VL Rajma 125
From ICAR-VPKAS Almora, released 2007 for the Uttarakhand hills — its four-disease resistance is broad for a hill pulse, with a short 82–85 day duration.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 82–85 days
- Seed rate
- General hill kidney-bean guidance suggests around 100–125 kg/ha (roughly 30–35 kg/acre for early/timely-sown types) — not confirmed as a VL Rajma 125-specific figure
- Expected yield
- 14–15 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to root rot, anthracnose, angular leaf spot and rust
- Release
- Released 2007 · ICAR-VPKAS, Almora — for timely-sown cultivation in the Uttarakhand hills
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
VL Rajma 125 was released in 2007 by ICAR-VPKAS, Almora for timely-sown cultivation in the Uttarakhand hills. It is a bold-seeded kidney bean, reported to set 4–5 seeds per pod with a 100-seed weight of about 41.38 g, bred with the broad four-disease resistance package (root rot, anthracnose, angular leaf spot and rust) recorded for it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose VL Rajma 125 if you farm the Uttarakhand, Himachal or Jammu and Kashmir hills, have a short kharif window and want protection against root rot, anthracnose, angular leaf spot and rust. It gives 14–15 q/ha in 82–85 days, with bold seed of about 41.38 g per 100 seeds. Choose VL Bean 2 only if you want a second variety to split the risk. Choose HUR-137 or Amber instead if your buyer asks for those seed types and you can give the crop 100–110 or 100–115 days.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeVL Rajma 125 is a kharif-season variety; general hill kidney-bean guidance puts kharif hill sowing around May–June, with a separate spring window (February–March) for other sowing categories
- Seed rateGeneral hill kidney-bean guidance suggests around 100–125 kg/ha (roughly 30–35 kg/acre for early/timely-sown types) — not confirmed as a VL Rajma 125-specific figure
- SpacingGeneral hill kidney-bean guidance suggests row spacing around 45–60 cm with 10–15 cm between plants — a general figure, not confirmed VL Rajma 125-specific
- IrrigationGeneral hill kidney-bean guidance suggests around 6–7 irrigations through the season, timed especially around flowering and pod development
- FertilizerGeneral hill kidney-bean guidance suggests around 40 kg N and 25 kg P per acre (roughly 100 kg N, 62 kg P₂O₅ per hectare) — a general figure, not variety-specific
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained loam
- pH
- Around pH 5.5–6, per general hill kidney-bean guidance
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Bold-seeded — about 41.38 g per 100 seeds, with 4–5 seeds per pod
- Broad resistance package (root rot, anthracnose, angular leaf spot and rust) unusually wide for a hill pulse
- Short 82–85-day duration fits the compressed hill kharif growing window
Things to consider
- The seed rate, spacing, sowing window and fertiliser figures above are general hill kidney-bean guidance from a Punjab-hills extension source, not VL Rajma 125 figures. Use them as a starting point and confirm with your local agriculture office.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttarakhand
- Himachal Pradesh
- Jammu and Kashmir
A water and feed plan from the general hill guidance
General hill kidney-bean guidance suggests 6–7 irrigations through the season, timed especially around flowering and pod development. Those are the two stages where a dry spell costs the most seed.
For feed, the same guidance suggests about 40 kg N and 25 kg P per acre, which is roughly 100 kg N and 62 kg P₂O₅ per hectare. Put the phosphorus in at sowing.
These are general figures for hill kidney beans, not VL Rajma 125 figures. In an 82–85 day crop there is little time to recover from a missed irrigation at flowering or pod fill, so plan your water first and the fertiliser second.
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 Rajma (Kidney Bean) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber | A familiar bold, light-seeded rajma for the hills, chosen for the market that already knows it, not for a bred-in disease shield | 100–115 days | 10–13 q/ha | Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir |
| HUR-137 | The higher-yielding red of the HUR pair, with bold, dark-red seed for well-managed tarai fields | 100–110 days | 12–15 q/ha | Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh |
| HUR-15 | A red-seeded rajma for the Uttarakhand tarai, sown in the spring or pre-monsoon window, and the quickest red-seeded rajma of the lot | 95–105 days | 10–14 q/ha | Uttarakhand |
| PDR-14 (Uday) | The long-duration rajma with the highest published yield and a mosaic-virus tolerance, for Uttar Pradesh and Punjab | 125–130 days | ~30 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab |
| VL Bean 2 | A quick 82-day hill rajma with root rot and anthracnose resistance, the simpler sibling of VL Rajma 125 | ~82 days | 14–15 q/ha | Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh |
| VL Rajma 125this page | The hill rajma with the widest disease cover: four diseases and bold seed, in 82–85 days | 82–85 days | 14–15 q/ha | Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir |
| VL Rajma 63 | An earlier bush-type ICAR-VPKAS release for shorter-season hill pockets and mid-altitude fields | 100–110 days | 10–13 q/ha | Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh |
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 Rajma (Kidney Bean) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Rajma (Kidney Bean) 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 Rajma (Kidney Bean) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Rajma (Kidney Bean) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Rajma (Kidney Bean) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Rajma (Kidney Bean) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Rajma (Kidney Bean) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is VL Rajma 125 a bold-seeded or small-seeded variety?
Bold-seeded — a Punjab agricultural-extension guide records its 100-seed weight at about 41.38 g with 4–5 seeds per pod, a fairly heavy grain for a kidney bean.
How much seed and what spacing does VL Rajma 125 need?
General hill kidney-bean guidance is around 100–125 kg of seed per hectare (30–35 kg per acre), with rows 45–60 cm apart and 10–15 cm between plants. For fertiliser it suggests about 40 kg N and 25 kg P per acre. These are general figures, not VL Rajma 125 figures.
When do I sow VL Rajma 125 in the hills?
It is a kharif variety. General hill guidance puts kharif sowing around May–June, and there is a separate spring window of February–March for other sowing categories. Confirm the exact week with your local agriculture office.
Which diseases does VL Rajma 125 resist, and does it resist mosaic virus?
It resists root rot, anthracnose, angular leaf spot and rust, the widest list among the rajma varieties compared here. It does not list mosaic virus; of the rajma here, only PDR-14 names tolerance to bean common mosaic virus. Resistance lowers the risk but does not remove it, so still use clean seed.
How many irrigations does VL Rajma 125 need?
General hill kidney-bean guidance suggests around 6–7 irrigations through the season, timed especially around flowering and pod development. That is a general figure from a Punjab-hills extension source, not a VL Rajma 125 trial result, so adjust it to your rainfall and soil and ask your KVK. Avoid waterlogging, which invites root rot.
What fertiliser should I plan for VL Rajma 125?
General hill kidney-bean guidance suggests around 40 kg N and 25 kg P per acre, roughly 100 kg N and 62 kg P₂O₅ per hectare. It is a general figure, not specific to VL Rajma 125. Use it as a starting point, and let a soil test and your KVK's advice for your hill zone set the final dose.