Pusa Sharbati
A classic IARI variety with medium, round, netted fruit, a firm greenish rind and highly sweet, aromatic salmon-orange flesh. Grown across north and central India; the netted rind travels better than the smooth-skinned types.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First harvest ~85–90 days
- Expected yield
- 15–20 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance; watch downy and powdery mildew
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Sharbati is a long-standing open-pollinated muskmelon from ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. The fruit is medium and round with a firm, greenish, well-netted rind and highly sweet, aromatic salmon-orange flesh. It is grown widely across north and central India, and the netted rind gives it better handling and transport tolerance than smooth-skinned sweet types like Hara Madhu. It reaches the first harvest at about 85–90 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Sharbati if you want the classic, long-standing IARI melon: medium, round fruit with a firm, greenish, well-netted rind and highly sweet, aromatic salmon-orange flesh. It takes about 85–90 days, the card shows 15–20 t/ha, and it grows across north and central India. The netted rind handles transport better than smooth-skinned types, but it ripens all at once and must be sold within 2–3 days. Choose Punjab Hybrid for uniform grade, Arka Rajhans if powdery mildew keeps hitting you, Hara Madhu for a nearby sweet-melon market.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Highly sweet, aromatic salmon-orange flesh
- Netted rind — better handling and transport than smooth-skinned sweet types
- Wide adaptability across north and central India; open-pollinated, so seed can be saved
Things to consider
- No special disease resistance — downy and powdery mildew need a spray programme in a humid or dry-warm spell
- Ripens all at once and does not store — must be sold within 2–3 days
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Madhya Pradesh
- Delhi
- Rajasthan
- Punjab
- Haryana
Pick in small lots, because you have 2–3 days
Pusa Sharbati is sweet and aromatic, and the netted rind travels better than smooth-skinned melons. But it ripens all at once and does not store, so it must be sold within 2–3 days.
Do not wait for the whole block to be ripe. Walk the field every second day and pick only the fruit at full ripeness, so each lot is sold while it is at its best. Keep the last ripe lot for the buyer who pays at once.
Sow the field in two or three lots a week or two apart. That spreads the ripening across a few weeks, and you never have a whole field in the sun waiting for a truck.
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 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 Sharbatithis page | 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 long can I hold Pusa Sharbati after picking?
Only 2–3 days. It ripens all at once and does not store. Pick only what you can sell in that time, and pick in small lots every two or three days rather than all on one day.
Does Pusa Sharbati resist mildew?
No. No special resistance is on record, so downy and powdery mildew need a spray programme in humid or dry-warm spells. Ask your KVK for a current plan and keep the waiting period before picking.
How do I know when to pick?
Pick at full ripeness, when the fruit sweetens and gives its aroma and the stalk end cracks away easily. A melon picked early will not sweeten after picking, so it is better to pick a little late and sell fast.
How is it different from Punjab Sunehri?
Both have netted skin, orange flesh and open-pollinated seed. Pusa Sharbati is the older IARI melon, with aromatic flesh, 85–90 days and 15–20 t/ha. Punjab Sunehri is a PAU variety, 85–95 days and 18–22 t/ha, and is more of a north-west staple.
Can I save Pusa Sharbati seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Choose fully ripe, healthy fruit that is true to type, and keep your seed plot away from other melons because they cross-pollinate.
Sourced from: TNAU Agritech Portal — Muskmelon. editorial policy.