Arka Nishant
An ICAR-IIHR (Bengaluru) variety with long, smooth, marble-white roots about 30 cm, notable for resistance to pithiness and to premature bolting — it holds in the ground a little longer without going spongy.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Radish (Mooli)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 50–55 days
- Expected yield
- 25–40 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to pithiness and premature bolting
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Arka Nishant is a radish from ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru, with long, smooth, marble-white roots of about 30 cm. IIHR lists it as resistant to pithiness, premature bolting, root branching and forking, so the roots stay crisp in the ground a little longer than most radishes, where a few days' delay can spoil the crop. It suits the southern plains and is open-pollinated, so you can save seed.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Arka Nishant if your radish often turns spongy or runs to seed before you get to harvest it. IIHR lists long, smooth, marble-white roots of about 30 cm and resistance to pithiness, premature bolting, branching and forking. It suits the southern plains and is open-pollinated. The yield is 25–40 t/ha because IIHR pages give two ranges. Choose Pusa Chetki for warm months, Japanese White for the main winter market, and Pusa Desi if buyers want a sharp, traditional mooli.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Resistant to pithiness and premature bolting — a more forgiving harvest window
- Long, smooth, marble-white roots about 30 cm
- Well suited to the southern plains; open-pollinated
Things to consider
- The bolting resistance buys days, not weeks — still harvest reasonably on time
- No special leaf-disease resistance — watch Alternaria and white rust
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Tamil Nadu
- Maharashtra
Use the extra days to spread your picking
Radish usually gives you a very short harvest window. Pulled late, the root turns spongy or runs to seed. Arka Nishant resists pithiness and premature bolting, so that window is a few days longer.
Do not spend those days by sowing the whole field at once. Sow small strips a week apart, so each strip comes ready on its own date, and pull each strip when the roots reach full size.
Then the extra days become a safety margin for rain, a missed market day or a labour shortage. If you wait until the last day on every strip, you lose that margin.
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 Radish (Mooli) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Nishantthis page | Forgiving harvest window, resists pithiness and bolting | 50–55 days | 25–40 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra |
| Japanese White | Mild white daikon for the main winter market | 60–65 days | 30–35 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal |
| Kashi Hans | Quick 40–45 day radish for Uttar Pradesh, tolerant of pithiness | 40–45 days | 430–450 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Chetki | Heat-tolerant warm-season white radish | 40–45 days | 25 t/ha | Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka |
| Pusa Desi | Sharp traditional mooli with leafy tops for saag | 50–55 days | 25–30 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana |
| Pusa Himani | Sweet, mild European radish for hills and cold plains | About 55 days | 30–35 t/ha | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir |
| Pusa Mridula | Small red salad radish, ready in about 25 days | About 25 days | 130 q/ha | Delhi (NCR) |
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 Radish (Mooli) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Radish (Mooli) 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 Radish (Mooli) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Radish (Mooli) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Radish (Mooli) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Radish (Mooli) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Radish (Mooli) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the yield given as 25–40 t/ha?
IIHR gives 25–30 t/ha on some pages and 35–40 t/ha on its main variety page, with no explanation. Plan your cost and price on the lower figure, and treat the higher one as a good season.
How many days does Arka Nishant take?
IIHR does not print a day count for this variety, and the 50–55 days on the card is only a rough guide. Pull one root at about 45 days and check size, then decide when to start harvest.
What is pithiness and does this variety avoid it completely?
Pithiness is when the root turns spongy and hollow inside, usually when it stays too long in the ground. This variety resists it, which buys you a few days, not weeks. Harvest on time anyway.
Arka Nishant or Pusa Chetki in a warm month?
Pusa Chetki. NHB lists it as heat tolerant and sown from mid-March to mid-August in northern and central India. Arka Nishant's listed strength is resistance to bolting and pithiness, not heat.
Can I save Arka Nishant seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Radish crosses easily with other radish nearby, so keep your seed plot well away from other radish, and choose only straight, smooth, typical roots to let seed.
Sourced from: NHB — Radish varieties, ICAR-IIHR — Radish Arka Nishant. editorial policy.