Betel Leaves

Water

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

Needs about 1,160 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 950 mm it can use in a normal year, and 880 mm in a dry year.

Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.

Temperature

Grows best at 22–27 °C on average, and survives 17–31 °C.

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

• Jun 24 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 24 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 24 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 24 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Oct 23 °C / 15 °C (outside its best range)
• Nov 21 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 18 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 16 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 19 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 22 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 23 °C / 14 °C (outside its best range)
• May 24 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 24 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)

Nights in January can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

Soil for Betel Leaves: 7 out of 10 (okay).

• Soil here is often too alkaline for it.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
• Most fields here are short of copper.

Likes pH 5.0–5.6.

Money

Yield: about 36 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).

On rain alone it gets about 82% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 82% of this yield.

Mandi price through the year (May 2025, September 2025, April 2026): about ₹16,000 a quintal at mandis in your district.

This week: about ₹7,750 a quintal, the middle of 6 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹3,000 a year at typical costs.

Prices are usually best in April.

Typical costs are about ₹2.3 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.