Wheat
Sow in November, harvest around March
Sowing time is now.
Grown on 3.8 lakh acres here. Sold at 5 mandis in your district.
₹19,000–₹28,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹237–₹10,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 7 irrigations short
- Needs care: Very hot in November
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 7 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 470 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 0 mm it can use in a normal year (0 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 150 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 15–25 °C on average, and survives 5–27 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Nov 34 °C / 17 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 30 °C / 13 °C
- Jan 28 °C / 11 °C
- Feb 32 °C / 14 °C
- Mar 36 °C / 19 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Days in November get hotter than it likes. Time sowing so it flowers before then.
Soil
Soil for Wheat: 7 out of 10 (okay).
- 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 sulphur.
Likes pH 6.0–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 9.7 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (March–April 2026): about ₹2,426 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹2,850 a quintal, the middle of 11 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹9,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,610 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,870 2021
- ₹2,730 2024
- ₹2,590 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 16 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of nitrogen Your soil is likely short of nitrogen.
Add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.
About 100% of local fields of this crop get it.
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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 iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
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%
- Urea 100%