Bitter Gourd

Water

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

Needs about 450 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 360 mm it can use in a normal year, and 260 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 22–30 °C on average, and survives 15–38 °C.

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

• Jun 39 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 35 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 33 °C / 26 °C
• Sep 33 °C / 24 °C

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Bitter Gourd: 7 out of 10 (okay).

Not in the score: boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of phosphorus.

Likes pH 6.0–6.5.

Money

Yield: about 83 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).

On rain alone it gets about 80% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 80% of this yield.

Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹4,125 a quintal at mandis in your district.

This week: about ₹2,500 a quintal, the middle of 19 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹30,000 a season after typical costs.

Prices are usually best in March.

Typical costs are about ₹1.4 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.