Solapur Lal
Released in 2022 by ICAR-NRCP Solapur from a Bhagwa cross. A biofortified hybrid that ripens earlier than Bhagwa.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Pomegranate
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- 160–165 days
- Expected yield
- High
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Moderate
- Release
- ICAR-NRCP (National Research Centre on Pomegranate), Solapur, Maharashtra. Released in 2022 from the cross Bhagwa × [(Ganesh × Nana) × Daru].
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Solapur Lal is a pomegranate released in 2022 by ICAR-NRCP (National Research Centre on Pomegranate), Solapur, Maharashtra, from the cross Bhagwa × [(Ganesh × Nana) × Daru]. Arils and rind are deep red, the rind is medium-thick, and the fruit is slightly smaller than Bhagwa. The seeds are harder than Bhagwa's, and TSS is 17.5–17.7° Brix. It matures in 160–165 days, 15–20 days earlier than Bhagwa, and gives 130–140 fruits per tree (35–39 kg per tree). It has clearly more vitamin C, anthocyanin, iron and zinc than Bhagwa, so it is a biofortified line for both table and processing use.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Solapur Lal if you want a newer public-institute hybrid (ICAR-NRCP Solapur, released 2022) that ripens in 160–165 days, 15–20 days before Bhagwa, with deep red arils and rind, 17.5–17.7° Brix and 35–39 kg per tree (130–140 fruits). It carries more vitamin C, anthocyanin, iron and zinc than Bhagwa and suits both table and processing use. The catches: fruit is slightly smaller, the seeds are harder than Bhagwa's, and its blight reaction is reported as similar to Bhagwa. Choose Bhagwa for the proven export market. Choose Arakta if you want less blight and an even earlier crop.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- Its blight reaction is reported as "similar to Bhagwa". Bhagwa scored 58.11% disease severity in a 149-accession screening, which is high. So treat Solapur Lal as blight-prone and keep the same spray routine. The "Moderate" disease rating here is only a working guide.
- Its parents include Bhagwa, Ganesh, Nana and Daru, so it builds on the older MPKV Rahuri lines. It is a newer hybrid, with a short track record in farmers' fields.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Maharashtra
Harder seeds: ask your buyer before you plant
Solapur Lal's arils are deep red and its nutrition is a real plus, but its seeds are harder than Bhagwa's. For some buyers that decides everything.
Take a few fruits to the buyers you sell to. Ask whether they will pay the same per kilo as for Bhagwa, and whether they sell it as table fruit, juice or processing.
If the answer is juice or processing, Solapur Lal is worth a trial block. If it is soft-seeded table fruit at a premium, stay with Bhagwa and test Solapur Lal on a few rows only.
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 |
| Ganesh | 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 Lalthis page | 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
Who released Solapur Lal and when?
ICAR-NRCP (National Research Centre on Pomegranate), Solapur, Maharashtra, released it in 2022.
What is the parentage of Solapur Lal?
It comes from the cross Bhagwa × [(Ganesh × Nana) × Daru] — building on the older MPKV Rahuri breeding lines with newer parent material.
Is Solapur Lal resistant to bacterial blight?
Not clearly. Its blight reaction is reported as "similar to Bhagwa", and Bhagwa showed high susceptibility (58.11% disease severity) in one screening study. So the "Moderate" rating here may overstate its resistance. Keep a spray programme.
Why is Solapur Lal called biofortified?
It carries significantly higher vitamin C, anthocyanin, iron and zinc content than Bhagwa, giving it added nutritional value alongside its table and processing uses.
How does Solapur Lal compare to Bhagwa on maturity?
It matures in 160–165 days, 15–20 days earlier than Bhagwa's typical 180–190 days. The gain is modest, but real.
Solapur Lal or Bhagwa: which should I plant?
Solapur Lal ripens 15–20 days earlier (160–165 days against 180–190), has 17.5–17.7° Brix and more vitamin C, anthocyanin, iron and zinc. Bhagwa has bigger fruit, softer seeds, a long export record and the 2–3 times Ganesh price. Both are blight-prone. If your buyer pays for nutrition or an early crop, test Solapur Lal. For export, Bhagwa is still the known name.
How much fruit does one Solapur Lal tree give?
The figure given is 130–140 fruits per tree, which is 35–39 kg per tree. No source says at what tree age. Treat it as a mature-tree figure and keep your own record for the first full-bearing years.
Are Solapur Lal seeds hard?
Yes, harder than Bhagwa's. If your buyers pay a premium for soft-seeded fruit, as export and many table-fruit buyers do for Bhagwa, check this before you plant. Show a sample to your buyer first. For juice and processing, seed hardness matters less.
What does biofortified mean here?
It means the variety carries more of certain nutrients than Bhagwa: vitamin C, anthocyanin, iron and zinc. No numbers are published for them. It is a point you can use with health-minded buyers and processors, but do not promise a figure you cannot show.
Can I get Solapur Lal plants easily?
It is a 2022 release, so supply is newer than for Bhagwa or Ganesh. It is recommended for Maharashtra only. Ask ICAR-NRCP Solapur or a nursery with a bill and a named mother block, and start with a small order.