Ganesh
Raised from rooted cuttings, not true seed. The older Pune-bred standard, overtaken by Bhagwa's deeper rind colour, grown where markets pay for soft seed.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Pomegranate
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Bearing from year 2–3 (cutting-raised plant)
- Expected yield
- 120–150 q/ha at full bearing
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to bacterial blight
- Release
- Selected in 1932 from open-pollinated Alandi seedlings at the Ganeshkhind Fruit Experiment Station, Pune, by Dr G. S. Cheema. Released commercially in 1936 as GBG-1 and renamed Ganesh in 1970.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Ganesh goes back to Dr G. S. Cheema's work at the Ganeshkhind Fruit Experiment Station, Pune. In 1932 he selected promising open-pollinated seedlings from the local, wild Alandi pomegranate type. One seedling, numbered GBG-1, was released for commercial cultivation in 1936 and renamed Ganesh in 1970, a more market-friendly name. One cultivar table gives medium-round, smooth fruit with a yellow rind carrying a red tinge, pinkish soft-seeded arils, sweet juice, about 16.47% TSS, 0.42% acidity and an average fruit weight of about 325 g. The bacterial blight screening of 149 accessions groups Ganesh with Bhagwa, Arakta and Mridula as popular, high-value cultivars, and says none of the four has real resistance or tolerance.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Ganesh if your local market buys soft, pinkish arils with sweet juice and does not pay extra for Bhagwa's deep rind colour. It has a long record in Maharashtra, and its fruit is the smaller one: about 325 g against Bhagwa's 405–420 g. The trade-off is price and yield: Bhagwa fetches 2–3 times the Ganesh price and yields 150–200 q/ha against Ganesh's 120–150 q/ha. Ganesh also has no real bacterial blight resistance. Choose Bhagwa for the export market. Choose Arakta if you want an earlier crop from the same breeding family.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Soft arils and a pinkish colour still have a following where the local market pays for softness over Bhagwa's deeper rind colour.
- A long commercial record. It was Maharashtra's main pomegranate for decades before Bhagwa spread, and it is still grown at meaningful scale.
Things to consider
- Ganesh, like Bhagwa and Arakta, has no real bacterial blight resistance. It sits among India's popular pomegranate cultivars that are all susceptible.
- Ganesh's own blight severity was not reported in that trial the way Bhagwa's (58.11%) and Arakta's (44.49%) were. Do not assume it does better than Bhagwa.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Maharashtra
Where Ganesh still sells: test the stall before the block
Ganesh does not earn the Bhagwa premium. Its case rests on one thing: some buyers like soft, pinkish arils and sweet juice better than a deep rind colour.
Before you plant, take a sample of Ganesh fruit to the three buyers you would actually sell to. Ask each what they would pay per kilo for it and for Bhagwa. If the gap is small, Ganesh is worth it. If it is large, plant Bhagwa.
Do this with fruit, not with a variety name. Buyers often decide on the first look and bite.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is raised from cuttings, not from seed, so you can take your own planting material. Take cuttings only from healthy, well-grown plants that are true to the variety, and never from one that showed disease — a cutting carries its mother plant with it. Where a nursery or a government farm sells clean planting material, that is the safer start.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Pomegranate variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arakta | An earlier-ripening, drought-tolerant pomegranate with somewhat less bacterial blight than Bhagwa, for sandy soils in Maharashtra and Karnataka | Bearing from year 2–3 (cutting-raised plant) | 130–160 q/ha at full bearing | Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Bhagwa | A saffron-rind, dark-crimson, soft-seeded pomegranate for export and premium buyers, for farmers ready to run a blight spray programme | Bearing from year 2–3 (grafted/cutting-raised plant) | 150–200 q/ha at full bearing | Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat |
| Ganeshthis page | A soft-seeded, pinkish-aril pomegranate for Maharashtra markets that still pay for softness over rind colour | Bearing from year 2–3 (cutting-raised plant) | 120–150 q/ha at full bearing | Maharashtra |
| Mridula | A soft-seeded, dark-red-aril pomegranate valued for eating quality, for Maharashtra farmers who sell as table fruit | ~180 days | High | Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Ruby | A multiple-cross IIHR pomegranate bred for aril colour and mellow seeds, for Karnataka and Maharashtra | ~180 days | High | Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Solapur Lal | A 2022 ICAR-NRCP biofortified hybrid for Maharashtra, for table and processing use, ripening 15–20 days before Bhagwa | 160–165 days | High | Maharashtra |
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 Pomegranate is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Pomegranate plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Pomegranate variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Pomegranate 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 Pomegranate rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Pomegranate seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the name 'Ganesh' come from?
It wasn't the original name. Dr G. S. Cheema selected the plant from open-pollinated Alandi seedlings at Pune's Ganeshkhind Fruit Experiment Station in 1932 and released it commercially in 1936 under the working name 'GBG-1'; it was renamed 'Ganesh' — a more market-friendly name, and likely a nod to the Ganeshkhind station — only in 1970.
Is Ganesh more bacterial-blight tolerant than Bhagwa?
No figure is published for Ganesh's own blight severity. The 149-accession ICAR screening that measured Bhagwa (58.11%) and Arakta (44.49%) groups Ganesh with both as lacking real resistance. There is no basis to expect Ganesh to do noticeably better.
Ganesh or Bhagwa: which should I plant today?
Bhagwa has the export price (2–3 times Ganesh), bigger fruit (405–420 g against about 325 g) and a higher yield (150–200 q/ha against 120–150). Ganesh has soft pinkish arils that some local markets prefer. Neither is blight-resistant. Unless a local buyer asks for Ganesh by name, Bhagwa usually earns more. Check your buyer before you decide.
What does Ganesh fruit look and taste like?
The fruit is medium-round and smooth, with a yellow rind that carries a red tinge. The arils are pinkish and soft-seeded, the juice is sweet, and one cultivar table gives about 16.47% TSS and 0.42% acidity. Average fruit weight is about 325 g.
Is Ganesh still worth planting in Maharashtra?
Only where your market pays for soft, pinkish arils. Bhagwa overtook it on rind colour and price. Ganesh still has a following and is still grown at scale, but it has no blight advantage. Do not plant a large block without a buyer who asks for it.
How did Ganesh get its name?
It was first numbered GBG-1 when it was released in 1936. It was renamed Ganesh in 1970 as a more market-friendly name, likely a nod to the Ganeshkhind station where it was selected. If an old nursery list shows GBG-1, it is the same variety.
Can I raise Ganesh from seed?
Not if you want the same fruit. It is raised from rooted cuttings, not true seed. Buy cuttings with a bill that names Ganesh, since several pomegranate types look alike in a young plant.
Sourced from: Ganesh Pomegranates Information and Facts — Specialty Produce, Pomegranate Cultivation in India: Cultivars and Varieties, Differential gene responses in different varieties of pomegranate during the pathogenesis of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae — PMC, ICAR-IIHR released varieties. editorial policy.