Arka Rakshak
From IIHR Bengaluru — the resistance stack alone often justifies the hybrid seed price where leaf curl virus has wiped out a crop before.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Tomato
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 60–65 days from transplanting
- Seed rate
- 100–150 g per hectare. It is an F1 hybrid, so it needs roughly a third of the seed an open-pollinated variety does — which is just as well, since hybrid seed costs many times more (Tamil Nadu crop production guide, which lists Arka Rakshak among its recommended hybrids)
- Expected yield
- 500–600 q/ha under good management
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Triple resistance: bacterial wilt, leaf curl virus and early blight
- Release
- Released by ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru — India’s first publicly bred, triple disease-resistant tomato F1 hybrid
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Arka Rakshak is a semi-determinate F1 tomato hybrid bred by ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru, crossing an advanced IIHR breeding line with a line from AVRDC (World Vegetable Center), Taiwan. Developed through a combined breeder–virologist–bacteriologist–pathologist–molecular biologist effort, it became India’s first publicly bred tomato F1 hybrid to carry triple resistance — to tomato leaf curl virus, bacterial wilt and early blight — in one package. Fruits are oblong to square-round, deep red, 80–100 g and firm, with 15–20 days’ keeping quality; IIHR’s own pages cite yields anywhere from 75–80 t/ha to 90–100 t/ha over about 140–150 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Arka Rakshak if leaf curl virus, bacterial wilt or early blight has hurt your tomato before and you are ready to buy hybrid seed every season. One hybrid carries resistance to all three, so it cuts the spray burden, and neither Arka Vikas nor Pusa Ruby has any. It is also the heaviest cropper here: the yield card shows 500–600 q/ha against 350–400 for Arka Vikas and 200–250 for Pusa Ruby, and IIHR's own pages quote far higher still, so treat any figure as a range, not a promise. The fruit is firm and keeps for weeks, which helps if the market is far. If you want to save seed, choose Arka Vikas instead, but it has no built-in resistance.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeNursery sown May–June or November–December
- Seed rate100–150 g per hectare. It is an F1 hybrid, so it needs roughly a third of the seed an open-pollinated variety does — which is just as well, since hybrid seed costs many times more (Tamil Nadu crop production guide, which lists Arka Rakshak among its recommended hybrids)
- Spacing60 x 45 cm on ridges
- Sowing methodTransplant 25-day-old seedlings onto the sides of ridges formed 60 cm apart, and give a life irrigation on the third day. With protrays under a shade net, 238 trays of 98 cells raise the 23,334 seedlings a hectare needs in the paired row system. Treat the seed with Trichoderma viride at 4 g/kg a day before sowing
- IrrigationWater at planting, a life irrigation on the third day, then weekly once the seedlings have taken
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained loam rich in organic matter
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Triple resistance to leaf curl virus, bacterial wilt and early blight in one hybrid cuts down the spray burden against three of tomato’s most damaging problems in Indian fields
- Firm fruit with 15–20 days’ keeping quality holds up well over long-distance transport, useful for both fresh market and processing sale
Things to consider
- Being a hybrid, seed must be bought fresh each season — saved seed from the harvest won’t breed true
- IIHR’s own published yield figures range from 75–80 t/ha to 90–100 t/ha across different pages, so treat the number as a broad range rather than a fixed figure
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Tamil Nadu
What the triple resistance covers, and what it does not
Arka Rakshak carries resistance to three of the worst tomato problems at once: leaf curl virus, bacterial wilt and early blight. In a field where leaf curl has wiped out a crop before, that stack alone can be worth the hybrid seed price.
It is not a shield against everything. Fruit borer, mites, nematodes, late blight and fruit cracking are not part of the package, and resistance to a virus is not immunity to the whitefly that carries it, so a heavy whitefly year still costs you fruit. Keep scouting weekly, keep the nursery insect-proof, and keep rotation and field hygiene going. What the resistance buys you is fewer sprays against those three problems, not a season without work.
Where the planting material comes from
This is a hybrid, so seed kept from your own harvest will not breed true. The next crop comes up uneven in height, maturity and yield. Buy fresh certified seed every season and keep the bag tag until harvest.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Tomato variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Rakshakthis page | Fields hit by leaf curl, wilt or early blight | 60–65 days from transplanting | 500–600 q/ha under good management | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Vikas | Open-pollinated tomato you can save seed from | 55–60 days from transplanting | 350–400 q/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu |
| Pusa Ruby | Cheap open-pollinated tomato for fresh market and processing | 60–70 days from transplanting | 200–250 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, 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 Tomato is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Tomato 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 Tomato variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Tomato into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Tomato in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Tomato rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Tomato seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Arka Rakshak different from most other tomato hybrids sold in India?
It is the first publicly bred (non-private) Indian tomato F1 hybrid to combine resistance to three major problems — leaf curl virus, bacterial wilt and early blight — in one package, developed by ICAR-IIHR through a combined breeding, virology, bacteriology and pathology effort.
Can I save seed from Arka Rakshak?
No. Arka Rakshak is an F1 hybrid, so seed saved from the harvest will not breed true. Buy fresh seed every season.
Does triple resistance mean I can skip spraying?
No. It cuts the spray burden for leaf curl virus, bacterial wilt and early blight. It does not protect the crop from other pests and diseases, so keep checking your plants through the season.
Will Arka Rakshak travel well to a far market?
Its fruit is firm and keeps for 15–20 days, so it holds up well over long-distance transport. It suits both fresh-market sale and processing.
When do I sow the Arka Rakshak nursery, and at what spacing do I plant it out?
Sow the nursery in May–June or November–December. Transplant 25-day-old seedlings onto the sides of ridges formed 60 cm apart, keeping 45 cm between plants, and give a life irrigation straight after planting.
How much Arka Rakshak seed do I need for a hectare?
100–150 g per hectare. Being an F1 hybrid it needs roughly a third of what an open-pollinated tomato takes, which softens the shock of the price per gram. Work out the cost per hectare, not per packet, before you decide against it.
Sourced from: Arka Rakshak: High yielding triple disease resistant tomato F1 hybrid with export potential — ICAR-IIHR, Tomato - Arka Rakshak — ICAR-IIHR, Crop Production Guide (Horticulture), TNAU and Department of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu: tomato seed rate for varieties and hybrids, spacing, season, nursery and irrigation. editorial policy.