CITH Walnut-6
An ICAR-CITH Srinagar selection (CITH-W-6 in research papers) with a large nut and a kernel share of about 51%; an official release notice was not found.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Walnut (Akhrot)
- Type
- Grafted plant
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted)
- Expected yield
- No yield-per-tree figure found; large nut (about 24 g)
- Suitable soil
- Deep, well-drained loam; pH roughly 6.0–7.5; does not tolerate waterlogged or heavy ground
- Disease resistance
- Not specifically documented
- Release
- ICAR-CITH, Srinagar (selection CITH-W-6; release notice not found)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
CITH Walnut-6 is a walnut selection from ICAR-CITH (Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture), Srinagar, written CITH-W-6 in research papers and annual reports. It began as a chance seedling, a tree that grew from an unplanned cross and was picked for its nuts. CITH's description gives a nut of about 24 g and a kernel of about 12.2 g, a kernel share of about 51%. A 2025 study of 44 walnut germplasm accessions named CITH-W-6 among 12 promising ones and reported a kernel share of 53.13% with a kernel of 7.58 g. We found no official release notice, so confirm the status with ICAR-CITH before you plan an orchard. As a grafted plant it comes into bearing sooner than a seedling and its nuts match the parent tree.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose CITH Walnut-6 if you want a large nut (about 24 g in the CITH description) and a kernel share of about 51%. Compare it with CITH Walnut-8, which has a smaller nut (about 20.4 g) but a higher share (about 54%). Be aware that this name is a selection number: research papers write it CITH-W-6, and we found no official release notice. A 2025 study of 44 walnut germplasm accessions listed CITH-W-6 among 12 promising ones. Ask ICAR-CITH Srinagar about release status and plants before you plan an orchard.
Sowing & cultivation
- Spacing8 × 8 m under traditional planting; closer high-density spacing (6 × 6 m) is used with intensive management
- FertilizerA balanced NPK dose while young, moving to a higher, pre-spring-growth-and-post-harvest-split dose once bearing (see the crop guide for the full schedule)
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Major pests
- Walnut aphid
- Codling moth
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A large nut (about 24 g in the CITH description) from an ICAR-CITH selection.
- Named among 12 promising accessions in a 2025 study of 44 Indian walnut germplasm accessions.
Things to consider
- We found no official release notice and no yield-per-tree figure. Ask ICAR-CITH Srinagar for both.
- Kernel weight differs between sources (about 12.2 g against 7.58 g), so check the nuts of the plants you buy.
- No disease resistance is documented. Use the same preventive copper sprays against walnut blight as for any walnut.
Suitable regions
Listed here for Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. We found no official recommendation by region, so confirm with ICAR-CITH.
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
A selection number, not yet a brand
ICAR-CITH calls its walnut accessions CITH-W-1, CITH-W-2 and so on. 'CITH Walnut-6' is the same tree written as a variety name. In CITH's 2012 annual report, which we saw only in a search extract, CITH-W-1, 10, 7, 6 and 8 were noted as giving the heaviest nuts among the genotypes studied. A 2025 Indian Journal of Horticulture paper on 44 Indian walnut accessions named CITH-W-6 among 12 promising ones. Neither is a variety release notice. The Released Varieties page of ICAR-CITH read 'Content will be updated soon' when we looked on 19 October 2026.
What this means for a farmer: the nut figures are real research results, but the numbers differ between sources (a kernel of about 12.2 g in CITH's description, 7.58 g in the 2025 paper), and nothing we found says who may multiply and sell plants. Before ordering, ask ICAR-CITH Srinagar three questions: is CITH Walnut-6 formally released, which nursery supplies budded plants, and what are the nut and kernel weights from a bearing tree under local conditions.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is a grafted plant: the variety on top, joined onto a rootstock below. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy grafted plants from a registered nursery or a government farm, so the plant is true to the variety and free of disease.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Walnut (Akhrot) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CITH Walnut-6this page | Farmers who want a large-nut ICAR-CITH selection and will first confirm its release status and plant supply | First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted) | No yield-per-tree figure found; large nut (about 24 g) | Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| CITH Walnut-8 | Kashmir valley farmers aiming at the graded kernel trade, where size and light colour set the price | First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted) | Good, with an emphasis on large nut and kernel size | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Eureka | Himachal Pradesh farmers who can see healthy Eureka trees in nearby orchards and want to match a local record | First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted) | Good under Himachal Pradesh conditions | Himachal Pradesh |
| Franquette | Frost-prone higher orchards in Himachal Pradesh, where late leafing protects the crop | First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted); late-leafing/flowering | Good, internationally proven, though no India-specific yield figure is confirmed here | Himachal Pradesh |
| Hamdan | Kashmir valley farmers who want a proven local grafted walnut with a good kernel share | First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted) | High — around 5 kg dry in-shell nut/mature tree by SKUAST-Kashmir's own evaluation figures | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Parbat (JWSP-06) | Farmers in the Jammu region's hills who want a recent SKUAST-Jammu release with a published yield and kernel figure | First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted) | 90 kg of nuts a tree and a 53.28% kernel share in SKUAST-Jammu's release list; tree age not stated | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Sulaiman | Kashmir valley farmers who care more about in-shell nut yield than the last point of kernel share | First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted) | High — around 5–6 kg dry in-shell nut/mature tree by SKUAST-Kashmir's own evaluation figures | Jammu and Kashmir |
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 Walnut (Akhrot) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Walnut (Akhrot) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Walnut (Akhrot) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Walnut (Akhrot) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Walnut (Akhrot) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Walnut (Akhrot) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What does "chance-seedling selection" mean for CITH Walnut-6?
It means the variety began as a naturally occurring seedling tree, grown from an uncontrolled cross rather than a planned breeding programme. ICAR-CITH researchers picked it during field surveys for its nut traits. They then multiplied it by grafting, so every planted tree repeats that performance instead of the variable result a fresh seedling would give.
Is CITH Walnut-6 an officially released variety?
We could not confirm it. Research papers and CITH annual reports call it CITH-W-6, an accession number, and the Released Varieties page of ICAR-CITH read 'Content will be updated soon' when we checked on 19 October 2026. We could not verify any count of released CITH walnut selections. Ask ICAR-CITH Srinagar whether CITH Walnut-6 has a release notice, and who may multiply it.
How does CITH Walnut-6 compare with Hamdan?
On the figures we have, CITH Walnut-6 has the bigger nut: about 24 g with a kernel of about 12.2 g, against about 14 g and 7.6 g for Hamdan. Hamdan has the higher kernel share, 54.76% against about 51%. The two sets of numbers come from different trials, so do not read them as a head-to-head. A larger nut is worth more to a buyer who grades by size, but CITH Walnut-6 has no SKUAST-style published yield per tree that we could find.
Why do the 2025 paper's kernel weights look smaller than the CITH description's?
The 2025 Indian Journal of Horticulture study of 44 accessions gives CITH-W-6 a kernel share of 53.13% and a kernel weight of 7.58 g, against about 12.2 g in the CITH description. Different trees, years and sampling can explain this, and we cannot tell which is right. The shares are close (about 51% against 53.13%). Treat kernel weight as somewhere from 7.6 to 12.2 g until you have nuts from a bearing tree in your own hand.
What soil and altitude suit CITH Walnut-6?
Deep, well-drained loam with pH roughly 6.0 to 7.5, and no standing water. As a crop, walnut grows at 900 to 3,500 m, but the Nauni note (Indian Farming, June 2025) says commercial planting above 2,500 m is unsafe because late spring frost can destroy flowers. We found no altitude limit specific to CITH Walnut-6. A site that holds water or gets hard frost at flowering is a poor choice for any walnut.
Is there a yield per tree for CITH Walnut-6?
We found none. Nut size is the only measure we found: a CITH annual report, which we saw only in a search extract, noted that CITH-W-1, 10, 7, 6 and 8 gave the heaviest nuts, which is nut weight, not tree yield. Ask ICAR-CITH for the trial data before you count on income from it.
Sourced from: Released Varieties — ICAR-CITH, Quality Planting Material Production in Walnut — ICAR-CITH, Srinagar, Characterization of Indian walnut germplasm for nut and kernel traits — Indian Journal of Horticulture 82(1), March 2025 (CITH-W-6 values seen as a search extract; the file did not open), Dhiman, Rohiwala and Dev, Chip budding techniques for walnut — Indian Farming 75(6), June 2025 (Dr YS Parmar University, Nauni). editorial policy.