Arkel
The earliest common garden pea — first to the market, which is exactly why it commands the early-season price.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Peas
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 60–65 days
- Expected yield
- 80–100 q/ha (green pods)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Introduced from England and released for commercial cultivation via IARI, New Delhi, reportedly in the 1970s — exact notification year not confirmed by a directly-fetched primary document in this pass
About this variety
Arkel is one of the oldest and most widely grown early garden pea varieties in India, introduced from England and evaluated/released for commercial cultivation via IARI, New Delhi — a 1970s introduction confirmed across multiple independent WebSearch summaries, though no directly-fetched primary IARI/ICAR document in this pass pinned an exact notification year. It's a dwarf plant, about 45–60 cm tall, bearing sickle-shaped, well-filled pods with 7–9 sweet seeds that wrinkle at maturity, ready for first picking around 60 days — closely matching this record's own 60–65-day duration. A directly-fetched India Inputs variety roundup independently corroborates a 55–60-day maturity and describes the pods as medium (8–10 cm), tender and sweet-flavoured. Arkel remains, alongside Bonneville and the India-bred Rachna, one of only a handful of exotic-origin pea introductions still widely grown in India decades later, even as most other 1970s exotic cultivars have been displaced by newer lines.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
60–65 days
Expected yield
80–100 q/ha (green pods)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Earliest-to-market of the common garden pea varieties, matching this record's own note — this is exactly why it commands the early-season price premium farmers plant it for.
- Its wrinkled-seed maturity and roughly 60-day first-picking window are confirmed across two sources — a WebSearch-corroborated agronomy summary and a directly-fetched India Inputs roundup — both landing close to this record's own 60–65-day duration.
Things to consider
- No directly-fetched primary IARI or ICAR document could pin an exact release/notification year in this pass — WebSearch summaries consistently describe a 1970s England-to-India introduction, but since that figure isn't from a document read directly, it's stated here as approximate rather than precise.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Bihar
Frequently asked questions
Why is Arkel still grown decades after its introduction, despite newer Indian-bred varieties existing?
Sources describe it as one of only a handful of exotic-origin pea introductions — alongside Bonneville and, later, the India-bred Rachna — that farmers have kept growing continuously because nothing since has beaten its combination of earliness and market timing; most other 1970s exotic introductions have since been displaced.
How does Arkel's duration compare across sources?
A directly-fetched India Inputs roundup gives 55–60 days and a separate WebSearch-corroborated agronomy summary gives "first picking in 60 days" — both sit at or just below this record's own 60–65-day window.
Sourced from: Top 10 Famous Pea Varieties in India — India Inputs. editorial policy.