Kashi Manu (Water Spinach)

Technology Background:

Underutilized vegetable crops often receive limited research attention despite their potential to address nutritional, ecological and livelihood challenges. These crops are typically resilient, nutrient-rich and well-suited to marginal environments, making them ideal for sustainable farming systems. Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), though widely consumed in some regions, remains largely underexploited in Indian agriculture. Its fast growth, high biomass yield and rich vitamin and mineral content make it a promising leafy vegetable. However, lack of improved varieties, standard cultivation practices and awareness limits its adoption. Recognizing this gap, ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi initiated systematic research on water spinach. The aim was to explore its genetic diversity, develop improved cultivars and promote it as a profitable and nutritious crop for diverse agro-climatic zones. 

 Technology Details:

The variety ’Kashi Manu’ of water spinach developed by ICAR- IIVR offers a robust solution for addressing nutritional security, sustainable livelihood, and climate resilience under varied agro-ecological conditions. It is recommended for cultivation under rainfed, irrigated, low and high fertility soils, making it highly adaptable to diverse farming systems, especially in resource-constrained environments.

Key features and Agronomic performance: 

• Year-round production of leafy biomass, suitable for pot, wetland, upland, and waterlogged conditions. 
• Optimal seed rate: 20-25 kg/ha ensures efficient land use and economic input cost. Exhibits luxuriant vegetative growth with soft, tender leaves (10-12cm long and 6-8cm wide), enhancing market and consumption appeal. 
• Early harvesting starts at 20-25 days post-sowing with successive cuts at 10–15-day intervals, ensuring consistent income and food availability. 
• Heat tolerance up to 48°C and resistance to prolonged waterlogging, making it suitable for climate-vulnerable regions. 

Nutritional and Socio-economic relevance: 

• Rich in Vitamin A, iron, and antioxidants, it contributes significantly to dietary diversification and nutrition-sensitive agriculture. 
• The variety offers a low-input, high-output solution, particularly beneficial for marginal and smallholder farmers. 
• Its performance under stress conditions makes it a resilient crop for changing climate scenarios.
• ’Kashi Manu’ represents a promising alternative vegetable crop -water spinach variety that addresses nutrition security, environmental sustainability and rural livelihood. Its adaptability across farming systems and climates makes it a potential model crop for climate-smart agriculture and an effective intervention toward mainstreaming underutilized vegetables into national food and nutrition programmes.