Cowpea (Lobia)

A monsoon crop. Sow in Jun–Jul, harvest in Sep–Oct.

Check it on your land
Season
Kharif
JJASONDJFMAM
61% of its area. Also grown in rabi.
Ready in
90 days
about 3 months
Water
290–360 mm
over its season
Temperature
25–35 °C
0° survives 15–40 °C 40°

When to sow and harvest

Kharif 61% of its area
Rabi 37% of its area
Today: rabi sowing time
J J A S O N D J F M A M
Sow Growing Harvest
The year starts in June, with the monsoon. Your district can shift a few weeks.

Will it grow on your land?

Water
Season

Pick your place and water to see:

  • Whether Cowpea (Lobia) suits your land Good fit, possible or won't work, with the reasons.
  • What it could earn an acre From yields near you and mandi prices.
  • Water and fertiliser it needs Irrigations for your water, and bags for one acre.

What it needs

Temperature

25–35 °C
0 °C40 °C

Survives 15–40 °C. Frost hurts it.

Water

290–360 mm over its season

Rain and irrigation together, worked out where most of it grows:

Mysuru Salem Dharmapuri Mayurbhanj Kendujhar

Soil pH

4 acidic7 neutral9 alkaline

Likes neutral soil. Grows from pH 4 to 8.8.

Soil

  • No salty soil
  • Ordinary farm soil is fine
  • N Makes its own nitrogen
  • P Needs plenty of phosphorus and sulphur
How the soil score works

Source: FAO ECOCROP crop requirements (via OpenCLIM/ecocrop); FAO-56 crop coefficients (Allen et al. 1998); IMD gridded daily rainfall (0.25°); IMD gridded daily max/min temperature (1°).

Fertiliser for one acre

Not covered yet. Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra for the dose.

Watch out for

Not covered yet. Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to watch for.

Mandi price, month by month

Best month
December, ₹6,471
Lowest
September, ₹5,558
₹5,558
₹6,471
J F M A M J J A S O N D

Rupees a quintal, typical across India's mandis.

Source: Agmarknet daily prices and arrivals (India Data Portal).

Where it grows in India

Area grown in India
1,65,020 ha
2022-23
Average yield
0.6 t/ha
2022-23
Most area
Mysuru
Karnataka
Best yield
Aizawl
2.3 t/ha

Districts with the most area (recent figures)

The map colours each district by yield, for districts growing it on at least 100 ha.

  1. Mysuru, Karnataka 24,294 ha
  2. Salem, Tamil Nadu 18,468 ha
  3. Mayurbhanj, Odisha 15,750 ha
  4. Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu 12,146 ha
  5. Kendujhar, Odisha 11,210 ha
  6. Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh 8,722 ha
  7. Hassan, Karnataka 8,327 ha
  8. Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu 8,299 ha
  9. Sundargarh, Odisha 8,040 ha
  10. Mandya, Karnataka 7,152 ha

Cowpea (Lobia) yield

  1. 0.2–0.5 t/ha
  2. 0.5–0.7 t/ha
  3. 0.7–0.8 t/ha
  4. 0.8–0.9 t/ha
  5. 0.9–2.3 t/ha
No data

Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2017-18 to 2022-23.

Where yields are highest

  1. Aizawl, Mizoram 2.3 t/ha
  2. West Garo Hills, Meghalaya 1.9 t/ha
  3. Kolasib, Mizoram 1.8 t/ha
  4. South West Garo Hills, Meghalaya 1.7 t/ha
  5. Phek, Nagaland 1.5 t/ha
  6. Dimapur, Nagaland 1.4 t/ha
  7. Niuland, Nagaland 1.4 t/ha
  8. Mon, Nagaland 1.4 t/ha
  9. Jogulamba Gadwal, Telangana 1.3 t/ha
  10. Jagitial, Telangana 1.3 t/ha

Only districts growing it on at least 100 ha.

Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2017-18 to 2022-23.

Across India over the years

Yield (t/ha)

0.5 0.6 0.7
2017-18 2022-23
Latest 0.6 t/ha in 2022-23

Area (ha)

136K 170K 203K
2017-18 2022-23
Latest 1,65,020 ha in 2022-23

Only years in which most of the usual districts reported are shown.

Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2017-18 to 2022-23.

Soil and yield

How district soil tests line up with this crop's yields across India.

Cowpea (Lobia) yields tend to be higher in districts with

  • More soil that is acidic weak 117 districts
  • More soil high in organic carbon weak 117 districts

Cowpea (Lobia) yields tend to be lower in districts with

  • More soil that is neutral weak 117 districts
  • More soil that is salty weak 116 districts
  • More soil short of boron weak 116 districts
  • More soil high in phosphorus weak 117 districts

A pattern is not proof that soil causes the difference.

Source: Soil Health Card – soil nutrient analysis (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare).