Kufri Pukhraj
Bulks up fastest of the two, which is exactly why it carries no built-in blight protection — plan the spray calendar before you plant it.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Potato
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 70–80 days
- Seed rate
- 13–18 quintals of seed tubers per acre, each tuber 40–50 g, from a disease-free seed-plot crop
- Expected yield
- 300–350 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to late blight — needs a protective spray schedule
- Release
- Released 1998 · ICAR-CPRI, Shimla · bred from the Craig’s Defiance line
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kufri Pukhraj was released in 1998 by ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla, descended from the Craig’s Defiance breeding line. It is CPRI’s fastest-bulking early variety, bred specifically for early lifting and a low-input package, which is also why it was not bred with built-in blight protection the way some later releases were.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Kufri Pukhraj if you want a potato ready in 70–80 days, the fastest bulking of the common Kufri table types, and your tubers earn a premium in the market. It gives 300–350 q/ha with smooth, light-brown to gold skin and firm, waxy flesh. It has no built-in blight protection and is susceptible to late blight, so plan the spray calendar before you plant. If you cannot spray on time, choose Kufri Jyoti. If you farm with high inputs and want a bigger crop, Kufri Bahar does better.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeLast week of September to mid-October for the autumn crop, second fortnight of January for the spring crop. Because it bulks early, September planting pays here — but go by the temperature of that week (PAU)
- Seed rate13–18 quintals of seed tubers per acre, each tuber 40–50 g, from a disease-free seed-plot crop
- SpacingRidges 60 cm apart with tubers 20 cm apart in the row. For planters use 65 x 18.5 cm or 75 x 15 cm, whichever your machine takes
- Sowing methodMark rows and plant on ridges with a ridger. Treat the seed tubers with a fungicide against black scurf before planting, and earth up 25–30 days after sowing
- IrrigationWater straight after planting for even sprouting, then light and frequent — 7 to 8 irrigations in all. Never flood over the ridge tops, or the crust that forms blocks the tubers
- Fertilizer20 tonnes farmyard manure plus 75 kg N (165 kg urea), 25 kg P2O5 (155 kg single superphosphate) and 25 kg K2O (40 kg muriate of potash) per acre. All the P and K with half the N at planting, the other half at earthing up (PAU)
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Fastest bulking of the widely grown Kufri table varieties — suited to early lifting and a low-input, quick-turnaround crop
- Medium-to-large, oval tubers with smooth light-brown to gold skin and a firm, waxy flesh that markets pay a premium for
Things to consider
- No built-in blight protection at all — the spray calendar has to be planned before planting, not reacted to after symptoms appear
- Bred for a low-input, early package; yield ceiling under a full irrigated, high-input regime is lower than dual-purpose varieties like Kufri Bahar
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Uttar Pradesh
- Gujarat
Plan the late-blight calendar before you plant
Kufri Pukhraj bulks fastest of the common Kufri table varieties and carries no built-in late-blight protection. Late blight does not arrive slowly: in cool, cloudy, humid weather it can take a field in a few days, and a spray started after the smell and the black patches appear is already late.
So fix the plan in advance. Note the weather window your area gets blight in, and ask your KVK or the state potato advisory which protectant is cleared and at what interval for this season. Keep the first protective spray ready for the first cool, overcast, damp spell after the crop covers the ground, and repeat on the advised interval while that weather lasts. Keep the field well drained, do not irrigate into a wet cloudy spell, remove volunteer plants and cull piles nearby, and cut the haulm before lifting so tubers do not pick up spores from dying leaves.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is grown from tubers, so your own field can supply next season. Keep medium-sized, firm tubers from healthy plants, store them cool and dark, and throw out anything soft or rotting — the disease travels inside the tuber. Replace your stock with certified planting material every few seasons, because virus builds up quietly year after year.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Potato variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kufri Bahar | Dual-purpose potato for good-input northern plains farms | 90–100 days | 300–350 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, West Bengal |
| Kufri Chipsona (processing) | Chips and crisps, usually grown on contract | 100–110 days | 280–320 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat |
| Kufri Jyoti | Safe default potato, even with low inputs | 90–100 days | 250–300 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab |
| Kufri Pukhrajthis page | Early, low-input potato for quick lifting | 70–80 days | 300–350 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat |
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 Potato is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Potato plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Potato variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Potato 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 Potato rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Potato seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Kufri Pukhraj need a spray schedule if other potato varieties don’t always?
It was bred for fast bulking and early lifting, not for built-in blight resistance — so unlike a moderately blight-tolerant variety, it needs its protective sprays planned from the start of the season.
How early can I dig Kufri Pukhraj?
It is ready in 70–80 days. It is the fastest-bulking of the widely grown Kufri table varieties, and early lifting is what it was bred for.
Kufri Pukhraj or Kufri Bahar: which is better for me?
Kufri Pukhraj takes 70–80 days and is bred for low-input early lifting. Kufri Bahar takes 90–100 days, is dual-purpose and does better under full irrigation and high inputs. Pick Pukhraj for speed. Pick Bahar for a bigger, dual-purpose crop.
What do Kufri Pukhraj tubers look like?
They are medium-to-large and oval, with smooth light-brown to gold skin and firm, waxy flesh. Markets pay a premium for this look.
What yield does Kufri Pukhraj give for a 70–80 day crop?
300–350 q/ha, which is the same band as Kufri Bahar but about three weeks sooner. That combination of early lifting and a full yield is why it spread so widely, and it is also why the blight spray schedule cannot be skipped.
Can I keep my own Kufri Pukhraj tubers for seed?
For a season or two from a healthy crop, yes. Potato is planted from tubers, so virus carries over from one crop to the next and the stand thins year after year. Replace with certified seed every second or third year, and never keep seed from a blight-hit field.
Sourced from: KUFRI PUKHRAJ variety profile — PotatoPro, ICAR-CPRI Kufri Potato Varieties — IndianPotato.com, Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: potato planting dates, seed rate, ridge spacing, fertiliser and irrigation schedule. editorial policy.