Onion
Sow in July, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (July–August) is over.
Grown on 10,287 acres here. Sold at 4 mandis in your district.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Needs care: Warm in July
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 580 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 150 mm it can use in a normal year, and 90 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 12–25 °C on average, and survives 4–33 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 36 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 34 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Sep 35 °C / 24 °C (outside its best range)
- Oct 35 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 30 °C / 11 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Onion: 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.0–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 44 quintals an acre here (district figures).
Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹1,300 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹3,175 a quintal, the middle of 2 mandis in your district (latest 13 Nov).
- ₹1,500 2021
- ₹1,000 2022
- ₹1,050 2023
- ₹1,800 2024
- ₹1,150 2025
Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹1.0 lakh 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
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 14 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
-
Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
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 iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
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 44%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 23%
- Calcium Ammonium Nitrate 5%