Rapeseed & Mustard

A winter crop. Sow in Oct–Nov, harvest in Feb–Mar.

Check it on your land
Season
Rabi
100% of its area.
Ready in
120 days
about 4 months
Water
270–310 mm
over its season
Temperature
15–28 °C
0° survives 7–40 °C 40°

When to sow and harvest

Rabi 100% of its area
Today: rabi sowing time
J J A S O N D J F M A M
Sow Growing Harvest
The year starts in June, with the monsoon. Your district can shift a few weeks.

Will it grow on your land?

Water
Season

Pick a place and water to see if it suits your land, and what it earns.

What it needs

Temperature

15–28 °C
0 °C40 °C

Survives 7–40 °C.

Water

270–310 mm over its season
Tonk Ganganagar Alwar Bikaner Bharatpur

Worked out where most of it grows. Rain and irrigation together.

Soil pH

4 acidic7 neutral9 alkaline

Likes slightly acidic soil. Grows from pH 5 to 8.

Soil

  • No salty soil
  • Needs rich soil
  • S Needs plenty of sulphur and boron
How the soil score works

Source: FAO ECOCROP crop requirements (via OpenCLIM/ecocrop); FAO-56 crop coefficients (Allen et al. 1998); IMD gridded daily rainfall (0.25°); IMD gridded daily max/min temperature (1°).

Fertiliser for one acre

Draft: check with your KVK
Urea nitrogen
57 kg 1½ bags of 45 kg
DAP phosphate
35 kg half a bag of 50 kg
MOP potash
27 kg half a bag of 50 kg

Sulphur 40 kg/ha (gypsum or single super phosphate)

Rain-fed: N 16, P₂O₅ 8, K₂O 8 kg an acre

Give the DAP and MOP at sowing, and the urea in two or three doses. If your soil card says a nutrient is low, add about a quarter more of it.

Watch out for

Draft: check with your KVK
  • Aphids
    Pest

    Look for Clusters of small grey-green insects on flower heads and pods; pods stay small.

    First Sow early, by October. Spray when many plants carry clusters; ask your KVK.

  • White rust
    Disease

    Look for White blisters under the leaves; flower heads swell and twist.

    First Use clean seed and a resistant variety; spray metalaxyl with mancozeb when it appears. Follow the label or your KVK for the dose.

  • Alternaria blight
    Disease

    Look for Brown round spots with rings on leaves and pods.

    First Sow on time; spray mancozeb when spots appear. Follow the label or your KVK for the dose.

  • Stem rot
    Disease

    Look for Water-soaked patches on stems with white cottony mould; plants break.

    First Rotate crops and don't over-irrigate; where it comes back every year, spray carbendazim at flowering. Follow the label or your KVK for the dose.

Mandi price, month by month

Best month
August, ₹6,180
Lowest
March, ₹5,258
₹5,258
₹6,180
J F M A M J J A S O N D

Rupees a quintal, typical across India's mandis.

Government minimum support price (MSP): ₹6,613 a quintal for 2027-28.

Source: Agmarknet daily prices and arrivals (India Data Portal).

Where it grows in India

Area grown in India
79,48,510 ha
2024-25
Average yield
1.4 t/ha
2024-25
Most area
Tonk
Rajasthan
Best yield
Deeg
2.4 t/ha

Districts with the most area (recent figures)

The map colours each district by yield, for districts growing it on at least 100 ha.

  1. Tonk, Rajasthan 3,22,320 ha
  2. Ganganagar, Rajasthan 3,15,615 ha
  3. Alwar, Rajasthan 2,66,262 ha
  4. Bikaner, Rajasthan 2,59,510 ha
  5. Bharatpur, Rajasthan 2,35,689 ha
  6. Bhind, Madhya Pradesh 2,15,664 ha
  7. Hanumangarh, Rajasthan 2,11,886 ha
  8. Jodhpur, Rajasthan 1,82,171 ha
  9. Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan 1,78,590 ha
  10. Morena, Madhya Pradesh 1,66,652 ha

Rapeseed & Mustard yield

  1. 0.1–0.7 t/ha
  2. 0.7–0.9 t/ha
  3. 0.9–1.2 t/ha
  4. 1.2–1.5 t/ha
  5. 1.5–2.4 t/ha
No data

Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2002-03 to 2024-25.

Where yields are highest

  1. Deeg, Rajasthan 2.4 t/ha
  2. Kotputli-Behror, Rajasthan 2.3 t/ha
  3. Nuh, Haryana 2.3 t/ha
  4. Dholpur, Rajasthan 2.2 t/ha
  5. Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh 2.2 t/ha
  6. Panipat, Haryana 2.2 t/ha
  7. Jamnagar, Gujarat 2.1 t/ha
  8. Etah, Uttar Pradesh 2.1 t/ha
  9. Gurugram, Haryana 2.1 t/ha
  10. Karnal, Haryana 2.1 t/ha

Only districts growing it on at least 100 ha.

Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2002-03 to 2024-25.

Across India over the years

Yield (t/ha)

0.0 0.8 1.5
2002-03 2024-25
Latest 1.4 t/ha in 2024-25

Area (ha)

0.0 5.0M 9.9M
2002-03 2024-25
Latest 79,48,510 ha in 2024-25

Only years in which most of the usual districts reported are shown.

Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2002-03 to 2024-25.

Soil and yield

How district soil tests line up with this crop's yields across India.

  • Districts with more soil that is acidic tend to have lower rapeseed & mustard yields (moderate pattern, 528 districts).
  • Districts with more soil low in nitrogen tend to have higher rapeseed & mustard yields (moderate pattern, 508 districts).
  • Districts with more soil medium in nitrogen tend to have lower rapeseed & mustard yields (weak pattern, 508 districts).
  • Districts with more soil high in organic carbon tend to have lower rapeseed & mustard yields (weak pattern, 528 districts).
  • Districts with more soil that is alkaline tend to have higher rapeseed & mustard yields (weak pattern, 528 districts).
  • Districts with more soil high in nitrogen tend to have lower rapeseed & mustard yields (weak pattern, 508 districts).

A pattern is not proof that soil causes the difference.

Source: Soil Health Card – soil nutrient analysis (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare).