Barley
Sow in November, harvest around March
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 2.5 acres here. Sold at 3 mandis in your district.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Needs care: Warm in November
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 420 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 0 mm it can use in a normal year (0 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 150 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 31 °C / 14 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 28 °C / 11 °C
- Jan 27 °C / 10 °C
- Feb 31 °C / 13 °C (outside its best range)
- Mar 36 °C / 17 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Barley: 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
- Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of sulphur.
Likes pH 6.5–8.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 4.7 quintals an acre here (district figures).
Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (March–April 2026): about ₹1,902 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹2,750 a quintal, the middle of 10 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹2,286 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
Prices are usually best in July.
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.
How to make it work
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 8.3 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of nitrogen Your soil is likely short of nitrogen.
Add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.
About 88% of local fields of this crop get it.
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Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
About 12% of local fields of this crop get it.
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Short of zinc Your soil is likely short of zinc.
Mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 88%
- Urea 88%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 12%