NARI-6
A non-spiny variety from the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Phaltan — spineless leaves make weeding, spraying and hand harvest far easier and safer.
Quick facts
- Type
- Non-spiny safflower variety
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- About 125–130 days
- Seed rate
- Sole crop 10–12 kg/ha in 45 cm rows; border / intercrop about 5–6 kg/ha
- Expected yield
- Around 9–13 q/ha rainfed, up to 16–18 q/ha with irrigation
- Suitable soil
- Deep and medium-black soils
- Release
- Released by NARI Phaltan; one of the first widely grown non-spiny safflower varieties in India
About this variety
NARI-6 is a non-spiny safflower variety from the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Phaltan. The spineless trait is its main advantage — inter-cultivation, spraying and hand harvest are far quicker and no longer cause the spine injuries common with traditional varieties. It is suited to rainfed and lightly irrigated conditions on black soils and carries some tolerance to Fusarium wilt.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeLast week of September to end of October, drilled deep into moisture
- Seed rateSole crop 10–12 kg/ha in 45 cm rows; border / intercrop about 5–6 kg/ha
- Spacing45 cm rows; thin to about 20 cm within the row
- Sowing methodDrill behind the plough into moist black soil, 4–6 cm deep
- IrrigationRainfed; one irrigation at rosette-to-branching gives the biggest response, a second at flowering protects seed set
- FertilizerRainfed about 25:25:0 kg N:P2O5:K2O/ha below the seed; 40–60 kg N/ha split under irrigation
- HarvestingHarvest at 125–130 days when straw-dry; the non-spiny plant is much easier and safer to cut and thresh than a spiny variety
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Deep and medium-black soils
- pH
- 6.0–8.0
Climate
- Climate
- A rainfed / lightly irrigated rabi crop; the same Alternaria and aphid risks apply at flowering, so the spineless trait helps timely spraying more than it changes the disease picture
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
About 125–130 days
Expected yield
Around 9–13 q/ha rainfed, up to 16–18 q/ha with irrigation
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Major pests
Management notes
- Take advantage of the spineless canopy to weed and spray thoroughly and on time
- Sow on time and deep into moisture; scout aphid from the start of branching
- Keep a 3–4 year rotation despite the partial wilt tolerance
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Non-spiny — no spine injuries, and much faster weeding, spraying and hand harvest
- Some Fusarium-wilt tolerance
- Suits both rainfed and lightly irrigated black-soil systems
Things to consider
- A non-spiny crop can be grazed or bird-damaged more where those pressures are high — the spines were a defence
- Yield is broadly on par with the good spiny varieties, not dramatically higher
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Maharashtra
- Karnataka
Frequently asked questions
What is the advantage of a non-spiny safflower like NARI-6?
The spines on a normal safflower plant make inter-cultivation, spraying and hand harvest slow, painful and hard to get labour for, and cause skin and eye injuries at harvest. A non-spiny variety like NARI-6 removes almost all of that — weeding and spraying are quicker and more thorough (which itself helps aphid control), and cutting and threshing are much safer — for a yield broadly on par with the good spiny varieties.
Do birds or cattle damage a non-spiny safflower crop more?
They can, where bird or grazing pressure is high, because the spines on a traditional variety act as a physical deterrent. In most cropped areas this is a minor issue and the harvest and labour advantages of a non-spiny variety far outweigh it, but on a plot with heavy blackbuck or free-grazing cattle pressure a spiny border row or a spiny variety may still be worth keeping.
Sourced from: Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Phaltan, ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (IIOR), Hyderabad. editorial policy.