Castor Seed
Sow in July, harvest around December
This season's sowing time (July–August) is over.
Grown on 744 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: Frost risk in December
- 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 620 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 50 mm it can use in a normal year, and 20 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 20–30 °C on average, and survives 15–39 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 39 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 37 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
- Sep 37 °C / 25 °C (outside its best range)
- Oct 35 °C / 19 °C
- Nov 29 °C / 12 °C
- Dec 23 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Nights in December can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.
Soil
Soil for Castor Seed: 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 7.8 quintals an acre here in this season (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 (December 2025–January 2026): about ₹6,174 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹7,560 a quintal, the middle of 9 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).
- ₹5,330 2024
- ₹5,700 2025
Prices are usually best in December.
Typical costs are about ₹24,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
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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.