Arka Suryamukhi
An ICAR-IIHR (Bengaluru) variety bred with tolerance to fruit fly, the pumpkin crop's most damaging pest, with small, flat-round, orange fruit.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Pumpkin (Kaddu)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- 100–110 days
- Expected yield
- ~340 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Tolerant of fruit fly
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Arka Suryamukhi is an open-pollinated pumpkin variety from ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru, known for its tolerance to fruit fly, the most damaging pest of the standing crop across most of India. Tolerance does not remove the need for traps and clean-up, but the variety holds up better than a fully susceptible one where fly pressure is heavy all season. Kerala Agricultural University's extension page describes small, flat-round, orange fruit, and lists September to January as the season for Kerala conditions.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Arka Suryamukhi if fruit fly has been eating your pumpkin crop. IIHR bred it for fruit fly tolerance, and Kerala's extension page lists small, flat-round, orange fruit and a September–January sowing season there. The yield card shows about 340 q/ha. Tolerance is not immunity, so you still need traps and clean-up. Choose Ambili for a larger, softer curry pumpkin in Kerala. Choose Kashi Harit in the eastern plains.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Tolerant of fruit fly, the crop's most damaging pest across most of India
- Small, flat-round, orange fruit suited to the fresh table market
- Reliable yield (~340 q/ha) under southern growing conditions
Things to consider
- Fruit-fly tolerance reduces but does not remove the need for trapping and fruit hygiene
- No special resistance claimed to mildew or other diseases
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
- Tamil Nadu
- Andhra Pradesh
A fruit fly routine that works with the tolerance
Arka Suryamukhi loses less fruit to fruit fly than a susceptible variety, but the fly is still in your field. The tolerance buys you time, and the routine is what protects the crop.
Before sowing, plough the field so the pupae in the soil are exposed. After the vines run, set 4 cucurbit fruit fly traps per acre. Walk the rows every few days and collect and destroy any fruit with a sting mark, instead of leaving it to breed the next lot. Neem oil at 3% can be sprayed when needed.
These steps come from TNAU's general pumpkin guide and apply to any variety. On a tolerant one they are cheaper to follow, because there is less fruit to throw away.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Pumpkin (Kaddu) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambili | Sweet, soft-fleshed curry pumpkin for Kerala | 95–110 days | 200–250 q/ha | Kerala |
| Arka Chandan | Compact bush pumpkin for small plots | 115–120 days | ~330 q/ha | Karnataka, southern plains |
| Arka Suryamukhithis page | Fruit-fly-tolerant pumpkin for the south | 100–110 days | ~340 q/ha | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh |
| CO 2 | TNAU standard pumpkin for Tamil Nadu | 135 days | 23–25 t/ha | Tamil Nadu |
| Kashi Harit | Early short-vine pumpkin for green-fruit sale | About 65 days of crop duration | 300–350 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand |
| Pumpkin F1 Hybrid (private companies, e.g. "Amol") | Early private F1 hybrid, claims not independently verified | 85–90 days | Claimed by the seller; not independently verified | sold pan-India through seed dealers |
| Pusa Vishwas | Heavy-yield golden-fleshed pumpkin, about 120 days, many states | About 120 days | 400–425 q/ha | Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, 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 Pumpkin (Kaddu) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Pumpkin (Kaddu) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Pumpkin (Kaddu) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Pumpkin (Kaddu) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Pumpkin (Kaddu) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Pumpkin (Kaddu) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Pumpkin (Kaddu) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What does fruit fly tolerance really mean?
It means the variety loses less fruit than a fully susceptible one under the same pressure. It does not mean the flies stay away. Heavy, season-long pressure still damages fruit, so trapping and clean-up remain part of the routine.
What fruit fly steps does TNAU advise?
Plough the field to expose pupae, set 4 cucurbit fruit fly traps per acre, collect and destroy damaged fruit, and spray neem oil at 3% when needed. These are crop-level steps and apply to every pumpkin variety.
When should I sow it in Kerala?
Kerala Agricultural University's extension page lists September to January for Kerala conditions. Outside Kerala, no official sowing window for this variety is published here.
Is the fruit big enough for the market?
Kerala's extension page describes the fruit as small, flat-round and orange. Small fruit suits a household that wants a whole pumpkin at once, but ask your buyer for the size he pays best for before planting a large area.
Can I save Arka Suryamukhi seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Save seed from fully ripe fruit off healthy plants, and avoid fruit that carried fly stings. Keep it away from other pumpkin varieties so the flowers do not cross.
Sourced from: Kerala Agricultural University (CELKAU) — Pumpkin varieties, TNAU Agritech Portal — Pumpkin (fruit fly management). editorial policy.