Lakhat
A local Queen-group type, named after its place of maximum production and smaller than Queen, grown for table and processing (NHB). No yield, duration or fruit weight is published.
Quick facts
- Type
- Sucker / slip (local Queen-group cultivar)
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Not published for Lakhat
- 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
Lakhat is a local pineapple type described by NHB together with Jaldhup: two local types named after the places of their maximum production, both cultivated for table as well as processing, both in the Queen group and smaller than Queen. NHB singles out Jaldhup for its alcoholic flavour but says nothing of the kind about Lakhat. NHB does not name a state; Lakhat is usually linked with Assam and the north-east. We found no release notice, trial or yield table.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Lakhat only if your local market already buys it by name, and plan to check the planting material yourself, since no certified source exists. NHB's whole description is short: one of two local types, with Jaldhup, named after the places of their maximum production, grown for table and processing, in the Queen group and smaller than Queen. Unlike Jaldhup, NHB gives no flavour trait for Lakhat, so there is nothing official to tell the two apart. There is no trial with its weight, duration or yield. If you want a better-documented small fruit, Queen has trial figures: 54.96 t/ha, 1,197 g a fruit and 18.00 degrees Brix in the Cooch Behar trial.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Listed by NHB for both table and processing use.
- In the Queen group, a family with trial figures to compare against: Queen gave 54.96 t/ha and 18.00 degrees Brix at Cooch Behar.
- Planted from ordinary suckers and slips, which KAU grades by weight and cures in shade for 8 to 10 days.
Things to consider
- No published yield, duration, fruit weight, acidity or disease record.
- Smaller than Queen (NHB), so there is less fruit weight per plant to sell, and no trial shows what that does to yield per hectare.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Assam
A checklist for buying Lakhat suckers
Because there is no certified Lakhat seed source, the checking falls to you. KAU, for Mauritius, advises suckers from healthy, pest-free plants. Suckers of 400 to 500 g or slips of 350 to 450 g are called ideal. Grade them as under 500 g, 500 to 750 g and over 750 g and plant each grade in its own block so that growth and flowering stay even. Strip some lower leaves. Then cure the pieces in shade for 8 to 10 days, because fresh suckers planted in moist soil begin to decay. TNAU asks for 300 to 350 g material for Kew with a slanting cut and a dip in mancozeb 0.3% or carbendazim 0.1%.
Then check the site. NHB says pineapple wants soil pH 5.0 to 6.0, is particularly sensitive to waterlogging, and grows best at 15 to 32 degrees C. Walk the mother field before you pay: look for wilting leaf tips with a reddish yellow colour, which KAU lists as the sign of mealybug wilt, ants moving along the rows, and rotting at the plant centre. Do not take suckers from an infested field, because KAU says planting material should never be collected from one.
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 |
| Jaldhup | 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 |
| Lakhatthis page | 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 Lakhat the same as Jaldhup?
NHB lists them as two separate local types. Both are named after the places of their maximum production, both are grown for table and processing, and both belong to the Queen group, smaller than Queen. Only Jaldhup is given a distinguishing trait, a characteristic alcoholic flavour. NHB gives Lakhat none, and no source we found compares them side by side. If a seller uses the two names for the same plants, ask which village the mother plants came from and taste the fruit.
How big is a Lakhat fruit?
NHB says only that it is smaller than Queen, whose fruit it gives as 1 to 1.5 kg. It publishes no weight for Lakhat. In the Cooch Behar trial Queen weighed 1,196.56 g a fruit, so Lakhat would be lower. On KAU's grading scale (class A above 1,500 g, B 1,100 to 1,500, C 800 to 1,100, D 550 to 800 and baby under 550), a Lakhat fruit probably lands in the lower classes. Weigh 30 fruits from the mother field before you agree a price per fruit.
Can I sell Lakhat to a processor?
NHB lists Lakhat as cultivated for processing as well as table use, but it does not say what kind of processing. Large canneries are built around the 2 to 3 kg fruit of Kew, which NHB rates for canning. For a small fruit like Lakhat, juice, squash, jam or a local fruit stall is a more likely outlet. Get the processor's minimum fruit weight and price in writing before you plant for him.
Which soil and drainage does Lakhat need?
There is no Lakhat-specific advice, so follow the crop advice. NHB says pineapple prefers soil with pH 5.0 to 6.0, does well in sandy and loamy soils rich in humus and in laterite soils, and is particularly sensitive to waterlogging, so drainage is essential. It grows best at 15 to 32 degrees C and below 1,100 m elevation if frost does not occur. KAU asks for the water table to stay at least 60 cm below the soil surface to avoid Phytophthora heart rot, and recommends ridges in paddy land.
Sourced from: NHB — Pineapple varieties (Kew, Queen, Mauritius, Jaldhup, Lakhat), NHB — Pineapple soil and climate, Production technology for Vazhakulam Pineapple (Mauritius) — Pineapple Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University (Joy, 2010), Morphological characterization and performance of pineapple varieties in northern West Bengal — Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 92(5), 2022 (Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya). editorial policy.