Rachna
A CSAUAT, Kanpur mid-season release — the built-in mildew resistance is what a late-sown Arkel crop lacks.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Peas
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 85–90 days
- Expected yield
- 100–120 q/ha (green pods)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Powdery mildew resistant
- Release
- Bred by Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology (CSAUAT), Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Released in 1980 by the Uttar Pradesh State Variety Release Committee to replace the older T 163 line. The original source page is no longer online, so we could not check it against a primary document.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Several sources agree that Rachna was bred by Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology (CSAUAT), Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, from the cross T 163 × T 10. The Uttar Pradesh State Variety Release Committee released it in 1980 to replace the older T 163 line with a powdery-mildew-resistant successor. An India Inputs roundup also reports rust resistance and calls it a field pea grown for dry seed or dal as well as green pods, at 100–110 days to dry seed. The card shows 85–90 days, which is the green-pod picking time. The two figures measure different harvest points and do not contradict each other.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Rachna if powdery mildew is your problem and you want a mid-season pea. The resistance is not incidental: Uttar Pradesh released it in 1980 specifically to replace T 163, the line it was bred from, with a mildew-resistant successor, and one roundup credits it with rust resistance as well. It is also the only pea here you can take either way — pick it green, or leave it for dry seed and dal, which is a second market no other variety on this list offers. Mind which harvest the figures belong to: the picking time is for green pods, and dry seed needs roughly three more weeks. What you give up is Arkel's early price, since Arkel reaches the market about a month sooner. Choose Arkel if you are first to market and can sow on time. Choose Bonneville for a similar mid-season crop with no mildew resistance. Choose Pusa Prabhal if wilt as well as mildew troubles you.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Bred specifically to fix T 163's powdery mildew susceptibility. Sources describe the resistance as the whole point of the cross.
- An India Inputs roundup also credits it with rust resistance and good dry-seed protein, on top of its powdery mildew resistance.
Things to consider
- An India Inputs roundup gives 100–110 days to dry-seed harvest, longer than the 85–90 days to green pods on the card. They measure different harvest points and do not contradict each other.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- Madhya Pradesh
Green pods or dry seed: decide before you sow
Rachna can be picked green at 85–90 days or left for dry seed at 100–110 days. Those are two different crops with different buyers.
If you pick green, you sell pods at the fresh market and clear the field by about three months. If you leave it for dry seed, you sell for dal and the field stays occupied for another two to three weeks.
Write down which you want, and plan your next crop and your labour around that date. Do not switch halfway, because green-picked plants will not fill dry seed well.
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 Prabhal | 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 |
| Rachnathis page | 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
What was Rachna bred to fix?
Sources describe it as a direct replacement for the older T 163 pea line, bred specifically to add the powdery-mildew resistance that T 163 lacked.
Rachna or Arkel: which should I sow?
Arkel is earlier (60–65 days against 85–90) and gets the early-season price, but it gets powdery mildew in a late crop and yields 80–100 q/ha. Rachna gives 100–120 q/ha with bred-in mildew resistance and suits a mid-season sowing. If you can sow early and reach the early market, Arkel. If your sowing runs late or mildew has hit before, Rachna.
Can I grow Rachna for dry seed or dal?
One roundup describes it as a field pea grown for dry seed and dal as well as green pods, at 100–110 days to dry-seed harvest. The card's 85–90 days is the green-pod stage. Decide at sowing which you want, because the harvest dates and the market differ.
Does Rachna's mildew resistance mean I can skip spraying?
Resistance cuts the risk, but it is no promise of a clean crop in every season. Scout the field weekly and follow your state horticulture department's advice if mildew or another disease appears. Rachna's rust resistance, reported by one roundup, also helps.
Which states is Rachna grown in?
The state list here shows Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The variety was released in Uttar Pradesh by the state release committee. For another state, no trial is listed here, so sow a trial row first.
Sourced from: Top 10 Famous Pea Varieties in India — India Inputs. editorial policy.