Cowpea (Lobia)

Water

Rain falls about 5 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 280 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 30 mm it can use in a normal year, and 20 mm in a dry year.

The government's farm census has no figure for Cowpea (Lobia) alone. About 94% of other pulses (tur, peas, lobia and more) in your district is grown on rain alone.

Temperature

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

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

• Oct 30 °C / 22 °C
• Nov 30 °C / 20 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 30 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 30 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Cowpea (Lobia): 8 out of 10 (good).

• The pH here suits it.
• Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
• Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of iron.
• Most fields here are short of boron.

Likes pH 5.5–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 2.4 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹6,612 a quintal across mandis in your state.

This week: about ₹8,435 a quintal, the middle of 7 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹10,000 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.