Shestha / Pusa Shrestha / Pusa Shreshth

Shestha / Pusa Shrestha / Pusa Shreshth is a striking hybrid mango developed at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, released in 2012. Pusa Shrestha was bred by crossing Amrapali × Sensation, bringing together regular bearing and compact tree habit with vivid export-quality skin colour. Scientist Dr. Manish Srivastava was among the ICAR-IARI scientists involved in its development.

Pusa Shrestha is elongated in shape with very attractive red peel over a yellow background, enclosing fibreless, orange pulp. It is medium in size, averaging 300 grams (as per the observations made at Amrakunuja Nursery & Farms). It ripens in the last week of June or first week of July in West Bengal, India. Pulp recovery is excellent - 72%, among the highest of the Pusa hybrids, while total soluble solids (TSS) sit at a good 21°Brix with a good sugar-acid blend, good aroma and pleasant flavour. Nutritionally, it's notably rich, carrying 40.3 mg/100 g ascorbic acid and a high β-carotene content of ~10,900 µg/100 g pulp. Though it is mainly used as a table-purpose variety, it can also be consumed by various mango processing industries.

Pusa Shrestha tree is semi-vigorous and regular-bearing, well suited to closer, high-density planting at 6 m × 6 m spacing. Upon ripening on the tree, its shelf life is a strong 7–8 days at room temperature (which extends to 12-14 days when it is harvested at 80% ripening stage). Combined with its attractive red colouration, fibreless pulp and good keeping quality, Pusa Shrestha is considered well suited to both domestic and overseas markets.

The variety has officially been released for cultivation in NCT of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.

Besides commercial farming, Pusa Shrestha can be planted in home garden, kitchen garden, rooftop garden, and its height can be maintained at a desirable height through annual pruning.

ColourVery attractive red peel over a yellow backgroundAverage Weight300 gramsSweetnessTSS 21 BrixShelf LifeVery good (12-14 days upon harvesting at 80% ripening stage)Seed TypeMonoembryonicBearingRegular and very heavy bearer