Sunflower

Water

Rain falls about 3 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 gives about 260 mm it can use in a normal year, and 150 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

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

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

• Jul 36 °C / 27 °C
• Aug 34 °C / 26 °C
• Sep 35 °C / 25 °C
• Oct 34 °C / 19 °C

Soil

Soil for Sunflower: 7 out of 10 (okay).

Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Salt in the soil here can harm it.
• Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
• Most fields here are short of zinc.

Likes pH 6.0–7.5.

Money

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

On rain alone it gets about 71% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 71% of this yield.

Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹7,542 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 lose about ₹2,000 a season at 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.