Date Palm

Water

Rain falls about 9 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 1,130 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 720 mm it can use in a normal year, and 600 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 26–45 °C on average, and survives 10–52 °C.

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

• Jun 30 °C / 20 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 27 °C / 20 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 26 °C / 19 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 26 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Oct 24 °C / 14 °C (outside its best range)
• Nov 20 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 16 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 13 °C / 4 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 16 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 21 °C / 10 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 26 °C / 15 °C (outside its best range)
• May 30 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 30 °C / 20 °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 Date Palm: 8 out of 10 (good).

Not in the score: sulphur and boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.

Likes pH 6.5–8.0.

Money

Yield: about 31 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 5 years. The money here is for plants already bearing.

Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.

No mandi or support price for this crop yet.