JS 20-29
A newer JNKVV Jabalpur release with a real yield step up over JS 335, now displacing it across much of Madhya Pradesh.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Soybean
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 95–100 days
- Seed rate
- 25–30 kg per acre (PAU)
- Expected yield
- 20–22 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Clay / black soil
- Disease resistance
- Moderate rust and pod blight tolerance
- Release
- Bred at JNKVV, Jabalpur, from the cross JS 97-52 × JS 95-56, released for India’s Central Zone
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
JS 20-29 is a medium-maturing soybean variety bred at JNKVV, Jabalpur, from the cross JS 97-52 × JS 95-56 — built on the waterlogging-tolerant line JS 97-52 — and released for India’s Central Zone. It gives a real yield step-up over JS 335 and has been displacing the older variety across much of Madhya Pradesh since its release.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick JS 20-29 if you grow soybean in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra or Rajasthan and standing water after heavy kharif rain is a regular risk. JNKVV Jabalpur bred it from JS 97-52 × JS 95-56, and JS 97-52 is the waterlogging-tolerant parent. It takes 95–100 days, the same window as JS 335, but gives 20–22 q/ha against JS 335's 15–18, which is why it has been replacing the older variety across much of Madhya Pradesh. Rust and pod blight tolerance is moderate, so keep scouting. Choose JS 95-60 if you need to clear the field about ten days earlier for rabi, and NRC 131 if charcoal rot on cracking clay is your bigger loss.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeFirst fortnight of June in north-west India (PAU)
- Seed rate25–30 kg per acre (PAU)
- SpacingLines 45 cm apart, 4–5 cm plant to plant
- Sowing methodOn medium to heavy soil, sow on raised beds 67.5 cm apart with two rows per bed — same seed and fertiliser as flat sowing, but it saves the crop from rain damage at emergence and 20–30% of the irrigation water
- IrrigationThree or four irrigations when the rains fall short; keep one for pod filling. On raised beds, water in the furrows without flooding the bed tops (PAU)
- Fertilizer12.5 kg N with 32 kg P2O5 per acre, all at sowing (PAU)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Bred from the waterlogging-tolerant line JS 97-52, giving it an edge where standing water after heavy kharif rain is a recurring risk
- A real yield step-up over JS 335, the reason it has been displacing the older variety across much of Madhya Pradesh
Things to consider
- Reported yield varies by source: the conservative range is 20–22 q/ha, though some seed-trade pages report 25–30 q/ha under good management
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Rajasthan
Standing water after heavy rain: what actually helps
JS 20-29 comes from the waterlogging-tolerant line JS 97-52, and that is the reason to pick it on heavy clay land where water sits after a cloudburst. Tolerance means the crop recovers better than another variety would, not that it can stand in water for days.
The field work is drainage. Open field drains before the monsoon rather than during it, sow on a ridge or a raised bed where the land is flat and heavy, and keep the outlet of your plot clear so water has somewhere to go. After the water leaves, the crop is weak for a week: do not add urea on top of a waterlogged crop, keep walking traffic out of the wet soil, and watch for root rot and pod blight. On yield, plan on the conservative 20–22 q/ha rather than the higher trade figures.
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 Soybean variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JS 20-29this page | Central-zone soybean on land that holds water after heavy rain | 95–100 days | 20–22 q/ha | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan |
| JS 335 | The familiar soybean for fields that may face a rain-delayed harvest | 95–100 days | 15–18 q/ha | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan |
| JS 95-60 | Extra-early soybean that clears the field in time for rabi sowing | 85–90 days | 20–30 q/ha | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| NRC 131 | Cracking clay land in Madhya Pradesh where charcoal rot hits in a dry spell | ~93 days | ~15 q/ha | Madhya Pradesh |
| NRC 136 | Rainfed soybean where a mid-season dry spell is the main risk | ~105 days | ~17 q/ha | Madhya Pradesh |
| NRC 157 | Soybean for a monsoon that arrives late, sown up to 20 July | ~94 days | ~16.5 q/ha | Madhya 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 Soybean is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Soybean 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 Soybean variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Soybean into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Soybean in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Soybean rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Soybean seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Why is JS 20-29 replacing JS 335 in Madhya Pradesh?
It gives a documented yield step-up over JS 335 while keeping a similar short-to-medium duration, so it fits the same cropping calendar with better returns — the reason farmers across much of the state have been switching.
Does JS 20-29 handle waterlogging better than older JS varieties?
It was bred using the waterlogging-tolerant line JS 97-52 as a parent, which is meant to give it an edge in fields where standing water after heavy kharif rain is a recurring problem. That is a documented breeding objective, though field performance still depends on how long and how deep the waterlogging is.
How much more does JS 20-29 yield than JS 335?
On the conservative field range, 20–22 q/ha against 15–18 q/ha for JS 335, in the same 95–100 day window. Some seed-trade pages claim 25–30 q/ha for JS 20-29 under good management; treat that as a best case, not what to budget on.
Will JS 20-29 survive water standing in my field?
It has an edge, not immunity. Its parent JS 97-52 was chosen for waterlogging tolerance, so the variety handles short spells of standing water better than most. How much it survives still depends on how deep the water stands and for how many days, so keep the drainage channels open.
Can I keep my own JS 20-29 seed?
Yes, it is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop comes up true. Soybean seed loses germination fast in storage, so keep it dry and cool, test a sample before sowing and replace it with certified seed every few years.
What seed rate and spacing does JS 20-29 need?
25–30 kg per acre (PAU), in lines 45 cm apart with 4–5 cm between plants. Soybean germination falls off quickly in storage, so test a hundred seeds on a damp cloth before you sow a whole field from last year's bag.
What fertiliser does JS 20-29 need, and when?
PAU gives 12.5 kg N with 32 kg P2O5 per acre, all of it at sowing. Soybean fixes its own nitrogen once the nodules form, so the small dose at sowing is a starter, not a feed. Extra urea later gives you leaf, not pods.
Sourced from: Breeding for higher yield, early maturity, wider adaptability and waterlogging tolerance in soybean — PMC, सोयाबीन JS-2029 — Cultivation Of India (Kisaanhelpline), Package of Practices for Kharif Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: soybean sowing time, seed rate, spacing, raised bed sowing, fertiliser and irrigation. editorial policy.