Wheat
Sow in October, harvest around June
This season's sowing time (October) is over.
Grown on 2,407 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 5 irrigations short
- Needs care: Cool in October
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 5 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 600 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 350 mm it can use in a normal year, and 250 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 15–25 °C on average, and survives 5–27 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 23 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 17 °C / 2 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 10 °C / -2 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 7 °C / -3 °C (outside its best range)
- Feb 10 °C / 0 °C (outside its best range)
- Mar 16 °C / 4 °C (outside its best range)
- Apr 21 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
- May 25 °C / 12 °C
- Jun 28 °C / 16 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Wheat: 9 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 zinc, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.0–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 6.6 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 (June–July 2026): about ₹2,438 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹2,724 a quintal, the middle of 497 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹2,610 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,820 2021
- ₹2,060 2022
- ₹2,330 2023
- ₹2,480 2024
- ₹2,530 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
-
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.