first. Choose Pusa Sharbati or Punjab Sunehri for orange flesh, Arka Jeet for a small single-serve fruit.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Resistant to powdery mildew — one of the two mildews that most often ruin a muskmelon crop
- Thick white-cream flesh with good keeping quality
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved
Things to consider
- Resistance covers powdery mildew, not downy mildew or Fusarium wilt — those still need managing
- White-cream flesh may not suit a market that expects deep orange
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
- Telangana
Check the flesh colour your buyer expects
Arka Rajhans has thick white-to-cream flesh. Many buyers in the plains expect deep orange, and some mandis pay less for a melon that does not look the part.
Cut a fruit, taste it, and show it to the mandi agent or trader you sell to before you plant a whole field. Ask whether he will pay the same price as for an orange melon, and whether his customers ask for the colour.
If he does, the powdery-mildew resistance and the good keeping quality are your selling points, and you should say so. If he does not, plant a small block of Arka Rajhans beside an orange variety, and compare the cheques at the end of the season.
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 Jeet | Small single-serve melon, resistant to powdery mildew | First harvest ~80–85 days | About 17 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Rajhansthis page | 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
How well does it keep after harvest?
It is rated for good keeping quality, better than the thin-skinned sweet types such as Hara Madhu. No official storage-day figure is published, so test a few fruit on your own shelf before you promise a buyer more than a few days.
Will buyers accept white-cream flesh?
Some markets expect deep orange. Take two or three fruit to your buyer or mandi agent before you plant a whole field, and plant the variety only if he will pay the same price.
Which mildew does it resist and which not?
It resists powdery mildew, which often strips muskmelon in the dry pre-monsoon plains. It does not resist downy mildew or Fusarium wilt, so rotate crops and avoid wet leaves.
How long does Arka Rajhans take?
About 90–100 days to first harvest, longer than Arka Jeet (80–85 days). Count from sowing and book your picking and your labour around that.
Can I save Arka Rajhans seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Choose well-ripened, healthy, typical fruit, and keep the seed plot away from other melons so they do not cross.
Sourced from: TNAU Agritech Portal — Muskmelon. editorial policy.