Horse Gram (Kulthi)
Sow in July, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 6,912 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹5,000–₹8,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹2,000 to a profit of ₹262 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 3 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 370 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 240 mm it can use in a normal year, and 120 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 20–28 °C on average, and survives 17–35 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 29 °C / 22 °C
- Aug 29 °C / 22 °C
- Sep 30 °C / 22 °C
- Oct 30 °C / 21 °C
Soil
Soil for Horse Gram (Kulthi): 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
- Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
- Most fields here are short of boron.
Likes pH 5.5–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 1.9 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹3,500 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹4,925 a quintal, the middle of 11 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹2,000 a season after typical costs.
- ₹3,010 2021
- ₹4,630 2022
- ₹6,550 2023
- ₹5,790 2024
- ₹3,610 2025
Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.
Prices are usually best in September.
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.
How to make it work
-
Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
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 boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
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 80%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 62%