Coriander (Dhania)
Coriandrum sativum
A rabi seed spice grown across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat — and the one job growers new to it skip is gently splitting each round seed into its two halves before sowing, which is what gets an even, quick stand. Too much water at flowering invites stem gall and wilt.
- Crop type
- Spice (seed & leaf)
- Season
- Rabi
- Suitable states
- 10+ major states
- Growing duration
- 90–110 days (seed)
- Water requirement
- Low; keep dry at flowering
- Temperature
- 20–25°C, cool & dry
- Soil type
- Well-drained loam
- Difficulty level
- Easy
- Expected yield
- 10–15 q/ha (seed)
- Key practice
- Split seed before sowing
Overview
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is one of India’s most important seed spices, grown mainly as a rabi crop in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat for its aromatic dry seed (dhania), and also for the fresh green leaf (kothmir/hara dhania).
The crop’s one distinctive step is splitting the seed. Each round coriander "seed" is really a fruit containing two seeds; gently rubbing it to break it into halves before sowing gives a faster, more even germination — the job newcomers most often skip, to their cost.
From there, coriander is a cool-season crop that rewards restraint with water. Its two main problems — stem gall and wilt — are both worsened by excess irrigation at flowering, and aphids arrive as the crop matures. This guide follows the crop with those levers, and the seed-versus-leaf decision, in mind.
Crop timeline, sowing to harvest
A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.
- Day 0
Sowing
Split (halved) seed drilled 2–3 cm deep at 30 cm rows into a fine, moist rabi seedbed.
- Day 7–15
Emergence
Seedlings emerge more evenly and faster from split seed than from whole round seed.
- Day 20–40
Vegetative growth
Leafy growth builds; an early cut of leaf can be taken here if growing for both leaf and seed.
- Day 45–60
Flowering
The umbels flower over the cool weather; keeping the crop on the dry side now guards against gall and wilt.
- Day 60–80
Seed set & fill
Seeds set and fill in the umbels; steady, light moisture fills them without inviting disease.
- Day 80–100
Grain hardening
The seed hardens and the plant begins to dry; aphids peak around now and must be watched.
- Day 90–110
Harvest
Cut when the seed is mature but still greenish-brown — before it fully dries and shatters.
Suitable states
States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
- Punjab
- Uttarakhand
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Sikkim
- Assam
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Manipur
- Mizoram
- Tripura
- Gujarat
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Maharashtra
- Odisha
- Goa
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Puducherry
- Ladakh
- Chandigarh
Grown here
Climate requirements
Coriander is a cool, dry-weather crop. Cloudy, humid or foggy weather at flowering is its enemy — it drops seed set, invites powdery mildew and aphids, and darkens the seed. Frost at flowering damages the crop. Time sowing so flowering falls in clear, cool, frost-safe weather.
Ideal temperature
20–25°C, cool and dry, is ideal; frost and cloudy, humid weather at flowering are damaging
Rainfall
A dry rabi season on light irrigation suits it; rain or heavy dew at flowering causes disease and poor seed set
Humidity
Low humidity; cloudy, humid spells bring on powdery mildew and aphids and spoil seed colour
Sunlight
Full sun in cool, dry weather for good flowering, seed fill and aroma
Soil requirements
A fertile, well-drained loam is ideal. Avoid heavy, waterlogging-prone land, where wilt and root rot take hold. In areas where stem gall is a known problem, choose a resistant variety and avoid over-irrigation, which is the single biggest trigger.
Suitable soil
Well-drained loam and clay-loam; sandy loam under irrigation
pH range
6.5–7.5
Drainage
Good drainage is important — the crop is prone to wilt and root rot on wet soils
Organic matter
Moderate; coriander does well on the residual fertility of a well-manured previous crop
Land preparation
Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.
- 1
Fine, moist seedbed
Two or three ploughings and planking to a fine tilth with enough moisture for the small seed to germinate evenly.
- 2
Split the seed
Gently rub the round seed to break each into its two halves just before sowing — the key step for a fast, even stand.
- 3
Basal fertiliser
Mix basal nitrogen, phosphorus and potash into the bed; a light dose suits this modest-feeding crop.
Seed information
How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.
| Variety | Duration | Yield | Disease resistance | Best state | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pusa Selection / RCr-41 Widely grown seed varieties with reliable yield and good grain quality. | 110–120 days | Medium | Moderate | Rajasthan | Seed crop, main areas |
RCr-436 Popular Rajasthan variety with bold grain and wide adaptability for the seed crop. | 110–120 days | Medium–high | Moderate | Rajasthan | Bold seed, dry areas |
Hisar Sugandh Aromatic, dual-purpose variety valued for both leaf and seed. | 100–115 days | Medium | Moderate | Haryana | Leaf & seed, aroma |
Gujarat Coriander (GC / GDC) lines State-university seed varieties bred for the western dry-crop belt. | 105–115 days | Medium–high | Moderate | Gujarat | Seed crop, west India |
Stem-gall-resistant lines (e.g. RCr-684) Improved varieties bred for resistance to stem gall, the crop’s key disease in gall-prone areas. | 110–120 days | Medium–high | Resistant to stem gall | Rajasthan | Gall-prone areas |
- Seed rate
- 10–15 kg/ha for a seed crop; higher (20–25 kg/ha) for a dense leaf crop
- Certified seed
- In stem-gall-prone areas, a resistant variety is the cheapest insurance against the crop’s main disease. Whatever the variety, split the seed before sowing and treat it — the round fruit holds two seeds, and splitting gives a faster, more even stand.
- Spacing
- 30 cm between rows × 10–15 cm within the row
- Seed treatment
- Split the seed, then treat with Thiram or Carbendazim (and a bio-agent like Trichoderma) against seed-borne wilt and damping-off before sowing.
Sowing guide
Sowing time controls disease as much as the calendar: too early pushes flowering into warm, aphid-prone weather, too late risks frost and cloudy-weather disease at flowering. Always split the seed first — sowing whole round seed gives a slower, patchier stand that never fully recovers.
- Best time
- October–November — sow so that flowering falls in clear, cool, frost-safe weather
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plant spacing
- 10–15 cm within the row
- Sowing depth
- 2–3 cm
- Method
- Drill split, treated seed into a moist bed at 30 cm rows and cover lightly
Fertilizer schedule
A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.
- 1
Basal (at sowing)
Day 0
Part of the nitrogen with full phosphorus and potash — around 20–30 N : 30 P₂O₅ : 20 K₂O kg/ha; coriander is a modest feeder.
- 2
First top-dressing
Vegetative (30–35 days)
The remaining nitrogen at active leaf growth, with an irrigation.
- 3
Avoid late nitrogen
Flowering onward
Do not push nitrogen at flowering — soft, lush growth invites aphids and disease and delays seed maturity.
Irrigation schedule
1. Germination
Day 0–10
A light irrigation after sowing for even emergence of the split seed.
2. Vegetative growth
25–40 days
One or two light irrigations to build the crop; keep it steady, not heavy.
3. Flowering & seed fill
45–75 days
Light, careful irrigation only — excess water here is the main trigger of stem gall and wilt.
Critical stages
- Vegetative growth
- Seed filling
Water-saving tips
- Coriander needs little water — a few light, well-timed irrigations do the job, and over-watering causes more harm than drought.
- Keep the crop on the dry side at flowering to guard against stem gall and wilt.
- Sowing into good residual moisture after a well-watered previous crop saves an irrigation.
Weed management
Organic control
- One or two hand weedings up to 30–40 days, before the crop closes in.
- A well-established, evenly-germinated stand (helped by split seed) competes better with weeds.
Chemical control
- Pre-emergence Pendimethalin on moist soil after sowing controls early weeds in the slow-starting crop.
- One hand weeding at 30–35 days keeps the crop clean during its critical growth.
Nutrient deficiency identification
What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.
Nitrogen
Visible symptom
Pale, small older leaves and a thin, weak plant with few umbels.
Phosphorus
Visible symptom
Stunted plants with dull, dark leaves and delayed flowering.
Zinc
Visible symptom
Small, pale new leaves and stunted growth on light or alkaline soils.
Boron
Visible symptom
Poor seed set and hollow, cracked stems on deficient soils.
Iron
Visible symptom
Yellowing of the youngest leaves with green veins, on alkaline soils.
Diseases to watch for
Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.
Stem gall
- Symptoms
- Swollen, distorted galls on stems, branches and umbels; affected parts twist and the seed in galled umbels is shrivelled and worthless.
- Cause
- Protomyces macrosporus, favoured by high humidity and excess soil moisture, especially at flowering.
- Treatment
- Hard to cure once galls form; remove affected plants and stop over-irrigating.
- Prevention
- Grow a gall-resistant variety, use treated seed, avoid excess irrigation at flowering, and rotate crops — this is the crop’s defining disease in the main growing belt.
Powdery mildew
- Symptoms
- A white powdery growth on leaves, stems and umbels, worst in cloudy, humid or late-season warm weather, shrivelling the seed.
- Cause
- Erysiphe polygoni, favoured by warm days, cool nights and humidity.
- Treatment
- Spray wettable sulphur or a systemic fungicide such as Hexaconazole at first appearance.
- Prevention
- Sow on time so seed fills before mildew-favourable weather, and grow tolerant varieties.
Wilt
- Symptoms
- Sudden yellowing, wilting and death of plants in patches, often from the seedling stage; the roots and stem base rot.
- Cause
- Fusarium oxysporum, soil- and seed-borne, worse on wet soils.
- Treatment
- No in-crop cure; rogue out affected plants and improve drainage.
- Prevention
- Use treated, disease-free seed, avoid over-irrigation and waterlogging, and rotate away from coriander for several years.
Blight (Alternaria / Ramularia)
- Symptoms
- Brown leaf spots and blighting of foliage and umbels in humid weather, cutting seed fill and quality.
- Cause
- Alternaria and Ramularia fungi, favoured by humid, dewy conditions.
- Treatment
- Spray Mancozeb or a recommended fungicide at first appearance.
- Prevention
- Use treated seed, avoid dense stands and do not irrigate heavily at flowering.
Pests to watch for
What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.
Aphids
- Identification
- Soft green or grey insects clustering on the tender growing tips, flower umbels and developing seed.
- Damage
- The key coriander pest — heavy colonies at flowering and seed-fill suck sap, drop seed set, foul the crop with honeydew and darken the seed, cutting both yield and grade.
- Organic control
- Neem oil sprays, yellow sticky traps and conserving natural enemies (ladybirds, syrphids) by avoiding early broad-spectrum sprays.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide at flowering only if colonies cross threshold, timed to spare pollinators and honeydew-cleaning predators.
Thrips
- Identification
- Tiny slender insects in the flowers, causing silvering and poor seed set.
- Damage
- Reduced seed set and blemished seed under heavy attack at flowering.
- Organic control
- Blue sticky traps and neem sprays; keep field borders clean.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide at flowering if thrips are numerous.
Cutworm
- Identification
- Grey caterpillars that hide in the soil by day and cut young seedlings at the collar by night.
- Damage
- Patchy stand loss in the early crop as seedlings are cut off.
- Organic control
- Flood or expose the soil to birds, collect caterpillars at night, and keep the field clean of weed hosts.
- Chemical control
- A recommended soil insecticide or bait where cutworm damage appears in the young crop.
Mites
- Identification
- Fine webbing and speckled, bronzed leaves in warm, dry, late-season spells.
- Damage
- Leaf scorching that weakens the plant during seed fill.
- Organic control
- Keep the crop unstressed and well-watered within reason; neem or sulphur sprays reduce numbers.
- Chemical control
- A recommended miticide if mites build up late in a warm season.
Common mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.
- 1
Sowing whole round seed without splitting it.
Why it hurts
The round fruit holds two seeds and germinates slowly and patchily whole; splitting it into halves before sowing gives a faster, even stand — the single most-skipped step by newcomers.
- 2
Over-irrigating, especially at flowering.
Why it hurts
Excess moisture at flowering is the main trigger of stem gall and wilt, the crop’s two worst diseases — coriander wants to be kept on the dry side.
- 3
Growing a susceptible variety in a stem-gall area.
Why it hurts
Galled umbels produce shrivelled, worthless seed; in gall-prone belts a resistant variety is the cheapest and surest protection.
- 4
Mistiming the sowing.
Why it hurts
Too early pushes flowering into warm, aphid-prone weather; too late risks frost and cloudy-weather disease at flowering — sow so flowering falls in clear, cool, frost-safe weather.
- 5
Pushing nitrogen late in the crop.
Why it hurts
Late nitrogen gives soft, lush growth that attracts aphids and disease and delays seed maturity — coriander is a modest feeder that does not want a late boost.
- 6
Ignoring aphids until they cover the umbels.
Why it hurts
By then they have already cut seed set and darkened the seed with honeydew; early scouting and control at flowering protect both yield and grade.
- 7
Letting the seed crop over-dry before cutting.
Why it hurts
Fully dry umbels shatter and drop seed on handling, and the seed loses its prized green colour — cut when the seed is mature but still greenish-brown.
- 8
Threshing and drying the seed in harsh sun.
Why it hurts
Harsh sun-drying dulls the green colour and aroma that fetch a premium — cure and dry the seed gently, in shade or mild sun, to keep colour and fragrance.
- 9
Growing coriander on waterlogging-prone land.
Why it hurts
Wet soils bring on wilt and root rot from the seedling stage — choose well-drained land and do not flood the crop.
- 10
Growing coriander after coriander.
Why it hurts
Wilt and stem gall build up in the soil until the crop fails in patches — rotate with a cereal or other unrelated crop.
Harvesting
For seed, cut when the seed is fully formed and mature but still greenish-brown — before it fully dries and shatters, usually 90–110 days after sowing. Cut in the cool of the early morning to reduce shattering, then dry and thresh gently. For leaf, cut the green crop earlier and repeatedly.
Signs it is ready
- Seed fully formed and hardening
- Umbels turning from green to greenish-brown
- Crop drying but not yet shattering
Tools
- Sickle for cutting whole plants
- Tarpaulin for drying and gentle threshing
- Shade or mild sun for curing to keep colour
Expected yield
10–15 q/ha of seed for a well-managed crop; a dual-purpose crop yields some leaf plus a lighter seed harvest
Post-harvest & storage
Storage
Dry the seed gently to a safe low moisture and store it clean and dry in a cool, airy store; well-dried coriander seed keeps for months without losing much aroma. Gentle curing preserves the green colour that fetches a premium.
Packaging
Pack well-dried, cleaned seed in clean bags kept off the floor in a dry store; green fresh leaf is bunched and moved fast as it is highly perishable.
Transportation
Move dry seed protected from moisture; move fresh leaf cool and quickly, as it wilts within a day.
Shelf life
Many months for well-dried seed; a day or two for fresh green leaf.
Market prices
Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.
Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.
Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.
Weather
Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.
Pick your state for current conditions and a 5-day outlook.
Live data from Open-Meteo
Profit calculator
Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.
Where the money goes
Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.
- Land rent30% (₹8,000)
- Labour23% (₹6,000)
- Irrigation11% (₹3,000)
- Fertiliser9% (₹2,500)
- Machinery9% (₹2,500)
- Pesticide & weedicide8% (₹2,000)
- Seed6% (₹1,500)
- Interest4% (₹1,000)
Official downloads
Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.
Frequently asked questions
Why should I split coriander seed before sowing?
Each round coriander "seed" is actually a fruit that holds two seeds. Sown whole, it germinates slowly and unevenly. Gently rubbing the seed to break it into its two halves just before sowing gives a faster, more even stand — which is why it is the single most important step, and the one that newcomers most often skip to their cost.
What causes stem gall in coriander and how do I prevent it?
Stem gall is caused by the fungus Protomyces macrosporus and produces swollen, distorted galls on stems and umbels, leaving shrivelled, worthless seed. It is worsened by high humidity and excess soil moisture at flowering. Prevent it by growing a gall-resistant variety in gall-prone areas, using treated seed, avoiding over-irrigation at flowering, and rotating crops. It is the defining disease of the main coriander belt.
How much water does coriander need?
Very little. Coriander is a cool, dry-weather crop that suffers more from over-watering than from drought. A few light, well-timed irrigations — at germination, during vegetative growth and lightly during seed fill — are enough. Keep the crop on the dry side at flowering, because excess moisture then is the main trigger of stem gall and wilt.
When should I harvest coriander seed?
Cut when the seed is fully formed and mature but still greenish-brown, before it dries fully and shatters — usually 90–110 days after sowing. Harvest in the cool early morning to reduce shattering, then dry and thresh gently. Letting the crop over-dry on the plant loses seed to shattering and dulls the prized green colour.
Can I grow coriander for both leaf and seed?
Yes — many growers take an early cut or two of green leaf (kothmir) and then let the crop go on to seed, or grow dual-purpose varieties like Hisar Sugandh. Bear in mind that heavy leaf cutting reduces the final seed yield, so if seed is your main aim, keep leaf harvesting light. A dense stand suits a leaf crop; a normal seed rate suits a seed crop.
Does coriander have an MSP?
No. Coriander is a market seed-spice crop with no Minimum Support Price — its price is set by mandi and spice-market demand and can swing widely between years, and green colour and aroma earn a premium. Use the live mandi prices and the profit calculator on this page when planning the crop and deciding when to sell.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.