Sunflower

Water

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

Needs about 220 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 70 mm it can use in a normal year (30 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 150 mm from the monsoon at sowing.

Temperature

Grows best at 17–34 °C on average, and survives 5–45 °C.

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

• Nov 24 °C / 12 °C
• Dec 20 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 17 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 21 °C / 10 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 26 °C / 14 °C

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Sunflower: 9 out of 10 (good).

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

• The pH here suits it.

Likes pH 6.0–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 4.2 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (March–April 2026): about ₹6,255 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹7,283 a quintal, the middle of 20 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹7,000 a season after typical costs.

Minimum support price: ₹8,343 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.

Prices are usually best in August.

Typical costs are about ₹23,000 an acre (seed, fertiliser, labour and hired machines, from the government's cost survey). They are spent whatever the harvest.