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Spice · Fabaceae (pea family)

Fenugreek

Methi · मेथी · Trigonella foenum-graecum

Leaf vegetable, seed spice and soil builder — all in one crop.

Fenugreek is grown for green leaves (methi, kasuri methi) and for its bitter, aromatic seed, a major seed spice of Rajasthan. Being a legume, it fixes nitrogen and leaves the soil richer. It is hardy, short and needs modest water.

Sowing
20 Oct – 15 Nov
Harvest
1 Mar – 31 Mar
Duration
125–145 days
Yield
6.1–8.1 q/acre
15–20 q/ha
Fenugreek plant with its roots, in a glass tank

Flowering · roots shown through the soil

At a glance

Fenugreek in one look

Cool, dry weather is best. Cloudy, humid weather brings powdery mildew; it is fairly frost-hardy.

Sowing time

20 Oct – 15 Nov

Harvest

1 Mar – 31 Mar

125–145 days from sowing

Temperature

10–25 °C to grow

15–25 °C at sowing

Soil

Loam to clay loam rich in organic matter

pH 6–8

Seed rate

8.1–10 kg/acre

20–25 kg/ha

Spacing

30 × 10 cm

2–3 cm deep

Irrigations

4–6

4 critical stages

Yield

6.1–8.1 q/acre

15–20 q/ha

Season

AugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun
Grown most inRajasthanMadhya PradeshGujaratUttar PradeshHaryanaPunjab

Tolerates mild salinity, but waterlogging causes root rot.

Seed to harvest

Watch fenugreek 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.

Fenugreek plant with its roots, in a glass tank

Stage 1 of 7

Sowing

Day 0–3

  1. 1Day 0–3

    Sowing

    Rhizobium-coated seed takes up water quickly.

    Your job · Sow in lines; pre-emergence weedicide.

  2. 2Day 4–8

    Germination

    Two oval seed leaves come up within a week.

    Your job · Check stand and fill gaps.

  3. 3Day 9–25

    Seedling

    Three-part (trifoliate) leaves form; root nodules start fixing nitrogen.

    Your job · Thin and weed. Leaf crop can be cut from 25–30 days.

  4. 4Day 26–55

    Branching

    The plant branches and covers the ground.

    Your job · First irrigation and top-dress nitrogen; second hoeing.

  5. 5Day 56–80

    Flowering

    Small pale-yellow to white flowers open in the leaf axils.

    Your job · Irrigate; watch for powdery mildew and aphids.

  6. 6Day 81–115

    Pod filling

    Long, slender, beaked pods form, each with 10–20 seeds.

    Your job · Irrigate at pod formation and seed filling.

  7. 7Day 116–140

    Maturity

    Pods turn yellow-brown and leaves fall.

    Your job · Harvest when lower pods are yellow-brown.

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.

Fenugreek seeds, close up

One seed

≈ 4 mm

Seed rate

8.1–10 kg/acre

20–25 kg/ha

1000-seed weight

—

Recommended varieties

RMt 1RAU; popular seed variety in Rajasthan.
RMt 305RAU; tolerant to powdery mildew and root rot.
Hisar SonaliHAU; high-yielding seed variety.
Hisar SuvarnaHAU; seed variety with tolerance to leaf spot.
Pusa Early BunchingIARI; leafy type for green methi.

Seed treatment

  1. 1Treat with Trichoderma at 4 g per kg seed, or carbendazim at 2 g per kg, against root rot.
  2. 2Then coat with Rhizobium culture (and PSB) just before sowing — it's a legume.

Field & sowing

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

Line sowing in small beds

A Fenugreek field, showing rows and spacing

Layout

Flat beds

Row to row

30 cm

Plant to plant

10 cm

Depth

2–3 cm

Land preparation

  1. 1Plough 2–3 times to a fine tilth and plank.
  2. 2Mix FYM in the last ploughing.
  3. 3Make level beds with good drainage.

Sowing, step by step

  1. 1Sow in lines 30 cm apart, 2–3 cm deep.
  2. 2Thin to about 10 cm between plants.
  3. 3For leaf crops, broadcast or sow in close lines and cut repeatedly.

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)16 kg/acre · 40 kg/ha
Phosphorus (P₂O₅)16 kg/acre · 40 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 first irrigation (about 30 days): the remaining nitrogen.
  3. 3Potash only if your soil test shows it is low.

Micronutrients, sulphur & biofertilisers

  1. 1Seed inoculation with Rhizobium and PSB cuts the nitrogen need.
  2. 2SSP as the phosphorus source also supplies sulphur.
  3. 3Zinc sulphate 20–25 kg/ha in zinc-deficient soils.

Bags for your field

For 1 acre of Fenugreek

What to buy

Urea

0.5

bags · 21 kg

DAP

0.5

bags · 35 kg

MOP

not needed

Nutrients in it: N 16 kg · P₂O₅ 16 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 Fenugreek 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 30
Day 60
Day 85
Day 105
SowingDay 145

Critical irrigations

  1. Day 30Branching
  2. Day 60Flowering
  3. Day 85Pod formation
  4. Day 105Seed filling

Watering tips

  1. 1Light irrigations; never let water stand.
  2. 2Sow after a pre-sowing irrigation for an even stand.

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

Powdery mildew

Signs · White powdery patches on leaves and pods, worst in cloudy late winter.

Manage · Grow tolerant RMt 305; spray wettable sulphur at first signs, as per label / your KVK.

Disease

Root rot / wilt

Signs · Plants yellow, wilt and dry; roots rotten and brown.

Manage · Seed treatment with Trichoderma, good drainage and crop rotation.

Disease

Downy mildew

Signs · Yellow patches on top of leaves with grey growth underneath.

Manage · Avoid dense sowing; spray as per label / your KVK.

Disease

Cercospora leaf spot

Signs · Small brown spots on leaves that later merge.

Manage · Clean seed and rotation; fungicide only on KVK advice.

Pest

Aphid

Signs · Insects on tender shoots and young pods; leaves curl.

Manage · Neem oil spray at first colonies; insecticide as per label / your KVK.

Weeds

Common · Bathua, krishneel, wild oats and grasses

  1. 1Hoeing at 25–30 and 45–50 days.
  2. 2Pre-emergence pendimethalin, as per label / your KVK.

Harvest

Harvest on time, dry it well, store it safe

A good crop gives

6.1–8.1q/acre

15–20 quintal per hectare

Seed yield. A leaf crop gives several cuttings from about 25–30 days.

When is it ready?

  1. 1Pods turn yellowish-brown.
  2. 2Leaves yellow and drop.
  3. 3Seeds are hard and yellow-brown.

Harvesting

  1. 1Cut the plants and dry in the sun for a few days.
  2. 2Thresh by beating with sticks; clean with a winnower.

After harvest & storage

  1. 1Dry seed to about 9–10% moisture.
  2. 2Store in clean bags in a dry place.
  3. 3For kasuri methi, dry green leaves in shade to keep colour.

Golden rules for fenugreek

  1. 1Always use Rhizobium culture — free nitrogen for the crop.
  2. 2If you take one leaf cutting at about 30 days for the market, stop there; more cuts reduce seed yield.
  3. 3Good drainage prevents root rot.
  4. 4Spray sulphur at the first sign of powdery mildew.
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