Horse Gram (Kulthi)

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 320 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 560 mm it can use in a normal year, and 410 mm in a dry year.

Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.

Temperature

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

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

• Jul 30 °C / 24 °C
• Aug 30 °C / 24 °C
• Sep 30 °C / 24 °C
• Oct 30 °C / 23 °C

Soil

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

• The pH here suits it.
• Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
• Many fields here are short of phosphorus, which it needs a lot.

Likes pH 5.5–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 1.1 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹3,935 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 lose about ₹2,000 a season at 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 ₹8,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.