Urad (Black Gram)
Sow in July, harvest around October
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 6.9 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹7,000–₹10,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹4,000–₹7,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 2 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 310 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 220 mm it can use in a normal year, and 120 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–35 °C on average, and survives 8–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 35 °C / 27 °C
- Aug 33 °C / 25 °C
- Sep 34 °C / 25 °C
Soil
Soil for Urad (Black Gram): 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: boron.
- Soil here is often more alkaline than it likes.
- Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 5.5–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 1.6 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).
On rain alone it gets about 73% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 73% of this yield.
Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹7,220 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹7,084 a quintal, the middle of 17 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹6,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹8,200 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹5,880 2021
- ₹5,120 2022
- ₹6,550 2023
- ₹7,410 2024
- ₹5,410 2025
Prices are usually best in October.
Typical costs are about ₹14,000 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
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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.
-
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.
-
Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.