Pusa Desi
An IARI Asiatic variety with long white roots tapering to a point, a green shoulder and a sharp pungency, with heavy leafy tops used as a green — sown August–October in the plains.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Radish (Mooli)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 50–55 days
- Expected yield
- 25–30 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Desi is an Asiatic radish from ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, with long white roots that taper to a point, carry a green shoulder, and have the sharp pungency of the traditional Indian mooli. It also produces heavy leafy tops that are eaten as mooli-ka-saag and fed to animals. It is sown from August to October in the plains and is open-pollinated, so you can save your own seed. The national checklist of vegetable varieties agrees on 30–35 cm tapering white roots with green shoulders and 50–55 days, puts the yield at 300 q/ha, narrows the best sowing to mid-August to September in the northern plains, and calls the tops medium with dark green leaves.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Desi if your buyers want the sharp, traditional Indian mooli and you can also sell the leafy tops. NHB lists pure white roots of 30–35 cm that taper with a green stem end, ready in 50–55 days, for sowing from mid-August to mid-October in the northern plains. It is open-pollinated. It is too pungent for the mild or salad market. Choose Japanese White for a mild winter daikon, Pusa Chetki for warm months, Pusa Himani for a sweet, mild root.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The sharp pungency and long white root of the traditional market mooli
- Heavy leafy tops for mooli-ka-saag and fodder
- Open-pollinated — seed can be saved
Things to consider
- A pungent type — not for the mild-radish or salad market
- No special 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.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- Punjab
- Haryana
Plan for the leaves as well as the root
Pusa Desi makes heavy leafy tops, and in many homes the leaves are cooked as mooli-ka-saag. That gives you a second thing to sell from the same crop.
Ask your mandi buyer or neighbours whether they pay for the leaves, and how they want them, with the roots or by the bunch. If they do, harvest and tie them fresh, because leaves wilt fast.
Do not strip too many leaves from plants that are still growing, because roots need leaf to size up. Take leaves at harvest, or from thinnings, and keep the long, pointed white roots with the green shoulder clean and whole for the buyer who knows the old mooli.
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 Nishant | 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 Desithis page | 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
When should I sow Pusa Desi?
NHB gives mid-August to mid-October for the northern plains. At 50–55 days, a 15 August sowing is ready about 4–9 October, and a 15 October sowing about 4–9 December.
Can I eat or sell the leaves?
Yes. The variety makes heavy leafy tops that are cooked as mooli-ka-saag and fed to animals. Cut leaves from a few plants only if you want full-sized roots, because stripping too many slows the root.
Is it right for a salad or mild-radish buyer?
No. It has the sharp pungency of the traditional mooli. For a mild root, choose Japanese White or Pusa Himani, and sell Pusa Desi to buyers who cook it or want the bite.
What do the roots look like?
Pure white, long (30–35 cm), tapering to a point, with a green stem end. Buyers who know the old mooli look for this shape, so keep it clean and unbroken at harvest.
Can I save Pusa Desi seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Choose the longest, whitest, pointed roots for seed and keep them away from other radish so they do not cross.
How much yield should I expect?
The national checklist gives 300 q/ha, which sits at the top of the 25–30 t/ha band listed for it. That is a trial figure from a deep, stone-free, well-manured bed, so on ordinary land plan nearer 250 q/ha and weigh one pull before you quote a buyer.
Will I really get a big leaf crop?
Sources differ. NHB and the old market description call the tops heavy, while the national checklist calls them medium with dark green leaves. Treat the leaves as a useful extra, not as a crop you have already sold.
Sourced from: NHB — Radish varieties, National Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (TNAU Agritech hosting) — radish. editorial policy.