Jaldhup
A local Queen-group type that NHB says is grown for table and processing, with sweetness well blended with acidity and a characteristic alcoholic flavour that sets it apart from other Queen-group fruit. No yield or duration is published.
Quick facts
- Type
- Sucker / slip (local Queen-group cultivar)
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Not published for Jaldhup
- Expected yield
- No variety figure published
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained sandy loam or laterite, strongly acidic (pH 5.0–6.0)
- Disease resistance
- No variety-specific disease record found
- Release
- A local type, not a formal release; NHB names no breeder or year
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Jaldhup is a local pineapple type that NHB describes together with Lakhat: both are local types named after the places of their maximum production, and both are cultivated for table as well as processing. Both fall in the Queen group of fruits, being smaller than Queen. NHB adds that Jaldhup has its sweetness well blended with acidity, and that its fruit has a characteristic alcoholic flavour of its own that sets it apart from other Queen-group fruit. NHB does not name the state; Jaldhup is usually linked with Assam and the north-east. We found no release notice, trial or yield table for it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Jaldhup if buyers in your area already ask for it by name and you accept that there is no published yield for it. The only official description we found is NHB's: a local type named after the place of its maximum production, grown for table and processing, in the Queen group but smaller than Queen. NHB says its sweetness is well blended with acidity and that its fruit has a characteristic alcoholic flavour of its own, by which it is easily told from other Queen-group fruit. There is no trial that gives its weight, duration or yield. Plant a small block next to Kew or Queen, weigh the fruit, and decide on your own numbers.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A characteristic alcoholic flavour that NHB says tells it apart from other Queen-group fruit.
- Sweetness well blended with acidity (NHB), which suits eating fresh.
- NHB lists it for both table and processing use.
Things to consider
- No published yield, duration, fruit weight or disease record, so any number you are quoted by a seller has no official source behind it.
- Smaller than Queen (NHB), and Queen itself gave 54.96 t/ha against 89.70 for Kew in the Cooch Behar trial.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Assam
What is written down about Jaldhup, and what is not
Written down by NHB: a local type, named after the place where it is grown most; grown for table and processing; in the Queen group; smaller than Queen; sweetness well blended with acidity; a characteristic alcoholic flavour. That is the whole official description we found. Queen, for comparison, is described by NHB as a 1 to 1.5 kg fruit with 15 to 16 degrees Brix and 0.6 to 0.8% acid.
Not written down anywhere we looked: a release year or breeder, fruit weight, TSS, acidity, days to harvest, yield per hectare, and any disease or pest rating. The nearest benchmark is the Queen group in the Cooch Behar trial, where Queen flowered at 351.29 days and reached harvest 120.77 days later, about 15.5 months, and yielded 54.96 t/ha without crown. NHB says Jaldhup fruit is smaller than Queen, so use that as a ceiling and not a forecast. Keep a notebook of your first crop: planting date, treatment date, harvest date, fruit weights and what the buyer paid.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is raised from suckers taken off the mother plant, so you can multiply it yourself. Pick sturdy suckers of even size from healthy, well-yielding clumps, and never from one that looked diseased or stunted — the new plant inherits whatever the mother had. For a clean start, take planting material from a registered nursery or a government farm.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Pineapple (Ananas) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amritha | Kerala farmers who want a compact plant with a small crown; test a small block first | 13–15 months (KAU description) | No KAU yield figure found; 33.74 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial | Kerala, West Bengal |
| Jaldhupthis page | Local markets that know its flavour; a small trial block beside Queen or Kew | Not published for Jaldhup | No variety figure published | Assam |
| Kew (Giant Kew) | Canning, juice and large fresh fruit; Assam, West Bengal, Kerala | About 15–24 months from planting to harvest | 89.70 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial; TNAU puts a well-kept orchard at 50 t/ha | Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Lakhat | Local markets that sell it by name; verify the planting material before you buy | Not published for Lakhat | No variety figure published | Assam |
| Mauritius (Vazhakulam) | Sweet table fruit for distant markets; Kerala, Meghalaya, trial success in West Bengal | Flowers 7–8 months after planting; first harvest in about a year with ethephon (KAU) | 50–60 t/ha a year at 43,300–50,000 plants/ha, falling year by year (KAU) | Kerala, Meghalaya, West Bengal |
| MD-2 (Super Sweet) | Premium and export fruit where long shelf life is paid for; plant a trial block first | About 15 months from planting to harvest in one West Bengal trial; KAU says it can be picked by the 12th month | 36.45 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial; no Indian commercial yield figure found | Kerala, West Bengal |
| Queen | Sweet, aromatic fresh fruit in small sizes; Assam, West Bengal, Kerala | About 15–16 months from planting to harvest in one West Bengal trial | 54.96 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial | Assam, West Bengal, Kerala |
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 Pineapple (Ananas) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Pineapple (Ananas) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Pineapple (Ananas) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Pineapple (Ananas) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Pineapple (Ananas) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Pineapple (Ananas) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jaldhup an official, released variety?
We found no release notice, breeder or year. NHB calls Jaldhup and Lakhat "two local types, both being named after the places of their maximum production". That makes them landraces that farmers have kept and passed on, not varieties bred and notified by an institute. There is nothing wrong with that, but it means there is no certified seed source, so judge the planting material by the mother field and the fruit you taste.
What does Jaldhup taste like?
NHB says its sweetness is well blended with acidity, and that the fruit has a characteristic alcoholic flavour of its own, which makes it easy to tell from other Queen-group fruit. NHB gives no Brix or acid figure for Jaldhup. For the Queen group, NHB gives 15 to 16 degrees Brix and 0.6 to 0.8% acid for Queen itself. Taste is the one thing you can check yourself: buy a ripe Jaldhup from the market you plan to sell in and compare it with Queen before you plant.
Can Jaldhup be processed, or is it only a fresh fruit?
NHB says Jaldhup and Lakhat are cultivated for table as well as processing. It also says Queen-group fruit is smaller than Queen, and it names Kew, not Queen, as the variety valued for canning, because of its 2 to 3 kg fruit and almost fibreless flesh. So small-scale processing, such as juice, squash or jam, is more realistic than canning slices. Check with the processor first whether he will take a small fruit with a strong flavour.
What yield should I plan for Jaldhup?
No official or trial figure exists for Jaldhup, so any tonnes-per-hectare number a seller quotes has no published source. The nearest benchmark is Queen in the Cooch Behar trial, 54.96 t/ha without crown, and NHB says Jaldhup fruit is smaller than Queen, so treat that as a ceiling. Count your own plants, weigh a sample of 30 fruits, and multiply by the plant population you used; one acre at the 43,500 plants/ha layout KAU and TNAU describe holds about 17,600 plants.
Sourced from: NHB — Pineapple varieties (Kew, Queen, Mauritius, Jaldhup, Lakhat), Morphological characterization and performance of pineapple varieties in northern West Bengal — Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 92(5), 2022 (Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya), Production technology for Vazhakulam Pineapple (Mauritius) — Pineapple Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University (Joy, 2010), NHB — Pineapple soil and climate. editorial policy.