Barley

Water

Rain falls about 2 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 290 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 50 mm it can use in a normal year (20 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 160 mm from the monsoon at sowing.

Temperature

Grows best at 15–20 °C on average, and survives 2–40 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Nov 27 °C / 12 °C
• Dec 21 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 18 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 23 °C / 10 °C
• Mar 28 °C / 15 °C (outside its best range)

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Barley: 8 out of 10 (good).

Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Most fields here are short of potassium.
• Most fields here are short of organic carbon.

Likes pH 6.5–8.5.

Money

Yield: about 16 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).

On rain alone it gets about 70% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 70% of this yield.

Mandi price at last season's harvest (March–April 2026): about ₹2,112 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹2,776 a quintal, the middle of 25 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹14,000 a season after typical costs.

Minimum support price: ₹2,286 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.

Prices are usually best in November.

Typical costs are about ₹18,000 an acre (seed, fertiliser, labour and hired machines, from the government's cost survey). They are spent whatever the harvest.