Sunflower

Water

Rain falls about 1 irrigation (5 cm) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 230 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 50 mm it can use in a normal year (20 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 140 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 26 °C / 11 °C
• Dec 21 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 18 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 22 °C / 10 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 28 °C / 14 °C

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

No soil score here: the soil tests don't say enough about nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium.

Likes pH 6.0–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 7.2 quintals an acre here (older figures, 2016-17).

On rain alone it gets about 80% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 80% of this yield.

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 ₹19,000 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.