Varuna (T 59)
An older, still widely sown variety with a long, reliable track record on medium soils.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Mustard
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 135–140 days
- Seed rate
- 1.5 kg per acre as a sole crop. If soil moisture is short, mix the seed with moist soil and keep it overnight — the extra bulk spreads it evenly
- Expected yield
- 15–18 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to white rust; stable rather than disease-resistant
- Release
- Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi — released 1964; recognised as a Landmark Variety by the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, February 2017
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Varuna (T 59) is an Indian mustard variety released in 1964 by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. It is regarded as a landmark breeding achievement; the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding recognised it as a Landmark Variety in February 2017. The reason is its role as a breeding parent. More than 90% of India's Indian mustard varieties are reported to carry "Varuna blood," and it has been used as a parent in at least 21 later varieties. Rohini, Kranti, Pusa Jaikisan and Krishna were bred as direct selections from Varuna itself.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Varuna (T 59) if you farm medium soils in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh or Uttar Pradesh and want the variety your area already knows how to grow. Released by IARI in 1964 and named a Landmark Variety in February 2017, it gives a steady 15–18 q/ha in 135–140 days — stable rather than high-yielding. It is susceptible to white rust, so a humid year can hurt it. For more yield from the same land, choose RH 749 for disease strength, PM 32 for canola-quality oil with timely sowing and irrigation, or NRCHB 101 if your sowing is late.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeMid-October to mid-November, the window PAU gives raya (Indian mustard)
- Seed rate1.5 kg per acre as a sole crop. If soil moisture is short, mix the seed with moist soil and keep it overnight — the extra bulk spreads it evenly
- SpacingRows 30 cm apart, thinned three weeks after sowing to leave plants 10–15 cm apart. Sow 4–5 cm deep
- Sowing methodSow with a drill or a pora attached to a plough. Inoculating the seed with 250 g of Pseudomonas putida MLE8 per acre raises both seed and oil yield (PAU)
- IrrigationSow after a heavy pre-sowing irrigation of 10–12 cm, then irrigate 3 to 4 weeks after sowing so the roots go deep and the fertiliser is used. A second irrigation at flowering only if needed, or earlier if frost threatens (PAU)
- FertilizerUnder irrigation, 40 kg N and 12 kg P2O5 per acre — 90 kg urea with 75 kg single superphosphate. Drill half the nitrogen with all the phosphorus before sowing and the other half with the first irrigation. Rainfed, it drops to 15 kg N and 8 kg P2O5, all drilled at sowing (PAU)
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- Varuna is a parent of many later Indian mustard varieties: over 90% of them carry "Varuna blood", and it was used as a parent in 21 or more varieties. That is why an older variety is still so widely sown.
- No specific yield, duration or recommended-state figures from an IARI primary document could be found, so treat those figures here as approximate.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Rajasthan
- Madhya Pradesh
- Uttar Pradesh
An old variety on a small budget: what you gain and give up
Varuna has been sown for decades on medium soils and is a parent of most later Indian mustard varieties. What it offers is familiarity and steadiness: seed is easy to find and cheap, and every dealer, KVK and neighbour knows how it behaves.
What you give up is disease protection. It is susceptible to white rust, and it was bred before the newer releases that carry some tolerance, so in a year when rust runs through your area this variety takes it. It still pays where spending has to stay low and the crop is partly for the household. If you are buying inputs for a commercial crop anyway, compare RH 749 or a newer release first — on the same field, their higher ceiling usually covers the slightly higher seed cost.
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 Mustard variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRCHB 101 | Late-sown irrigated mustard in Zone III and Zone V | 135–140 days | 25–28 q/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Bold | Early, bold-seeded mustard on light soil with little water | 110–115 days | 18–20 q/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Mustard 32 (PM 32) | Canola-quality mustard oil from a timely-sown irrigated Zone II field | 132–145 days | 27–33 q/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir |
| RH 749 | North-west mustard where white rust and Alternaria keep coming back | 135–140 days | 22–25 q/ha | Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh |
| Varuna (T 59)this page | A steady, familiar mustard for medium soils and low spending | 135–140 days | 15–18 q/ha | Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh |
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 Mustard is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Mustard 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 Mustard variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Mustard into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Mustard in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Mustard rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Mustard seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Who released Varuna (T 59) and when?
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, released it in 1964.
Why is Varuna called a landmark variety?
The Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding recognised it as a Landmark Variety in February 2017, largely because of its extraordinary role as a breeding parent behind most of India's later mustard varieties.
How influential has Varuna been in mustard breeding?
It is reported that more than 90% of India's Indian mustard varieties carry "Varuna blood" — it was used as a parent in at least 21 subsequent varieties, with Rohini, Kranti, Pusa Jaikisan and Krishna bred as direct selections from Varuna itself.
Is Varuna resistant to white rust?
No. It is susceptible to white rust and valued more for stable yield than for disease resistance. Varuna is a 1964-era release, from before most modern disease-resistance breeding.
Why do farmers still grow such an old variety like Varuna?
For its long, reliable track record on medium soils — over six decades of on-farm performance data give farmers confidence even without modern disease-resistance breeding.
How much yield do I give up by staying with Varuna?
Varuna gives 15–18 q/ha. RH 749 gives 22–25 q/ha with disease resistance, and PM 32 about 27.1 q/ha with up to 33.5 under irrigation. The newer varieties need timely sowing, water and inputs to reach those figures, so the real gap on your own field is smaller than the numbers look.
Is Varuna safe to grow in a humid or late-rain year?
It is susceptible to white rust, so a wet, dewy spell during flowering can take a bite out of the crop. If your area sees that most years, RH 749 is the better pick; if you stay with Varuna, scout from flowering and keep a spray ready.
Can I use my own Varuna seed year after year?
Yes, it is open-pollinated, which is one reason it has stayed in farmers' fields for six decades. Keep seed only from healthy, rust-free plants and bring in certified seed every few years so the stand and seed size hold up.
How long does Varuna take to mature?
135–140 days, the same length as RH 749 and NRCHB 101. So the old variety is not the quick one. If you need an early mustard, Pusa Bold at 110–115 days is the one to take, not Varuna.
Which soil suits Varuna?
Medium loam land. It was never bred for the lightest sandy fields or for heavy spending, and its value is that it behaves the same way year after year on ordinary soil at 15–18 q/ha. On light soil Pusa Bold is the better fit.
Sourced from: Package of Practices for Rabi Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: raya sowing window, seed rate, row spacing and thinning, sowing depth, seed inoculation, fertiliser for irrigated and rainfed crops, and irrigation. editorial policy.