Castor Seed
A monsoon crop. Sow in Jun–Jul, harvest in Nov–Dec.
When to sow and harvest
Will it grow on your land?
Pick your place and water to see:
- Whether Castor Seed suits your land Good fit, possible or won't work, with the reasons.
- What it could earn an acre From yields near you and mandi prices.
- Water and fertiliser it needs Irrigations for your water, and bags for one acre.
What it needs
Temperature
Survives 15–39 °C. Frost hurts it.
Water
Rain and irrigation together, worked out where most of it grows:
Soil pH
Likes slightly acidic soil. Grows from pH 4.5 to 8.
Source: FAO ECOCROP crop requirements (via OpenCLIM/ecocrop); FAO-56 crop coefficients (Allen et al. 1998); IMD gridded daily rainfall (0.25°); IMD gridded daily max/min temperature (1°).
Fertiliser for one acre
Draft: check with your KVKRain-fed: N 16, P₂O₅ 16, K₂O 0 kg an acre
Give the DAP and MOP at sowing, and the urea in two or three doses. If your soil card says a nutrient is low, add about a quarter more of it.
Watch out for
Draft: check with your KVK-
SemilooperPest
Look for
Leaves eaten by green caterpillars that move in loops.
What to do first
Pick off caterpillars; spray when they are many. Follow the label or your KVK for the dose.
-
Capsule borerPest
Look for
Webbed spikes with caterpillars boring into the capsules.
What to do first
Remove webbed spikes; spray when damage spreads. Follow the label or your KVK for the dose.
-
WiltDisease
Look for
Plants wilt and dry; brown streaks inside the stem.
What to do first
Grow a resistant variety and rotate crops.
-
Grey mouldDisease
Look for
Grey fungal growth on the spikes in rainy weather.
What to do first
Spray carbendazim when rain is forecast at flowering. Follow the label or your KVK for the dose.
Mandi price, month by month
Rupees a quintal, typical across India's mandis.
Source: Agmarknet daily prices and arrivals (India Data Portal).
Where it grows in India
- Area grown in India
- 9,57,349 ha
- 2024-25
- Average yield
- 1.9 t/ha
- 2024-25
- Most area
- Kachchh
- Gujarat
- Best yield
- Gurugram
- 5.0 t/ha
Districts with the most area (recent figures)
The map colours each district by yield, for districts growing it on at least 100 ha.
Castor Seed yield
- 0.2–0.3 t/ha
- 0.3–0.5 t/ha
- 0.5–0.8 t/ha
- 0.8–1.9 t/ha
- 2.0–5.0 t/ha
Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 1999-00 to 2024-25.
Where yields are highest
Only districts growing it on at least 100 ha.
Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 1999-00 to 2024-25.
Across India over the years
Yield (t/ha)
Area (ha)
Only years in which most of the usual districts reported are shown.
Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 1999-00 to 2024-25.
Soil and yield
How district soil tests line up with this crop's yields across India.
Castor Seed yields tend to be higher in districts with
- More soil that is salty moderate 129 districts
- More soil high in phosphorus moderate 129 districts
- More soil short of copper weak 128 districts
Castor Seed yields tend to be lower in districts with
- More soil medium in phosphorus weak 129 districts
- More soil that is acidic weak 129 districts
- More soil low in phosphorus weak 129 districts
A pattern is not proof that soil causes the difference.
Source: Soil Health Card – soil nutrient analysis (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare).