CO 2
A Tamil Nadu Agricultural University release with medium, oblong, orange-fleshed fruit, well adapted to Tamil Nadu's growing conditions and widely recommended there.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Pumpkin (Kaddu)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- 135 days
- Seed rate
- About 1.0 kg per hectare (TNAU general pumpkin guide)
- Expected yield
- 23–25 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
CO 2 is an open-pollinated pumpkin variety released by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, and is one of the university's standard recommendations for farmers in the state. It bears a medium-sized, oblong fruit with orange, moderately firm flesh, and is well adapted to Tamil Nadu's soils and climate, so it is a dependable default choice there rather than a specialist or niche variety.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose CO 2 if you farm in Tamil Nadu and want the university's own pumpkin, with advice written for your soils and seasons. TNAU lists it at 135 days, 23–25 t/ha potential and fruit of 1.5–2.0 kg. That is a small fruit and a middling yield, so it is a safe default rather than a heavy cropper. Choose Pusa Vishwas up north if tonnage is the goal. Choose Arka Suryamukhi where fruit fly is the main loss.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeJune–July and December–January in Tamil Nadu
- Seed rateAbout 1.0 kg per hectare (TNAU general pumpkin guide)
- Spacing2 m × 2 m, in pits of 30 × 30 × 30 cm; 3–5 seeds per pit, thinned to 2 seedlings after 15 days
- FertilizerPer pit: 10 kg farmyard manure and 100 g NPK 6:12:12 as basal, then 10 g nitrogen 30 days after planting (TNAU, general pumpkin schedule)
- HarvestingPick when the fruit turns from green to yellow and the stalk comes off easily
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Well adapted to Tamil Nadu's specific growing conditions
- A standard university-recommended default rather than a niche variety
- Reliable oblong, orange-fleshed fruit for the table and processing market
Things to consider
- Primarily suited and tested for Tamil Nadu conditions; less documented performance elsewhere
- No special disease resistance claimed
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
Two sowing windows, each with a 135-day clock
TNAU lists two sowing windows for pumpkin: June–July and December–January. At 135 days, a crop sown on 1 June is done about mid-October, and one sown on 1 July about mid-November.
A crop sown on 1 December finishes about mid-April, and one sown on 1 January about mid-May. So the first window ends in the north-east monsoon, and the second runs into the hot dry months, when water is the limit.
Pick your window first, then check that you have water and a buyer for the week the crop finishes. Judge each picking by fruit colour and stalk, not by the date, because the TNAU page also gives a shorter 85–90 days for well-matured fruit.
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 Suryamukhi | Fruit-fly-tolerant pumpkin for the south | 100–110 days | ~340 q/ha | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh |
| CO 2this page | 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
Why do I see both 135 days and 85–90 days for CO 2?
TNAU's own pumpkin page gives 135 days in the variety table and 85–90 days for well-matured fruit in the harvest note. Plan the crop for the longer 135 days and judge picking by fruit colour and stalk, not by the calendar.
What seed rate and spacing does TNAU give?
About 1.0 kg of seed per hectare, pits 30 × 30 × 30 cm at 2 m × 2 m, three to five seeds a pit, and thin to two seedlings per pit after 15 days.
When should I sow CO 2 in Tamil Nadu?
TNAU lists June–July and December–January. At 135 days, a June sowing finishes about mid-October and a December sowing about mid-April.
How much manure and fertiliser per pit?
TNAU's basal dose is 10 kg of farmyard manure and 100 g of NPK 6:12:12 per pit, then 10 g of nitrogen per pit 30 days after planting. This is the general pumpkin schedule, not a CO 2 trial.
How do I know when to pick CO 2?
TNAU says harvest when fruits turn from green to yellow and the stalk comes off easily. Pick on that sign and do not wait for the calendar.
Sourced from: TNAU Agritech Portal — Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata). editorial policy.