Mustard variety · Released variety
Varuna
Also known as T-59
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (CSAUA&T) · Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology · 1964
Landmark variety with foundational role in Indian mustard breeding. Suitable under all climatic conditions with strong general combining ability. More than 90% of Indian mustard varieties carry Varuna blood.
Key facts
| Type | Released variety |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (CSAUA&T) |
| Breeder / source | Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology |
| Year released | 1964 |
| Parentage | Selection from Varanasi Local |
| Yield | Baseline variety; newer selections from Varuna (Kranti, Pusa Bold, Pusa Jagannath) show 7–30% higher seed yields |
| Tolerance | Moderate tolerance to Alternaria blight and mustard aphid; susceptible to white rust in high-moisture zones |
| Distinctive features | Medium-maturity, bold seeds, medium oil content ~40%; well-adapted across North Indian plains; high oil yield despite some erucic acid concerns |
| Grown in | Pan-India cultivation from Punjab to Madhya Pradesh; particularly dominant in Rajasthan and Haryana |
| Also known as | T-59 |
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.
Varuna in detail
Varuna, released in 1964 from Kanpur, became the foundational parent of modern Indian mustard breeding—a large majority of varieties grown today carry its blood. A bold-seeded, medium-maturity type with oil content around 40%, it has long stood as a benchmark for adaptability across North Indian growing zones.
Origin & story
Varuna (T-59) was released by Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology (CSAUA&T), Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in 1964. In February 2017 it was honoured as a Landmark Variety by the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, IARI, New Delhi, recognising its role in Indian mustard breeding. Varuna was used as a direct parent for the varieties Rohini, Kranti, Pusa Jaikisan and Krishna, and contributed as a parent to 17 others—figuring in the parentage of roughly 38 varieties in all.
How it grows
A medium-maturity variety well suited to the North Indian plains, typically sown in the rabi season from mid-October into November and harvested in late winter to early spring when the pods yellow and the seeds harden. It performs across a wide range of conditions, which is part of why it has been so widely grown and used in breeding.
Quality & character
Bold seeds with oil content around 40%. Varuna is susceptible to white rust (Albugo candida) and is commonly used as a susceptible check in white-rust resistance studies and mapping work. It carries some erucic acid, in line with traditional high-erucic Indian mustard.
Why it matters to buyers
Varuna is grown mainly for oil and seed. Its consistent performance across regions made it a reference variety for decades, and because so many modern varieties carry Varuna parentage, familiarity with it helps in understanding current cultivar genetics. Like other traditional Indian mustard, its erucic acid content reflects older quality standards rather than the newer low-erucic types.
About mustard
Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) occupies over 90% of India's rapeseed-mustard acreage and has evolved through systematic breeding since the 1960s paired with farmer landraces across the rabi belt from Punjab to Madhya Pradesh. Below are 12 foundational varieties—both landmark releases from ICAR institutes and notable hybrids—that define Indian mustard…
Live market rate
Today's mustard price
See the latest mustard rate, daily range and recent trend from verified mandi & auction sources.
Other mustard varieties
From the Western Ghats
Buy clean, graded mustard from AroWest
AroWest is the spice & aromatics label of Western Crest Ventures LLP — hand-cleaned, sorted, sealed and traceable harvests from Idukki and the wider Western Ghats. Registered LLP · Udyam (MSME) · FSSAI · GST.