Rapeseed & Mustard
Sow in October, harvest around February
This season's sowing time (October) is over.
Grown on 5,750 acres here. Sold at 4 mandis in your district.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 5 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 5 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 360 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 0 mm it can use in a normal year (0 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 150 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 15–28 °C on average, and survives 7–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 34 °C / 23 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 33 °C / 18 °C
- Dec 29 °C / 14 °C
- Jan 28 °C / 12 °C
- Feb 30 °C / 15 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Rapeseed & Mustard: 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- It copes with the salt here.
- Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
Likes pH 6.0–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 8.6 quintals an acre here in this season (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 (February–March 2026): about ₹5,785 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹8,226 a quintal, the middle of 176 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹6,613 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹5,430 2021
- ₹5,330 2022
- ₹5,450 2023
- ₹5,660 2024
- ₹5,940 2025
Prices are usually best in October.
Typical costs are about ₹20,000 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
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 6.5 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of nitrogen Your soil is likely short of nitrogen.
Add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.