Sweet Potato

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 250 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 210 mm it can use in a normal year (110 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 200 mm from the monsoon at sowing.

Temperature

Grows best at 18–28 °C on average, and survives 10–38 °C.

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

• Oct 23 °C / 15 °C
• Nov 21 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 18 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 16 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 19 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)

Nights in January can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

Soil for Sweet Potato: 8 out of 10 (good).

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of copper.

Likes pH 5.0–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 13 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹2,388 a quintal across India's mandis.

Prices are usually best in September.

Typical costs are about ₹55,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.