Horse Gram (Kulthi)

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 140 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 140 mm it can use in a normal year (80 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 150 mm from the monsoon at sowing.

Temperature

Grows best at 20–28 °C on average, and survives 17–35 °C.

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

• Nov 19 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 15 °C / 4 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 11 °C / 2 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 14 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)

Nights in December can bring frost while the plants are young. Sow a little later, or cover the seedlings on cold nights.

Soil

Soil for Horse Gram (Kulthi): 9 out of 10 (good).

Not in the score: sulphur, zinc, iron and 3 more.

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

Likes pH 5.5–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 2.5 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (March–April 2026): about ₹3,893 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹4,963 a quintal, the middle of 12 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹6,000 a season after typical costs.

Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.

Prices are usually best in October.

Typical costs are about ₹6,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.