Cowpea (Lobia)

Water

Rain is enough in a normal year. Keep one irrigation ready for a dry year.

Needs about 250 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 90 mm it can use in a normal year (30 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 160 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):

• Oct 31 °C / 24 °C
• Nov 30 °C / 19 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 28 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 28 °C / 15 °C (outside its best range)

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Cowpea (Lobia): 7 out of 10 (okay).

• The pH here suits it, though not most crops.
• Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
• Many fields here are short of phosphorus, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of boron.

Likes pH 5.5–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 2.9 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹6,592 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 ₹16,000 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.