Pusa Basmati 1121
The longest slender grain in the basmati class and the variety most export buyers ask for by name.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Paddy (Rice)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 140–145 days
- Seed rate
- 8 kg of heavy, graded seed per acre raises enough seedlings for one acre. Float off the light grains in water first
- Expected yield
- 35–40 q/ha — basmati trades yield for grain quality
- Suitable soil
- Loam to clay loam with good water-holding capacity — the standard basmati-paddy soil recommendation
- Disease resistance
- Highly susceptible to bakanae; susceptible to bacterial blight
- Release
- Released 2003 for Delhi (ICAR-IARI, New Delhi); extended to Punjab and Haryana in 2008
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Basmati 1121 was bred at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi from Pusa 614-1-2 × Pusa 614-2-4-3 — both lines tracing back to traditional Basmati 370 and Type 3 — and released for Delhi in 2003, then extended to Punjab and Haryana in 2008. It set a record for cooked-kernel elongation: a milled grain around 9 mm long stretches to roughly 21–21.5 mm on cooking, an elongation ratio of about 2.7, the highest recorded in a Basmati release at the time. That single trait is why export buyers ask for it by name even though its paddy yield trails ordinary rice varieties.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Pusa Basmati 1121 if you farm in the basmati belt (Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi) and want the grain export buyers ask for by name. A cooked grain stretches to over 21 mm. You give up yield for it: 35–40 q/ha against 50+ q/ha for ordinary rice, and it takes 140–145 days. Choose Pusa Basmati 1509 instead if you need a basmati ready in about 120 days that uses less water. This variety is highly susceptible to bakanae, so treat the nursery seed and keep the nursery clean.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeSow the nursery in the first fortnight of June and transplant in the first fortnight of July (PAU, Punjab)
- Seed rate8 kg of heavy, graded seed per acre raises enough seedlings for one acre. Float off the light grains in water first
- SpacingTwo seedlings per hill in lines 20 x 15 cm apart, about 33 hills per square metre. Close it to 15 x 15 cm if transplanting runs late
- Sowing methodTransplant seedlings at the 5 to 6 leaf stage, 25 to 30 days old. Older seedlings form nodes in the nursery and then tiller poorly
- Fertilizer36 kg urea per acre, in two equal splits 3 and 6 weeks after transplanting — no basal urea at all. Skip phosphorus if the previous wheat crop got its full dose, otherwise 75 kg superphosphate per acre before the last puddling (PAU)
- HarvestingAbout 140–145 days from sowing to maturity (seed-to-seed)
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Management notes
- Use disease-free, hot-water- or fungicide-treated nursery seed to cut bakanae carry-over — the variety carries no field resistance of its own
- Avoid fields with a bacterial-blight history, and rotate away from continuous basmati where blight has appeared
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Longest cooked-kernel elongation on record for a Basmati release — about 2.7×, grains stretching past 21 mm
- The name export buyers ask for specifically — a real mandi price premium over ordinary basmati
- Two decades of cultivation experience across Punjab, Haryana and western UP, so its behaviour is well understood
Things to consider
- Paddy yield trails ordinary rice — about 35–40 q/ha against 50+ q/ha for non-basmati varieties; basmati trades yield for grain quality and price
- Highly susceptible to bakanae and susceptible to bacterial blight — nursery hygiene and field sanitation matter more than on a hardier variety
- Recommended zone is Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi — the classic basmati belt, not the wider rice tracts
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Uttar Pradesh
- Delhi
Selling to an export buyer: what gets a lot rejected
You grow this variety for its grain, not its tonnage: 35–40 q/ha against 50 and more for ordinary rice. The premium only arrives if the lot stays export grade, and most of what goes wrong happens after the crop is cut.
Three things cost farmers the premium. Mixing: a few plants of another variety, or a shared thresher that was not cleaned, lowers the whole lot. Moisture: paddy dried too fast or milled too wet breaks the long grain, and broken grain is what the extra length was worth. Discolouration: wet paddy heaped overnight yellows. On the field side, treat the seed before nursery sowing, because this variety is badly hit by bakanae, which spreads through seed and shows up as thin, tall, pale seedlings.
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 Paddy (Rice) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IR 64 | Medium-duration kharif rice with good eating quality | 115–120 days | 55–60 q/ha | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh |
| MTU 1010 (Cottondora Sannalu) | Short-duration irrigated rice; rabi crop after | 120–125 days | 55–65 q/ha under irrigated conditions | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka |
| Pusa Basmati 1121this page | Export-grade extra-long basmati; price over yield | 140–145 days | 35–40 q/ha — basmati trades yield for grain quality | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi |
| Pusa Basmati 1509 | Early basmati when water or time is short | 120–125 days | 40–48 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Sahbhagi Dhan | Rainfed uplands with an unreliable monsoon | 100–110 days | Up to 40 q/ha (rainfed) | Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh |
| Swarna (MTU 7029) | Rainfed lowland in eastern India; steady yield in a poor-water year | 145–150 days | 45–55 q/ha under rainfed lowland | West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, 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 Paddy (Rice) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Paddy (Rice) 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 Paddy (Rice) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Paddy (Rice) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Paddy (Rice) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Paddy (Rice) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Paddy (Rice) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pusa Basmati 1121?
A basmati rice variety bred at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi and released in 2003, known for the longest cooked-kernel elongation recorded in a basmati release at the time.
Why is Pusa Basmati 1121 grain special?
A roughly 9 mm milled grain stretches to about 21–21.5 mm on cooking — an elongation ratio near 2.7, well above ordinary basmati — which is what export buyers pay a premium for.
What is the sowing time for Pusa Basmati 1121?
Nursery sown late May to June, transplanted in June–July — the standard basmati calendar in its recommended belt.
How many days does Pusa Basmati 1121 take to mature?
About 140–145 days from sowing to maturity, counted seed to seed, so the nursery weeks are included. A nursery sown from late May to June is therefore ready from mid-October to late November.
What is the expected yield of Pusa Basmati 1121?
Roughly 35–40 q/ha — lower than ordinary rice, because basmati breeding trades yield for grain length and cooking quality.
Which regions are suitable for Pusa Basmati 1121?
Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi — the classic basmati-growing belt.
Pusa Basmati 1121 or Pusa Basmati 1509: which is better for me?
Pusa Basmati 1121 has the longest grain, takes 140–145 days and gives 35–40 q/ha. Pusa Basmati 1509 takes about 120 days, gives 40–48 q/ha and saves about 33% irrigation water. Choose 1121 for the premium grain. Choose 1509 if you are short of time or water.
How do I protect Pusa Basmati 1121 from bakanae?
The variety has no field resistance of its own, so start clean. Use disease-free nursery seed treated with hot water or a fungicide. Avoid fields that had bacterial blight before, and do not grow basmati in the same field year after year where blight has appeared.
Why is my Pusa Basmati 1121 yield lower than ordinary rice?
That is normal for basmati. This variety gives 35–40 q/ha, while non-basmati rice gives 50+ q/ha. You make up the difference through the higher price the long grain fetches, so check the mandi rate before you decide.
Can I save Pusa Basmati 1121 seed for next year?
Yes, it is an open-pollinated variety, so saved seed comes true. But basmati is paid for on grain length and uniformity, and a seed lot drifts over a few seasons. Keep your own seed for two or three years, then buy a fresh certified lot.
Is Pusa Basmati 1121 safe where bacterial blight comes every year?
No. It is susceptible to bacterial blight as well as highly susceptible to bakanae, so a field with a history of blight is the wrong place for it. Use clean seed, avoid flooding nitrogen on, and talk to your KVK about a basmati with better blight cover.
Sourced from: Pusa Basmati 1121 — a rice variety with exceptional kernel elongation and volume expansion after cooking, Rice (2018), ICAR-IARI authors, Package of Practices for Kharif Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: basmati nursery and transplanting dates, spacing and variety-wise urea dose. editorial policy.