Pusa Prabhal
An improved late-season variety bred for resistance to the crop's main disease.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Peas
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 80–100 days
- Expected yield
- ~138 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew
- Release
- ICAR-IARI, New Delhi (Division of Vegetable Science) — notified 2019 by the Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties for Horticultural Crops
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Prabhal (spelled Pusa Prabal in some IARI publications) is a garden pea developed by the Division of Vegetable Science, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. It was bred by crossing donor lines for dual resistance to Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew. The Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties for Horticultural Crops notified it in 2019. It is medium-maturing and double-podded. The pods are dark green and long, with 7–9 seeds each. The shelling percentage is a high 52% and the average yield is 13.79 t/ha.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Prabhal if wilt or powdery mildew has hurt your peas before. It is the only pea here carrying resistance to both — Rachna and Pusa Pragati are bred against mildew alone — and on a field where Fusarium wilt has already shown up, that second gene is the whole decision. It is also the heaviest on this list at 13.79 t/ha, ahead of Rachna's 100–120 q/ha, and its 52% shelling is the highest of the three peas here that publish one, above Kashi Nandini's 47–48% and VL Ageti's 42%, which is worth real money if you sell shelled. The catches: 80–100 days, where Arkel picks at 60, and the state list here shows Himachal Pradesh only, so ask your KVK before planting it in the plains. Choose Arkel for the earliest crop. Choose Rachna if powdery mildew alone is your problem. Choose Kashi Nandini for a notified pea with a wider state list.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- The state list here shows Himachal Pradesh only. No trial from other states is listed, so sow a trial row if you farm elsewhere.
- It takes 80–100 days, much longer than early peas such as Arkel (60–65 days). It does not suit a market that pays for the early crop.
- The 13.79 t/ha is an average of green pods, which is about 138 q/ha. Your result will depend on your sowing date, water and soil.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Himachal Pradesh
A pea for troubled land: put disease cover first
Pusa Prabhal's reason to exist is dual resistance: Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew together. Few peas offer both.
That makes it a choice for fields where peas have died or been coated in white powder before. It does not make it a choice for the early market, because it takes 80–100 days.
Look at your last three pea crops. If wilt or mildew cost you more than a quarter of a crop in any of them, give Pusa Prabhal a block. If not, an early variety may earn you more.
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 Peas variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkel | The earliest common garden pea, for the early-season price, sown in time to dodge late-crop powdery mildew | 60–65 days | 80–100 q/ha (green pods) | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar |
| Azad Matar | A sweet, tender, long dark-green-pod garden pea from CSAUAT Kanpur (Azad P-1), for Uttar Pradesh fresh sale with a mildew plan | About 53 days to first picking in one Prayagraj plains trial; about 120 days in hill trials | High | Uttar Pradesh |
| Bonneville | A main-season, taller garden pea for the mid-season market, also suited to dehydration | 75–80 days | 65–110 q/ha (green pods; sources differ) | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Kashi Nandini | An early-maturing, ICAR-IIVR garden pea with good pod set, notified for nine states from Jammu & Kashmir to Kerala | 70–80 days | 75–120 q/ha (sources differ) | Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala |
| Pant Matar | An early GBPUAT Pantnagar garden pea (Pant Matar 2) that matches Arkel's days and gives about 10% more pods, for the northern hills and plains | About 60 days to first picking | About 100 q/ha (green pods; some reports lower) | Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand |
| Pusa Prabhalthis page | A wilt-and-mildew-resistant, double-podded garden pea for land with Fusarium wilt or powdery mildew trouble | 80–100 days | ~138 q/ha | Himachal Pradesh |
| Pusa Pragati (Early Badger) | An early, powdery-mildew-resistant IARI garden pea with long 10 cm pods and 9 seeds per pod, recommended for all of India | 60–65 days to first picking | About 70 q/ha (green pods) | Punjab |
| Rachna | A powdery-mildew-resistant mid-season pea bred at CSAUAT Kanpur, for green pods or dry seed | 85–90 days | 100–120 q/ha (green pods) | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh |
| VL Ageti | An early, dwarf ICAR-VPKAS garden pea (VL-7) for the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand | About 120–125 days to first picking (hill sowing) | High | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
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 Peas is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Peas 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 Peas variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Peas into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Peas in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Peas rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Peas seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Who released Pusa Prabhal and when?
The Division of Vegetable Science, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, developed it, and the Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards notified it in 2019.
What diseases is Pusa Prabhal resistant to?
It carries dual resistance to Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew.
Is Pusa Prabhal the same as Pusa Prabal?
Yes. "Pusa Prabal" is an alternate spelling used in some IARI publications for this same variety.
How much yield does Pusa Prabhal give?
An average of 13.79 t/ha, with a high shelling percentage of 52%.
What do Pusa Prabhal pods look like?
Dark-green, long and double-podded (two pods per node), each carrying 7–9 seeds — a distinctive double-podding trait that helps boost per-plant yield.
Is Pusa Prabhal worth it if I have no wilt?
It can still be, since powdery mildew shows up in many seasons and the yield figure is strong (13.79 t/ha). But it takes 80–100 days against 60–65 for Arkel, so you lose the early price. If your fields are clean of wilt and you sow early, Arkel or Kashi Nandini may give you a better return.
What does double-podded mean for my yield?
Each node carries two pods instead of one. That is a trait that helps the plant carry more pods, which supports the high average yield. It also means picking takes a little more care, because the two pods sit together.
How much of a Pusa Prabhal pod is peas?
The shelling percentage is a high 52%, so a little over half the pod weight is peas. That helps if you sell shelled peas. It carries 7–9 seeds per long, dark-green pod.
Is Pusa Prabhal a hybrid or can I save the seed?
It is an open-pollinated variety bred by crossing donor lines for resistance, and you can save the seed. Save from healthy plants that show no wilt or mildew, and keep the lot clean and separate.