Sulaiman
SKUAST-Kashmir's 2001 companion to Hamdan, with about 5 to 6 kg of dry in-shell nuts a mature tree and a kernel share of about 52%.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Walnut (Akhrot)
- Type
- Grafted plant
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- First bearing in 4–5 years (grafted)
- Expected yield
- High — around 5–6 kg dry in-shell nut/mature tree by SKUAST-Kashmir's own evaluation figures
- 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
- SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar — released 2001
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Sulaiman was released by SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar in 2001 as the companion of Hamdan, from the same nut-crops programme. SKUAST-Kashmir's own evaluation figures put its yield at about 5 to 6 kg of dry in-shell nuts a mature tree, a little above Hamdan. Its kernel share is 52.37% (Sundouri and Sharma 2005, quoted by Sharma and others 2014), a little below Hamdan's 54.76%. Actual orchard yield depends on tree age, site, pollination and how well walnut blight is controlled. Sulaiman is a grafted plant, so it comes into bearing sooner than a seedling and its nuts match the parent tree. Like Hamdan, its female flowers open first, so a variety that sheds pollen early, planted nearby, may help nut set.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Sulaiman if you are planting in the Kashmir valley and want the slightly higher yield: about 5 to 6 kg of dry in-shell nuts a mature tree in SKUAST-Kashmir's figures. Its kernel share is 52.37%, lower than Hamdan's 54.76% (Sundouri and Sharma 2005). Choose Hamdan if kernel share matters more. Like Hamdan, Sulaiman opens its female flowers first (protogynous), so a pollen-first variety nearby may help nut set. Check current plant supply with SKUAST-Kashmir before you order.
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
- Among the higher-yielding SKUAST-Kashmir walnut selections in published variety-trial comparisons.
- A grafted, named variety that reproduces its own nut and kernel quality true-to-type rather than the variable outcome a seedling tree gives.
- Evaluated specifically for Kashmir valley conditions rather than adapted from an unproven imported cultivar.
Things to consider
- No resistance to walnut blight or other diseases has been documented for Sulaiman. Use the same preventive copper sprays as for any walnut.
- Its kernel share (52.37%) is lower than Hamdan's (54.76%), so a farmer selling kernels should weigh the two.
- Confirm plant supply and trueness to type with SKUAST-Kashmir or a linked nursery before planting at scale.
Suitable regions
Released by SKUAST-Kashmir for the Kashmir valley's established walnut belt; grown commercially across the valley's temperate orchard districts alongside its companion release Hamdan.
- Jammu and Kashmir
Hamdan and Sulaiman, side by side
The two came out of SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar in 2001, so the usual question is which to plant. On the figures we have, kernel share is 54.76% for Hamdan and 52.37% for Sulaiman (Sundouri and Sharma 2005, quoted by Sharma and others 2014). Yield is about 5 kg of dry in-shell nuts a mature tree for Hamdan and 5 to 6 kg for Sulaiman, from SKUAST-Kashmir's own evaluation figures. Hamdan's nut is around 14 g with a kernel of about 7.6 g. We found no nut weight for Sulaiman. An ICAR-CITH cultivar study found both protogynous, with female flowers opening before their own pollen is shed.
Put as kernel per tree, the gap closes: about 2.88 kg for Sulaiman (5.5 kg × 52.37%, the middle of its range) against about 2.74 kg for Hamdan (5 kg × 54.76%). That is our arithmetic on two separate sets of figures, not a trial of the two side by side. In practice the better choice is the one whose plants you can get true to type. A block with both is not ideal for pollination because both open female flowers first. If you can, add a pollen-first variety such as Franquette, and check bloom overlap with your KVK.
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-6 | 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 |
| Sulaimanthis page | 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
Is Sulaiman better than Hamdan?
Both are 2001 SKUAST-Kashmir releases with similar strength under Kashmir valley conditions. Published figures put Sulaiman's yield slightly higher on average. The right choice for your orchard depends on nursery supply and your site, so confirm current advice with SKUAST-Kashmir or your KVK. Do not assume either is an upgrade over the other everywhere.
Sulaiman has less kernel than Hamdan, so is Hamdan better for kernel income?
Per kilo of nuts, yes: about 524 g of kernel from Sulaiman against about 548 g from Hamdan (52.37% and 54.76%). Per tree it is close. Taking the middle of Sulaiman's 5 to 6 kg range, 5.5 kg × 52.37% is about 2.88 kg of kernel; Hamdan's 5 kg × 54.76% is about 2.74 kg. That is our arithmetic on SKUAST-Kashmir's figures, and both are one-off numbers, not a trial of the two side by side. So the gap is small; price, kernel colour and plant supply matter as much.
Can I save nuts from my Sulaiman tree to raise new plants?
You can, but the plants will not be Sulaiman. Nuts from a grafted tree grow into seedlings that differ in nut size, kernel colour and shell. Use them only as rootstock. The Nauni note (Indian Farming, June 2025) suggests medium nuts 3 to 4 cm across from healthy, well-cropping trees, sown 2 to 3 inches deep with 10 to 15 cm between seeds and 20 cm between rows, and budded a year later. The fruiting plant is the bud you add from a true Sulaiman tree.
How far apart should I plant Sulaiman?
We use 8 × 8 m for ordinary planting and 6 × 6 m for intensive management. A commercial farming guide for Himachal Pradesh gives 10 × 10 m for grafted walnut and 12 × 12 m for seedling trees; that guide is not an extension recommendation. We found no SKUAST-Kashmir spacing figure for Sulaiman itself. Wider spacing costs yield in the early years but gives the canopy room later, so ask the nursery or KVK what neighbouring Sulaiman orchards use.
Is Sulaiman resistant to walnut blight?
No resistance has been documented for Sulaiman. Walnut blight is a bacterial disease, so plan the same preventive copper-spray programme you would for any walnut and follow the blight section of the walnut guide. Do not read 'high yield' as 'low disease'. Wet spring weather at flowering is the risky time.
Where do I get true Sulaiman plants?
Start with SKUAST-Kashmir (Shalimar), which released it, and ICAR-CITH Srinagar. We found no public stock list or price. The Nauni note says good planting stock is hard to find and that there are not enough mother trees for scion wood, so a nursery that offers thousands of plants at once deserves questions. Ask which tree the buds came from, buy budded plants only, and keep the tag.
Sourced from: MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF WALNUT REFERENCE VARIETIES — A PRE-REQUISITE FOR DUS TESTING — ResearchGate, New Walnut Varieties Released-II — Indian Journal of Horticulture, Dhiman, Rohiwala and Dev, Chip budding techniques for walnut — Indian Farming 75(6), June 2025 (Dr YS Parmar University, Nauni), Sharma and others, Exploiting genetic diversity of walnut from Jammu region for export related traits — Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 84(9), 2014 (quotes Sundouri and Sharma 2005), Morphological study of walnut cultivars at ICAR-CITH Srinagar — Indian Journal of Horticulture (flowering types; seen as a search extract), Walnut Farming Guide (commercial guide; spacing only, not an extension recommendation) — AgriFarming. editorial policy.