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Spice · Apiaceae (carrot family)

Cumin

Jeera · जीरा · Cuminum cyminum

The high-value spice of the desert — loves cool, dry air, hates clouds.

Cumin is grown mainly in western Rajasthan (Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Nagaur) and Gujarat. It is a short, delicate crop that needs cool, dry, clear weather. Returns are high, but cloudy, humid weather at flowering can wipe it out through blight, so timely care matters.

Sowing
1 Nov – 25 Nov
Harvest
25 Feb – 31 Mar
Duration
100–120 days
Yield
2–3.2 q/acre
5–8 q/ha
Cumin plant with its roots, in a glass tank

Flowering · roots shown through the soil

At a glance

Cumin in one look

Needs a cool, dry winter with clear skies. Cloudy, humid weather at flowering brings blight; frost damages flowers.

Sowing time

1 Nov – 25 Nov

Harvest

25 Feb – 31 Mar

100–120 days from sowing

Temperature

10–25 °C to grow

20–25 °C at sowing

Soil

Well-drained sandy loam to loam

pH 6.8–8.3

Seed rate

4.9–6.1 kg/acre

12–15 kg/ha

Spacing

30 × 10 cm

1–1.5 cm deep

Irrigations

4–6

5 critical stages

Yield

2–3.2 q/acre

5–8 q/ha

Season

AugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun
Grown most inRajasthanGujarat

Light soils that never hold standing water are best.

Seed to harvest

Watch cumin grow, stage by stage

Scroll through the season. The plant in the glass tank grows to each stage — roots and all — and every card says what the crop is doing and what you should do in the field that week.

Cumin plant with its roots, in a glass tank

Stage 1 of 7

Sowing

Day 0–2

  1. 1Day 0–2

    Sowing

    Seed is placed very shallow in moist soil.

    Your job · Light irrigation right after sowing; pre-emergence weedicide.

  2. 2Day 3–12

    Germination

    Thin seedlings emerge in 7–12 days.

    Your job · Second light irrigation for an even stand.

  3. 3Day 13–30

    Seedling

    Thread-like, finely divided leaves form.

    Your job · First hand weeding.

  4. 4Day 31–50

    Branching

    The small plant branches from the base.

    Your job · Top-dress nitrogen with irrigation; second weeding.

  5. 5Day 51–70

    Flowering

    Tiny white-pink umbels open on every branch.

    Your job · Scout daily for blight in cloudy weather; aphid check.

  6. 6Day 71–95

    Seed formation

    Long, ridged seeds form and fill.

    Your job · Stop irrigation; keep protecting from blight and powdery mildew.

  7. 7Day 96–115

    Maturity

    Plants and seeds turn yellowish-brown.

    Your job · Harvest promptly in the morning.

The seed

Good seed is half the harvest

Use certified seed of a variety bred for your region, at the right rate, and treat it before sowing.

Cumin seeds, close up

One seed

≈ 5 mm

Seed rate

4.9–6.1 kg/acre

12–15 kg/ha

1000-seed weight

—

Recommended varieties

GC 4Gujarat Cumin 4; wilt resistant, widely grown.
RZ 19RAU; popular older variety for Rajasthan.
RZ 209RAU; tolerant to wilt and blight.
RZ 223RAU; wilt resistant.

Seed treatment

  1. 1Treat with carbendazim at 2 g per kg seed, or Trichoderma at 4 g per kg, against wilt.

Field & sowing

Prepare the land, then sow at the right gap and depth

Line sowing in small irrigation beds

A Cumin field, showing rows and spacing

Layout

Flat beds

Row to row

30 cm

Plant to plant

10 cm

Depth

1–1.5 cm

Land preparation

  1. 1Deep summer ploughing helps reduce wilt from the soil.
  2. 2Plough 2–3 times and plank to a fine, level seedbed.
  3. 3Remove stones and clods; make small level beds.

Sowing, step by step

  1. 1Make small beds (kyaris) so light irrigations spread evenly.
  2. 2Sow in lines 30 cm apart, very shallow — 1 to 1.5 cm.
  3. 3Cover the seed lightly with a thin layer of soil.

Feeding the crop

How much fertiliser, and when

These are the standard doses for a medium-fertility field. Your Soil Health Card can raise or lower them — test first, then feed.

Nutrient dose

Nitrogen (N)12 kg/acre · 30 kg/ha
Phosphorus (P₂O₅)8.1 kg/acre · 20 kg/ha
Potassium (K₂O)0 kg/acre · 0 kg/ha

Plus 10 t/ha (4 t/acre) of well-rotted farmyard manure or compost.

When to apply

  1. 1At sowing: half the nitrogen and all phosphorus.
  2. 2At 30–35 days, with irrigation: the remaining nitrogen.
  3. 3Potash only if your soil test shows it is low.

Micronutrients, sulphur & biofertilisers

  1. 1Zinc sulphate 20–25 kg/ha if the soil test shows deficiency.
  2. 2Seed inoculation with Azotobacter and PSB.

Bags for your field

For 1 acre of Cumin

What to buy

Urea

0.5

bags · 20 kg

DAP

0.5

bags · 18 kg

MOP

not needed

Nutrients in it: N 12 kg · P₂O₅ 8.1 kg · K₂O 0 kg

Also add farmyard manure or compost: 4 t

  • Don't put it all in at once: follow the timing on the Cumin page.
  • Your Soil Health Card can raise or lower these amounts. If you have one, follow it.
  • Using SSP, NPK complexes or gypsum instead changes these amounts; the nutrient dose is what matters.

Not yet checked against a package of practices. Confirm the dose with your KVK before you buy.

Urea has 46 % N; DAP 18 % N and 46 % P₂O₅; MOP 60 % K₂O. Urea comes in 45 kg bags, DAP and MOP in 50 kg.

Water

4–6 irrigations — never miss the critical ones

A crop forgives a late irrigation at some stages and punishes it at others. These are the days that decide yield.

Day 0
Day 8
Day 30
Day 55
Day 75
SowingDay 120

Critical irrigations

  1. Day 0Light irrigation right after sowing
  2. Day 8Second light irrigation for even germination
  3. Day 30Branching
  4. Day 55Flowering
  5. Day 75Early seed set (last irrigation)

Watering tips

  1. 1Always light irrigations; never flood cumin.
  2. 2Stop irrigating once seeds start forming — wet soil plus humid air invites blight.
  3. 3Don't irrigate on cloudy, humid days.

Protection

Weeds, pests and diseases to watch for

Walk the field every week. Most problems are cheap to stop early and expensive to fix late. For any spray, follow the label dose and check with your KVK.

Disease

Wilt (ukhtha)

Signs · Young plants droop and dry, often in patches; roots turn brown.

Manage · Never sow in a field with past wilt; 3-year rotation, resistant GC 4 / RZ 223, seed treatment and summer ploughing.

Disease

Alternaria blight (jhulsa)

Signs · Brown to black spots on leaves and stems after cloudy, humid weather at flowering; tips droop and seeds stay empty.

Manage · Avoid irrigating in cloudy weather. Spray mancozeb at first spots and repeat at 10–15 days if weather stays humid, as per label / your KVK.

Disease

Powdery mildew (chhachhya)

Signs · White powder on leaves, stems and umbels.

Manage · Dusting or spraying wettable sulphur at first signs, as per label / your KVK.

Pest

Aphid (mahu)

Signs · Insects on tender parts and umbels at flowering; plants weaken and seeds shrivel.

Manage · Spray as per label / your KVK when colonies appear; spare bees by spraying in the afternoon.

Disorder

Frost injury

Signs · Flowers and young seeds blacken after a frosty night.

Manage · Light irrigation (on clear nights) and smoke when frost is forecast.

Weeds

Common · Bathua, krishneel, motha and grasses — cumin is tiny and slow, so weeds take over fast

  1. 1Hand weeding at 20–25 and 40–45 days.
  2. 2Pre-emergence weedicide such as pendimethalin, as per label / your KVK.

Harvest

Harvest on time, dry it well, store it safe

A good crop gives

2–3.2q/acre

5–8 quintal per hectare

When is it ready?

  1. 1Plants turn yellowish-brown.
  2. 2Seeds turn grey-brown and come off easily.

Harvesting

  1. 1Cut or pull the plants early in the morning to reduce shattering.
  2. 2Dry on a clean floor or tarpaulin in the sun.
  3. 3Thresh by beating gently with sticks; clean and grade.

After harvest & storage

  1. 1Dry seed to about 8–9% moisture.
  2. 2Store in clean bags in a cool, dry store.
  3. 3Clean, bold, greyish seed fetches the best price.

Golden rules for cumin

  1. 1Never sow cumin where wilt appeared before.
  2. 2Sow very shallow — 1 to 1.5 cm.
  3. 3No irrigation in cloudy weather, and none after seeds start forming.
  4. 4Keep the crop weed-free for the first 45 days.
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