Lentil (Masoor)
Sow in October, harvest around June
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
No figures for your district: its government crop records list no area or yield for this crop. Priced from mandis across India.
₹9,000–₹14,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹2,000–₹6,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Needs care: Cool in October
- Suits: Soil 9/10
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 520 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 460 mm it can use in a normal year (330 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 0 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 15–29 °C on average, and survives 5–32 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 21 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 15 °C / 3 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 10 °C / -1 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 6 °C / -3 °C (outside its best range)
- Feb 8 °C / -1 °C (outside its best range)
- Mar 14 °C / 2 °C (outside its best range)
- Apr 19 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
- May 23 °C / 12 °C
- Jun 27 °C / 16 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Lentil (Masoor): 9 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
- Most fields here are short of manganese.
Likes pH 5.5–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.0 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).
On rain alone it gets about 90% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 90% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (June–July 2026): about ₹6,517 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹6,950 a quintal, the middle of 10 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹3,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹7,390 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹6,000 2021
- ₹6,220 2022
- ₹5,860 2023
- ₹6,660 2024
- ₹6,740 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹16,000 an acre (seed, fertiliser, labour and hired machines, from the government's cost survey). They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
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Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of manganese Your soil is likely short of manganese.
Spray manganese sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, on the young crop.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.