Mridula
A soft-seeded, dark-red-ariled selection valued for eating quality. Not yet individually researched for a detail page.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Pomegranate
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- ~180 days
- Expected yield
- High
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Release
- Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, Maharashtra — a seedling selection from the Ganesh × Gul-e-Shah Red F2 population, the same cross family that produced Bhagwa and Arakta; exact release year not confirmed this phase
About this variety
Mridula was developed at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, Maharashtra, through seedling selection from an open-pollinated F2 population raised from the cross Ganesh × Gul-e-Shah Red — the same parental cross family behind Bhagwa and Arakta, also bred at MPKV Rahuri's Horticultural Research Station. It is valued for soft, dark-red arils and good eating quality, and is a commercially grown cultivar in Maharashtra.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
~180 days
Expected yield
High
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Moderate
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- Sourced material ties Mridula specifically to MPKV Rahuri and Maharashtra — this record's existing `states` field also includes Karnataka, which was not independently confirmed this phase but is not contradicted either, since pomegranate varieties bred in one state commonly spread to neighbouring growing regions.
- Mridula shares its parental cross (Ganesh × Gul-e-Shah Red) with Bhagwa and Arakta, both already detailed elsewhere in this dataset — this record is a sibling selection from the same breeding population, not an independently bred variety.
- No disease-resistance data specific to Mridula was found this phase — this record's existing "Moderate" diseaseResistance rating is left as the working reference, unconfirmed but not contradicted.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Maharashtra
- Karnataka
Frequently asked questions
Who developed Mridula pomegranate?
Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, Maharashtra, through seedling selection from an open-pollinated F2 population of the Ganesh × Gul-e-Shah Red cross.
How is Mridula related to Bhagwa and Arakta?
All three share the same parental cross, Ganesh × Gul-e-Shah Red, bred at MPKV Rahuri's Horticultural Research Station — Mridula is a sibling selection from that same breeding population, not a separately bred variety.
What makes Mridula's arils special?
They are soft-seeded and dark red, valued for good eating quality — traits that make this cultivar a table-fruit favourite.
Is Mridula grown outside Maharashtra?
This record's states field also lists Karnataka, though sourced material this phase specifically confirmed only Maharashtra — Karnataka cultivation is plausible but not independently verified this phase.
Is Mridula an ICAR-NRCP release?
No — it was bred at MPKV Rahuri, a state agricultural university, not ICAR-NRCP Solapur (which was only established in 2005 and whose own confirmed releases are newer hybrids like Solapur Lal).