Castor Seed
Sow in July, harvest around December
This season's sowing time (July–August) is over.
Grown on 25 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
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
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 630 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 140 mm it can use in a normal year, and 70 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 37 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 36 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Sep 36 °C / 25 °C (outside its best range)
- Oct 36 °C / 19 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 11 °C
- Dec 25 °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: 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: nitrogen, sulphur and boron.
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of phosphorus.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 6.1 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).
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 ₹6,149 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹7,560 a quintal, the middle of 9 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).
- ₹4,990 2021
- ₹6,500 2022
- ₹5,750 2023
- ₹5,550 2024
- ₹5,880 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 phosphorus Your soil is likely short of phosphorus.
Add about a quarter more DAP or single super phosphate than the usual dose, at sowing.
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 zinc Your soil is likely short of zinc.
Mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.
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.