Guar Seed (Cluster Bean)
Sow in June, harvest around September
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 341 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹13,000–₹19,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹6,000–₹13,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 2 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 400 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 340 mm it can use in a normal year, and 210 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 25–35 °C on average, and survives 10–45 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 40 °C / 28 °C
- Jul 35 °C / 27 °C
- Aug 34 °C / 26 °C
- Sep 34 °C / 25 °C
Soil
Soil for Guar Seed (Cluster Bean): 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: potassium, sulphur and manganese.
- The pH here suits it.
- Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
- Most fields here are short of phosphorus.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
Likes pH 7.5–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.9 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 84% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 84% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (September–October 2026): about ₹6,556 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹7,700 a quintal, the middle of 28 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹12,000 a season after typical costs.
- ₹3,780 2021
- ₹5,300 2022
- ₹5,150 2023
- ₹4,900 2024
- ₹4,640 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹6,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
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Short of phosphorus Your soil is likely short of phosphorus.
Add about a quarter more DAP or single super phosphate than the usual dose, at sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
Short of zinc Your soil is likely short of zinc.
Mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 100%