Mesta

A monsoon crop. Sow in Jun–Jul, harvest in Nov–Dec.

Check it on your land
Season
Kharif
JJASONDJFMAM
100% of its area.
Ready in
140 days
about 4½ months
Water
500–590 mm
over its season
Temperature
15–28 °C
0° survives 10–35 °C 40°

When to sow and harvest

Kharif 100% of its area
Today: kharif harvest
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 Mesta 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

15–28 °C
0 °C40 °C

Survives 10–35 °C. Frost hurts it.

Water

500–590 mm over its season

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

Dakshin Dinajpur Supaul Madhepura Kalaburagi West Garo Hills

Soil pH

4 acidic7 neutral9 alkaline

Likes neutral soil. Grows from pH 4.3 to 8.2.

Soil

  • No salty soil
  • Needs rich soil
  • K Needs plenty of potassium and boron
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

No mandi prices for this crop yet.

Where it grows in India

Area grown in India
44,043 ha
2019-20
Average yield
1.2 t/ha
2019-20
Most area
Dakshin Dinajpur
West Bengal
Best yield
North 24 Parganas
3.2 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. Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal 6,738 ha
  2. Supaul, Bihar 6,356 ha
  3. Mayurbhanj, Odisha 3,300 ha
  4. Madhepura, Bihar 2,784 ha
  5. Kendujhar, Odisha 2,653 ha
  6. West Garo Hills, Meghalaya 2,198 ha
  7. Balangir, Odisha 1,460 ha
  8. Murshidabad, West Bengal 1,428 ha
  9. Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh 1,403 ha
  10. North 24 Parganas, West Bengal 1,401 ha

Mesta yield

  1. 0.0–0.5 t/ha
  2. 0.5–0.7 t/ha
  3. 0.8–1.0 t/ha
  4. 1.1–1.9 t/ha
  5. 2.0–3.2 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). 2019-20.

Where yields are highest

  1. North 24 Parganas, West Bengal 3.2 t/ha
  2. Nadia, West Bengal 2.8 t/ha
  3. Katihar, Bihar 2.7 t/ha
  4. Cooch Behar, West Bengal 2.4 t/ha
  5. Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal 2.4 t/ha
  6. Murshidabad, West Bengal 2.4 t/ha
  7. Supaul, Bihar 2.4 t/ha
  8. Malda, West Bengal 2.4 t/ha
  9. Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal 2.3 t/ha
  10. Alipurduar, West Bengal 2.3 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). 2019-20.

Across India over the years

Yield (t/ha)

1.2 1.7 2.2
2019-20 2019-20
Latest 1.2 t/ha in 2019-20

Area (ha)

44K 44K 44K
2019-20 2019-20
Latest 44,043 ha in 2019-20

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). 2019-20.

Soil and yield

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

Mesta yields tend to be higher in districts with

  • More soil high in phosphorus moderate 70 districts
  • More soil short of boron weak 70 districts
  • More soil low in potassium weak 70 districts

Mesta yields tend to be lower in districts with

  • More soil medium in phosphorus moderate 70 districts
  • More soil short of iron weak 70 districts
  • More soil low in phosphorus weak 70 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).