Horse Gram (Kulthi)

Water

Rain is enough in a normal year. Keep one irrigation ready for a dry year.

Needs about 120 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 150 mm it can use in a normal year, and 100 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):

• Nov 16 °C / 3 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 10 °C / -1 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 7 °C / -3 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 9 °C / -1 °C (outside its best range)

Nights in November 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).

• 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 iron.

Likes pH 5.5–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 1.5 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).

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 ₹1,000 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.