Orange (Mandarin, Kinnow)

Water

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

Needs about 800 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 800 mm it can use in a normal year, and 660 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 23–34 °C on average, and survives 12–38 °C.

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

• Jun 29 °C / 18 °C
• Jul 26 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 25 °C / 17 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 25 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Oct 23 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
• Nov 19 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 15 °C / 4 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 11 °C / 2 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 14 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 19 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 24 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
• May 28 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 29 °C / 18 °C

Nights in December can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

Soil for Orange (Mandarin, Kinnow): 9 out of 10 (good).

Not in the score: sulphur, zinc, iron and 3 more.

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.

Likes pH 6.0–6.8.

Money

Yield: about 53 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 4 years. The money here is for plants already bearing.

Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025–February 2026): about ₹4,750 a quintal at mandis in your district.

Prices are usually best in October.

Typical costs are about ₹99,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.