Tur (Arhar)
Sow in October, harvest around April
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 680 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 640 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 230 mm it can use in a normal year (130 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 0 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 18–38 °C on average, and survives 10–45 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 34 °C / 25 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 24 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 23 °C
- Jan 31 °C / 22 °C
- Feb 33 °C / 23 °C
- Mar 36 °C / 25 °C
- Apr 36 °C / 26 °C
Soil
Soil for Tur (Arhar): 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: iron.
- The pH here suits it.
- Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
- Many fields here are short of phosphorus, which it needs a lot.
- Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 4.3 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 (April 2026): about ₹6,000 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹9,531 a quintal, the middle of 101 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹8,450 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
Prices are usually best in January.
Typical costs are about ₹19,000 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 3.5 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of phosphorus Your soil is likely short of phosphorus.
Add about a quarter more DAP or single super phosphate than the usual dose, at sowing.
About 100% of local fields of this crop get it.
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Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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Short of zinc Your soil is likely short of zinc.
Mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 100%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 100%
- Urea 100%