Tur (Arhar)
Sow in June, harvest around December
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 314 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 660 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 130 mm it can use in a normal year, and 90 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 18–38 °C on average, and survives 10–45 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 40 °C / 27 °C
- Jul 36 °C / 27 °C
- Aug 35 °C / 26 °C
- Sep 35 °C / 24 °C
- Oct 33 °C / 18 °C
- Nov 28 °C / 12 °C
- Dec 23 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Tur (Arhar): 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: nitrogen.
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
- Most fields here are short of boron.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.9 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 (December 2025–January 2026): about ₹6,500 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹9,500 a quintal, the middle of 114 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹8,450 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹5,740 2021
- ₹5,750 2022
- ₹8,120 2023
- ₹9,380 2024
- ₹6,260 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
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 5.4 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.