Date Palm

Water

Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.

Needs about 1,610 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 130 mm it can use in a normal year, and 80 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 40 °C / 27 °C
• Jul 37 °C / 27 °C
• Aug 35 °C / 26 °C
• Sep 34 °C / 24 °C
• Oct 33 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Nov 28 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 23 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 19 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 23 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 29 °C / 14 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 36 °C / 19 °C
• May 41 °C / 25 °C
• Jun 40 °C / 27 °C

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: 7 out of 10 (okay).

Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of sulphur.
• Most fields here are short of manganese.

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.