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Arka Neelamani grape Photo: Nish · Pexels License · source ↗

Arka Neelamani grape

Arka Neelamani is a seedless, deep-blue table-cum-juice grape developed at ICAR-IIHR Bangalore as part of its grape hybridisation programme. Released as Arka Hans Hybrid 53, it has gained traction with growers in southern Karnataka and the wider Deccan plateau who want a hardy, anthocyanin-rich seedless alternative to Thompson Seedless.

Key characteristics

  • Developer: ICAR-IIHR Bangalore (cross involving Bangalore Blue and a seedless parent)
  • Berry: medium, round, deep purple-black; uniform colour
  • Seeds: seedless (stenospermocarpic) — does not require thinning sprays for seed abortion
  • TSS at harvest: 18-22 deg Brix; high anthocyanin content
  • Bunch weight: 350-500 g; medium-sized, well-shouldered
  • Yield: 8-12 t/ac with single pruning; higher under double-cycle protocols
  • Harvest window: February-March in Bangalore Rural and Doddaballapur

Cultivation

Arka Neelamani is grown on the flat overhead pandal in the Bangalore-Chikkaballapur belt and on Y-trellis systems on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. It is moderately vigorous, lower-input than Thompson Seedless (Grapes Thompson Seedless), and gives uniform colour under the lower temperatures of the southern Karnataka grape belt - a problem zone for poor anthocyanin development in other coloured varieties. Recommended planting density is around 1100-1200 vines/ha. Like other Indian table grapes it benefits from grafting onto Dogridge or 110R rootstocks (Grapes Rootstock Dogridge 110R) under saline or nematode-prone soils.

Pest and disease profile

Arka Neelamani is rated as moderately tolerant to anthracnose (Grapes Anthracnose Elsinoe) and downy mildew (Grapes Downy Mildew Plasmopara) compared to Thompson Seedless, but powdery mildew (Grapes Powdery Mildew Uncinula) and thrips still warrant active management. The thick skin and deep pigmentation reduce sun-scorch losses relative to white-berried varieties.

Adoption and use

Arka Neelamani is positioned as a dual-purpose variety: fresh consumption in domestic markets and processing into anthocyanin-rich juice, jam and red wine. ICAR-IIHR has promoted it as a candidate for value-added wine and juice industries in southern Karnataka, where the cultivar's colour stability under cooler conditions is an advantage over Bangalore Blue. The companion red selection is Arkavati / Arka Red (Grapes Arkavati Arka Red).

See also: Grapes Arkavati Arka Red, Grapes Thompson Seedless, Grapes Rootstock Dogridge 110R.

Sources

  1. Grape Varieties. ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore.
  2. ICAR-NRC Grapes Pune institutional portal.