Arka Manik
An IIHR (Bengaluru) open-pollinated variety resistant to anthracnose, powdery mildew and downy mildew, with round, dull-green fruit with dark stripes, 5–7 kg, deep red flesh and a firm rind that stores and travels well.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First harvest ~95–100 days
- Expected yield
- 45–60 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to anthracnose, powdery mildew and downy mildew
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Arka Manik is an open-pollinated watermelon from ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru, and one of the few Indian watermelons with real multi-disease resistance — to anthracnose, powdery mildew and downy mildew together. The fruit is round, 5–7 kg, with a dull green rind and dark stripes, deep red high-TSS flesh, and a firm rind that stores and stands long-distance transport. It is the variety of choice where cucurbit disease pressure is high and the fruit has to travel, though it takes a little longer to mature at about 95–100 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Arka Manik if cucurbit disease pressure is high and your fruit has to travel. It resists anthracnose, powdery mildew and downy mildew together, a rare package for watermelon. The fruit is round, 5–7 kg, with deep red high-sugar flesh and a firm rind that stores well. Yield is 45–60 t/ha, and it is open-pollinated, so seed can be saved. The catches: it does not cover Fusarium wilt, and it takes about 95–100 days, a little longer than Sugar Baby. Choose Arka Jyoti for a hybrid with uniform 6–8 kg fruit. Choose Kiran for a 10–12 kg melon.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Resistant to anthracnose, powdery mildew and downy mildew — a rare multi-disease package for watermelon
- Firm rind — stores well and stands long-distance transport
- Deep red, high-sugar flesh; high yield potential
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved
Things to consider
- The disease resistance does not cover Fusarium wilt — still rotate away from cucurbits, or graft on badly infested land
- A little later to mature (~95–100 days) than Sugar Baby
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Tamil Nadu
- Maharashtra
- Telangana
Resistance covers three diseases, so plan the fourth yourself
Arka Manik resists anthracnose, powdery mildew and downy mildew together. That takes a lot of spray pressure off a wet season.
It does not resist Fusarium wilt. Wilt lives in the soil and can wait for years, so the field history matters more than the variety.
Before you sow, write down what grew on the field for the last three seasons. If it was a cucurbit, pick another field, rotate, or graft on badly infested land. Then Arka Manik's real strengths, disease cover and a firm travelling rind, can pay.
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 Watermelon (Tarbooz) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Jyoti | A long-proven F1 hybrid with 6–8 kg round, red-fleshed fruit for the general market and medium-to-distant transport | First harvest ~95 days | 35–45 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana |
| Arka Manikthis page | A disease-resistant open-pollinated watermelon with a firm rind, for fields with high cucurbit disease pressure and long transport | First harvest ~95–100 days | 45–60 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana |
| Arka Muthu | A dwarf, short-vine watermelon with 2.5–3 kg single-serve fruit, for close planting, raised-bed drip, small plots and protected cultivation | First harvest ~80–90 days | 35–45 t/ha at high density | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| Durgapura Meetha | A hardy, cheap open-pollinated watermelon for hot, dry north-west conditions and river-bed (diara) plantings | First harvest ~90 days | 25–35 t/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh |
| Kiran | A high-yielding F1 hybrid with large 10–12 kg oval fruit and a tough, striped rind, for big fields serving distant urban markets | First harvest ~90–95 days | 45–55 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat |
| Pusa Bedana | A triploid seedless watermelon for the premium urban fresh market, grown with a diploid pollenizer | First harvest ~95–100 days | 25–35 t/ha | Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| Sugar Baby | The most widely grown open-pollinated watermelon, small and sweet with cheap seed, for smallholders and river-bed plots selling to nearby markets | First harvest ~85–95 days | 20–30 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
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 Watermelon (Tarbooz) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Watermelon (Tarbooz) 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 Watermelon (Tarbooz) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Watermelon (Tarbooz) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Watermelon (Tarbooz) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Watermelon (Tarbooz) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Watermelon (Tarbooz) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Arka Manik's resistance cover Fusarium wilt?
No. It resists anthracnose, powdery mildew and downy mildew, but not Fusarium wilt. Rotate away from cucurbits, and on badly infested land consider grafting. Do not plant it straight after another watermelon or melon crop.
Arka Manik or Sugar Baby for my field?
Sugar Baby is early (85–95 days), cheap to sow and sells well nearby, but yields 20–30 t/ha, its thin rind bruises and it has no disease resistance. Arka Manik yields 45–60 t/ha, resists three diseases and travels well, but it needs a few more days (95–100). If your market is far or your land has disease pressure, Arka Manik. If you sell next door and want cheap seed, Sugar Baby.
Can I save Arka Manik seed?
Yes. It is open-pollinated, so seed from your own fruit will give plants like the parent. Save seed only from healthy, typical plants with the firm rind and deep red flesh, and never from fruit that came from a diseased patch.
How long does Arka Manik take and what does it yield?
First harvest comes at about 95–100 days, and the yield card shows 45–60 t/ha. That is a little later than Sugar Baby (85–95 days) and Arka Muthu (80–90 days). Count from sowing, and plan the harvest for when your buyer is ready, not just when the crop is.
Will Arka Manik fruit survive a long truck trip?
That is what it is chosen for. The rind is firm, the fruit stores well and stands long-distance transport. Pick at the right stage, load carefully and do not stack higher than your truck allows. A firm rind helps, but rough loading still bruises fruit.