Pusa Bharati
An IARI palak with smooth, tender green leaves without red pigment and more vitamin B and C than Pusa Jyoti. The national checklist lists 500 q/ha, with the first picking at 30–40 days.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Spinach (Palak)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- First picking 30–40 days after sowing
- Seed rate
- Winter crop 10–15 kg per hectare; summer crop 25–30 kg per hectare; soak seed overnight (course note)
- Expected yield
- 500 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi; listed in the national checklist of commercial vegetable varieties
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Pusa Bharati is a palak from ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. The national checklist of commercial vegetable varieties describes smooth, tender, green leaves without any red pigmentation and a higher vitamin B and C content than Pusa Jyoti. The leaves are ready for first picking in 30–40 days, and the checklist gives a yield of 500 q/ha. It recommends it for winter and early spring in north India and lists it for all of India. A university course note also gives 500 q/ha for it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Pusa Bharati if yield is your aim. The national checklist lists 500 q/ha, the highest palak figure in it, with smooth, tender green leaves without red pigment and more vitamin B and C than Pusa Jyoti. First picking is at 30–40 days. It is recommended for winter and early spring in north India and listed for all of India. It is open-pollinated, but treat 500 q/ha as a checklist potential, not a promise. Choose Pusa Jyoti for giant, late-bolting leaves, Pusa Harit in the hills, Punjab Green for a PAU package.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeWinter and early spring in north India (national checklist); main palak crop September–November in the plains
- Seed rateWinter crop 10–15 kg per hectare; summer crop 25–30 kg per hectare; soak seed overnight (course note)
- SpacingRows 25–30 cm apart; thin to 5–10 cm between plants
- FertilizerPer hectare: 250–300 q farmyard manure, 80–100 kg N, 60 kg P and 60 kg K. All P and K and a quarter of N at sowing; the rest of N in three splits of 20–25 kg/ha after each cutting (course note)
- HarvestingLeaves are ready for first picking in 30–40 days (national checklist)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The highest yield in the national checklist for palak, 500 q/ha
- Smooth, tender green leaves with no red pigment
- More vitamin B and C than Pusa Jyoti
Things to consider
- 500 q/ha is a checklist potential across many cuttings, so budget on less until your own strip shows what it gives
- First picking at 30–40 days is a little later than the 30 days PAU gives for Punjab Green
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- All over India
Match seed rate to the season: double it in summer
The national checklist recommends Pusa Bharati for winter and early spring in north India. The same course note that gives palak sowing rules sets the seed rate at 10–15 kg per hectare for a winter crop and 25–30 kg per hectare for a summer crop.
That is more than double in summer, because germination and stand are poorer in heat. If you stretch into early spring or the start of the rains, order seed for the higher rate, and soak it overnight before sowing.
The 500 q/ha on the checklist is a potential across many cuttings. Weigh your own cuts in the first season before you plan a supply contract around it.
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 Spinach (Palak) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Green | Early September-sown palak with tender, uniform leaves | First cut about 30 days; seed stalks form about 75 days after sowing | 125 q/ha of green leaves | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Hisar Selection-23 (HS-23) | Quick-growing palak for frequent cuts | First cut about 30 days; 6–8 cuttings at 15-day intervals reported | No separate figure published | Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh |
| Jobner Green | Palak for alkaline soil, pH 7.0–10.5 | First cut about 30 days (general palak guidance) | About 300 q/ha (university course note) | Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab |
| Punjab Green | Sweet, slow-bolting palak with a full PAU package | First cut about 30 days after sowing | 125 q/acre (about 310 q/ha) | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Bharatithis page | Highest checklist yield, smooth tender leaves, all-India palak | First picking 30–40 days after sowing | 500 q/ha | All over India |
| Pusa Harit | Very late bolting palak that regrows fast, good in the hills | Quick regrowth after each cut; very late bolting | 260 q/ha | All over India |
| Pusa Jyoti | Giant-leaved, late-bolting palak for September sowing | First cut about 30 days; 6–8 cuttings reported; late bolter | 425 q/ha | All over India |
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 Spinach (Palak) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Spinach (Palak) 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 Spinach (Palak) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Spinach (Palak) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Spinach (Palak) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Spinach (Palak) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Spinach (Palak) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How long to the first picking?
The national checklist gives 30–40 days. A sowing on 1 October is ready for first picking about 31 October to 10 November.
Is 500 q/ha realistic?
It is the national checklist figure, and a university course note also gives 500 q of green leaves per hectare. It adds up many cuttings, so budget on less, and count your own weighed cuts for one season before you plan around it.
How is Pusa Bharati different from Pusa Jyoti?
The checklist gives Pusa Bharati smooth, tender leaves, more vitamin B and C, 500 q/ha and first picking at 30–40 days. Pusa Jyoti has thick, puckered, giant leaves, is a late bolter, suits September sowing, and is listed at 425 q/ha.
Which season suits it?
The checklist recommends winter and early spring in north India. Palak as a whole is sown September–November as the main crop in the plains, with 10–15 kg of seed per hectare in winter and 25–30 kg per hectare in summer.
Can I save Pusa Bharati seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Keep seed plants away from other palak and beet, since they cross, and pick smooth, green, true-to-type plants.
Sourced from: National Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (TNAU Agritech hosting) — palak, Palak (spinach beet) — university course notes, Rama University. editorial policy.