NRCHB-101

First heterotic mustard hybrid released for late-sown irrigated conditions (Zone III: UP, MP, Uttarakhand, parts of Rajasthan). Good general combiner for seed yield and yield attributes. Among the first commercial hybrids addressing yield gaps in delayed sowing.

Key facts

Figures are indicative, compiled from public agricultural sources (ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities, the Spices Board and the National Innovation Foundation) and vary with soil, season and management. Confirm with your local package of practices.

NRCHB-101 in detail

NRCHB-101 is among the first commercial Indian mustard hybrids bred for the late-sown irrigated window in northern and central India, channelling hybrid vigour into a tall plant with bold seeds.

Origin & story

NRCHB-101 was developed through pedigree selection from the cross BL 4 × Pusa Bold by the National Research Centre on Rapeseed-Mustard (NRCM), Bharatpur, Rajasthan. It was identified during the 15th annual group meeting of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Rapeseed-Mustard, held at Bhubaneswar on 7-9 August 2008, for late-sown irrigated conditions, and was notified under Notification No. S.O. 454(E) dated 11 February 2009. It was one of the early commercial heterotic mustard hybrids aimed at the yield gap that opens up when sowing is delayed.

How it grows

Released for Zone III late-sown irrigated conditions, covering Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and parts of Rajasthan. It matures in about 105-135 days across locations and performs on irrigated and partially irrigated fields. Under late-sown conditions one trial reported a seed yield of around 1,438 kg/ha, with a yield advantage over older checks such as Ashirwad, Kranti and Vardan. Frontline demonstrations in south-eastern Rajasthan (Kota and Baran) using improved mustard varieties under the full recommended package, NRCHB-101 among them, recorded higher yields and returns than farmer practice, though the published figures pool several varieties rather than isolating this one.

Quality & character

A tall plant, taller than the open-pollinated varieties of its era (reported in the medium-to-tall range across trials), with bold seeds and good pod set. Oil content has been recorded from about 34.6 to 42.1% across locations. Like conventional Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), it is not a low-erucic "canola"-type line. Hybrid vigour shows in the robust plant architecture and branching.

Why it matters to buyers

NRCHB-101 found a place as a hybrid option for irrigated farms in the Hindi Belt (UP, MP) where sowing is often delayed, where it offered better yields than farmer-saved or open-pollinated stock, against the higher cost of hybrid seed. It is also noted in breeding work as a good general combiner for seed yield and yield attributes, and appears as a parent in several institutional crosses showing useful heterosis, which makes it of interest to breeding programmes. As standard (non-canola) Indian mustard, its meal and oil follow the usual conventional-mustard uses.

Other mustard varieties

• Varuna
• Kranti
• Pusa Bold
• Rohini
• Pusa Jagannath
• Pusa Mustard 25
• Pusa Mustard 26
• Pusa Mustard 28
• Pusa Mustard 30
• Giriraj
• RH-749
• Brown Sarson / Brassica rapa (Tora type)