Date Palm

Water

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

Needs about 1,760 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 220 mm it can use in a normal year, and 140 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 41 °C / 28 °C
• Jul 37 °C / 27 °C
• Aug 36 °C / 26 °C
• Sep 36 °C / 25 °C
• Oct 36 °C / 19 °C
• Nov 30 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 25 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 22 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 28 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 33 °C / 15 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 39 °C / 21 °C
• May 42 °C / 26 °C
• Jun 41 °C / 28 °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, sulphur and boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of phosphorus.
• Most fields here are short of organic carbon.

Likes pH 6.5–8.0.

Money

Yield: about 54 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).

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.