Barley
Sow in November, harvest around March
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
No figures for your district: its government crop records list no area or yield for this crop. Priced from mandis across India.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 3 irrigations short
- Doesn't suit: Too hot here in this season
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 420 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 230 mm it can use in a normal year (110 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 50 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 30 °C / 23 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 29 °C / 21 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 30 °C / 20 °C (outside its best range)
- Feb 32 °C / 21 °C (outside its best range)
- Mar 34 °C / 23 °C (outside its best range)
Soil
Soil for Barley: 7 out of 10 (okay).
- 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 organic carbon.
Likes pH 6.5–8.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 12 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).
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 ₹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).
Minimum support price: ₹2,286 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,650 2021
- ₹2,500 2022
- ₹1,890 2023
- ₹2,130 2024
- ₹2,300 2025
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.
How to make it work
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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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of manganese Your soil is likely short of manganese.
Spray manganese sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, on the young crop.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.