Pusa Nanha
From IARI — a dwarf, compact release for kitchen gardens and high-density planting, fruiting close to the ground, unlike taller Pusa Delicious or CO 7.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Papaya
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- First harvest 8–9 months after planting
- Expected yield
- 400–450 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate papaya ring spot virus tolerance
- Release
- Developed at the ICAR-IARI Regional Station, Pusa, Bihar. Reported by several sources as a mutation-breeding line from Pusa 1-15 seeds treated with 15 kR of gamma rays. No release year is published.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Nanha is an ultra-dwarf, dioecious papaya (separate male and female plants) developed at the ICAR-IARI Regional Station, Pusa, Bihar. Several sources report it as a mutation-breeding product: seeds of the line Pusa 1-15 treated with 15 kR of gamma rays to fix a stable, uniform dwarf type. No single official page confirms the method, so it is reported rather than fully sourced. A National Horticulture Board (NHB) project report recommends a close spacing of 1.2 × 1.2 m for Pusa Nanha under high-density planting and lists it, with Pusa Delicious, in Karnataka, Kerala, Jharkhand and Odisha, beyond the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh listed here. A Biotech Articles roundup says the plant can keep fruiting for up to three years. A trade source puts the tree at 4–5 feet, bearing 500–700 g fruit with deep-orange, aromatic flesh from about 9–10 months after planting, a little later than the 8–9 months shown for first harvest. Because of its small size it is sold for kitchen gardens, pots and rooftops, unlike the taller, more spreading Pusa Delicious and CO 7.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Nanha if your space is small: a kitchen garden, a roof, large pots or a close-planted plot. The tree stays about 4–5 feet tall and fruits close to the ground, and its 500–700 g fruit is well under half the size of the 1.5–2.0 kg fruit on Pusa Delicious, Red Lady and Coorg Honey Dew. On the listed 8–9 months to first harvest it is ahead of CO 7 (9–10 months) and Pusa Delicious (10–11 months), but a trade source says 9–10, which would put it level with CO 7, so plan on the longer wait. It is dioecious, so you must keep a few male plants for pollen. Its 400–450 q/ha is the lowest per-hectare figure of the three papayas that give one, against 600–700 for Pusa Delicious and 900–1,000 for CO 7. Choose Pusa Delicious or CO 7 for an orchard, and Red Lady if you want a high-yield hybrid.
Sowing & cultivation
- Spacing1.2 × 1.2 m recommended for high-density planting, per a National Horticulture Board project report
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Ultra-dwarf habit (about 4–5 feet), suited to kitchen gardens, containers and rooftop cultivation, a different niche from taller orchard types like Pusa Delicious and CO 7
- A National Horticulture Board project report recommends a close 1.2 × 1.2 m spacing for high-density planting of this variety
- Can keep bearing fruit for up to three years according to a trade roundup, useful for a variety often grown in small home-garden plots rather than replanted every year
Things to consider
- The gamma-ray origin (Pusa 1-15, 15 kR) is reported the same way by several sources, but no single official page confirms it.
- A trade source gives about 9–10 months to first fruit, a little later than the 8–9 months shown above. Plan on the longer wait.
- Grown beyond Delhi and Uttar Pradesh: a National Horticulture Board project report also lists Karnataka, Kerala, Jharkhand and Odisha.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
Dioecious: why you must keep some male plants
Pusa Nanha is dioecious: some plants are male and some are female, and only the female plants carry fruit. You cannot tell them apart as seedlings. They show their sex when they flower.
TNAU's rule for dioecious papaya is to keep one male tree for every 20 female trees and take out the other male trees once the flower stalks appear. At 1.2 × 1.2 m there are about 6,944 plants to a hectare, so one in 21 works out to about 330 male plants.
Plant two or three seedlings in each hole so that enough females are left after thinning. In a kitchen garden with only two or three trees, ask the nursery for plants whose sex is known, or you may end up with only males.
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 Papaya variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO 7 | Sweet, red-fleshed papaya for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, with 16.7° Brix and the heaviest yield figures here | First harvest 9–10 months after planting | 900–1,000 q/ha | Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| Coorg Honey Dew (Madhu Bindu) | A semi-dwarf, sweet papaya (about 13.5° Brix) for fresh sale and papain in Karnataka | No separate figure published | High | Karnataka |
| Pusa Delicious | A well-known orange-fleshed table and processing papaya for north and east India, giving 58–61 kg per plant | First harvest 10–11 months after planting | 600–700 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal |
| Pusa Nanhathis page | A dwarf papaya (4–5 feet) for kitchen gardens, pots, rooftops and close planting at 1.2 × 1.2 m | First harvest 8–9 months after planting | 400–450 q/ha | Delhi, Uttar Pradesh |
| Red Lady (Taiwan 786) | A compact, early, red-fleshed hybrid papaya for the commercial market, bearing at 60–80 cm height | First pick ~8 months | Very high | Andhra 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 Papaya is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Papaya 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 Papaya variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Papaya into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Papaya in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Papaya rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Papaya seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Pusa Nanha so much shorter than other papaya varieties?
It's widely reported to be a mutation-bred line — seeds of an earlier IARI line, Pusa 1-15, treated with gamma radiation to fix a stable dwarf, uniform type — rather than a cross-bred hybrid. That's why it stays around 4–5 feet tall, against the much taller habit of standard varieties.
What planting spacing suits Pusa Nanha's dwarf habit?
A National Horticulture Board project report recommends a closer 1.2 × 1.2 m spacing for high-density planting of this specific variety — tighter than the spacing typically used for taller papaya types.
Do I need male plants with Pusa Nanha?
Yes. Pusa Nanha is dioecious, with separate male and female plants, and the females need pollen. TNAU's rule for dioecious papaya is to keep one male tree for every 20 female trees and remove the extra male trees once the flower stalks appear. At 1.2 × 1.2 m, a hectare holds about 6,944 plants, so that means about 330 male plants.
How much fruit can one Pusa Nanha plant give?
The 400–450 q/ha shown above works out to about 6 kg per plant at 1.2 × 1.2 m, if every plant is counted. With 500–700 g fruits, that is roughly 8 to 13 fruits per plant. Treat it as a planning number, not a promise.
Can Pusa Nanha grow in a pot or on a rooftop?
Yes, it is sold for that use because the tree is only 4–5 feet tall. A trade source and a farm-extension page both describe the kitchen-garden, pot and rooftop use. Use a large container, and remember you still need a male plant for pollen unless a nursery sells plants of known sex.
Should I plan on 8–9 months or 9–10 months to first harvest of Pusa Nanha?
Plan on the longer wait, 9–10 months. The main sources give 8–9 months, while a trade source says 9–10. Pusa Nanha is a dwarf of about 4–5 feet that fruits close to the ground, with 500–700 g fruit, so the extra month costs little in a kitchen garden. Do not promise fruit to a buyer by the earlier date.
Is Pusa Nanha grown only in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh?
No. A National Horticulture Board project report also lists Karnataka, Kerala, Jharkhand and Odisha. Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are the states where it is formally listed. It is dioecious, so keep a few male plants for pollen wherever you grow it, and check with your KVK that it suits your local climate.
Sourced from: Varietal Wealth of Papaya in India — Biotech Articles, PAPAYA — Model Project Report, National Horticulture Board, Papaya varieties – Pusa Dwarf, Pusa Megesty, Pusa Nanna, Pusa Jayant — AgriBot, Papaya - Variety information — Farm Extension Manager, Horticulture :: Fruits :: Papaya — TNAU Agritech Portal (sex types, male-plant ratio, spacing, seed rate). editorial policy.