Cowpea (Lobia)

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 140 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 70 mm it can use in a normal year (30 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 200 mm from the monsoon at sowing.

Temperature

Grows best at 25–35 °C on average, and survives 15–40 °C.

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

• Nov 24 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 19 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 17 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 21 °C / 10 °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 Cowpea (Lobia): 10 out of 10 (good).

• The pH here suits it.
• Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.

Likes pH 5.5–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 2.8 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹6,386 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹8,965 a quintal, the middle of 22 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹15,000 a season after typical costs.

Prices are usually best in November.

Typical costs are about ₹10,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.