Pusa Kaushal

Pusa Kaushal is a brinjal (baingan) variety developed by ICAR-IARI and released in 2016. It is characterised by its non-spiny, erect plants and long, violet-purple fruits with a round distal end. It is particularly suited for the Kharif season and has shown excellent adaptability across a wide range of Indian states.

📋 Variety Details

✨ Salient Features

• Plants are non-spiny with erect branches, having light purple pigmentation partially on younger leaves, mid-rib and veins.
• Fruits are long, violet-purple with a round distal end.
• Each fruit weighs 80–90 g.
• First harvesting takes about 55 days from transplanting.
• Average yield: 38.0 t/ha.

🌱 Package of Practices

Note: The IARI variety handbook does not list variety-specific package of practices for Pusa Kaushal. The points below are standard brinjal cultivation practices compiled from Vikaspedia (ICAR-affiliated agricultural knowledge portal) and other ICAR publications for reference.

🌡️ Climate & Soil

Brinjal is a warm-season crop that needs a long, warm growing period; it is very sensitive to frost. A daily mean temperature of 13–21°C is most favourable, and growth suffers badly below 17°C. It can be grown as a rainy-season or summer-season crop, and even up to 1200 m elevation. Well-drained, fertile soil worked to a fine tilth with 2–3 ploughings is ideal; FYM should be mixed in during the final ploughing.

🌾 Nursery & Seed Treatment

Seeds are treated with (Carboxin 37.5% + Thiram 37.5%) DS @ 1.5 g, or (Carbendazim 1.0 g + Thiram 1.5 g) per kg of seed, before sowing on raised nursery beds — raised beds prevent waterlogging in heavy soils. About 300–500 g seed is needed per hectare. Seedlings are ready for transplanting in 4–5 weeks, once they are 8–10 cm tall with 3–4 leaves.

🌱 Transplanting & Spacing

A pre-soaking irrigation is given 3–4 days before transplanting, and seedling roots are dipped in a Bavistin solution (2 g/litre water) beforehand. Transplanting is best done in the evening, followed by light irrigation. For a long-fruited variety like Pusa Kaushal, a spacing of around 60 × 45 cm is generally suitable.

🧪 Manures & Fertilizers

15–20 tonnes of well-decomposed FYM per hectare is incorporated into the soil during land preparation. For optimum yield, a fertilizer dose of 150 kg N, 100 kg P₂O₅ and 50 kg K₂O per hectare is generally recommended — with full P and K plus half of N applied at transplanting, and the remaining N given in split doses during later growth stages.

💧 Irrigation & Care

Regular irrigation is important, especially at flowering and fruit-set stages — roughly every 3–4 days in summer and every 7–10 days in winter. Green manuring, polythene mulching, and bleaching-powder soil application can help reduce bacterial wilt infection.

🧺 Harvesting & Yield

Fruits are ready for first picking in about 55 days from transplanting, and should be harvested while still glossy — dullness indicates over-maturity. Since fruits don't mature uniformly, harvesting is usually done at 8–10 day intervals, retaining part of the calyx and stem on the fruit. Pusa Kaushal is rated for an average yield of 38.0 t/ha.

🛡️ Pest & Disease Management (IPM)

Brinjal is prone to about 35–40% yield losses due to pests and diseases. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is essential to reduce pesticide residues and manage resistance.

🐛 Key Pests & Symptoms

• Hadda Beetle: Adults are pale brown with black spots; grubs are yellowish. Both scrape leaves and skeletonise them.
• Aphids: Nymphs and adults suck sap; leaves turn yellow, deformed, and dry. They also secrete honeydew, promoting sooty mould.
• Shoot and Fruit Borer: Larvae bore into shoots (killing growing points, causing wilted drooping shoots) and later into fruits, making them unfit for consumption.
• Red Spider Mite: Feeds on under-surfaces of leaves, causing curling and shrivelling.

🦠 Key Diseases & Symptoms

• Phomopsis Blight and Fruit Rot: Circular brown spots on leaves; pale, sunken spots on fruits that enlarge and rot the fruit internally.
• Little Leaf: Small leaves, shortened petioles and internodes, leaves become narrow, soft, smooth, and yellow. Plant appears bushy; fruiting is rare.
• Sclerotinia Blight: Downward wilting of twigs from top to main stem; fungal growth near joints; whole plant wilts.
• Root-Knot Nematode: Formation of knots or galls on the root system; stunted growth and patchy fields.

🌿 IPM Strategies

• Nursery: Prepare raised nursery beds about 10 cm above ground level for good drainage to avoid damping off.
• Cultural Control: Follow crop rotation, use healthy seeds, remove and destroy infected plants, and manage weeds.
• Mechanical Control: Hand-pick and destroy visible pests and infected plant parts.
• Biological Control: Conserve natural enemies and use bio-pesticides like Trichoderma viride and neem-based formulations.
• Chemical Control: Use recommended pesticides judiciously as a last resort, following label instructions and pre-harvest intervals.