Crop

Characteristics

Climatic Condition

Remarks/Distribution

Rice

Staple food crop of India.

Kharif Crop Aus, Aman and Boro

are varieties of rice in Kharif, Rabi and Zaid

seasons.

High temperature ( above 25° C)

High Humidity with average rainfall above 100 cm

Plains of North and North-Eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions

Punjab, Haryana, West UP and Parts of Rajasthan (with help of irrigation)

Wheat

Second most important crop Main food crop in north and north- western India Rabi Crop

Requires a cool growing season and a bright sunshine at the time of ripening.

Winter temperature from 10°-15° C and summer temperature from 21°-26° C 50-75 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the

growing seasons

The Ganga-Satluj plains in the northwest and black soil region of the Deccan.

The major wheat-producing states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

Millets

Jowar, bajra and ragi are important millets in India.

Have high nutritional value

Jowar is a rain-fed crop mostly grown in the moist areas which hardly needs irrigation. ( Kharif- 26°-33° C; Rabi- above 16°C)

Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil.

Major Jowar producing States were Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Major Bajra producing States were: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.

Major ragi producing states are:

(Temperature- 25°-30° C,

rainfall- 40-50 cm)

Ragi is a crop of dry regions and grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. ( Temperature- 20°-30° C;

rainfall- 50-100 cm)

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

Maize

Is used both as food and fodder.

Kharif Crop.

In some states like Bihar- Rabi crop also.

Temperature between 21°C to 27°C and grows well in old alluvial soil.

50-100 cm rainfall

Requires four and a half frost free months in a year

Major maize-producing states are Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh

Pulses

Major source of protein in a vegetarian diet.

Tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and gram are major pulses in India.

less moisture and survive even in dry conditions.

Gram prefers 20°-25° temperature and 40-50 cm rainfall

Major pulse producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Being leguminous crops, all these crops except arhar help in restoring soil fertility by fixing nitrogen from

the air.

Sugarca ne

Tropical as well as subtropical crop.

Main source of sugar, gur (jaggary), khandsari and molasses.

Hot and humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and an annual rainfall between 75cm and 100cm Can be grown on a variety of soils and needs manual labour from sowing to

harvesting

The major sugarcane-producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.

Tea

Plantation Crop

Grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates endowed with deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter.

Ideal temperature- 20°-30° C Requires warm and moist frost-free climate all through the year.

Frequent showers (150-300 cm) evenly distributed over the year ensure continuous

growth of tender leaves

Tea is a labour-intensive industry.

It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour.

Major tea-producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing states in the country.

Coffee

The Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen is produced in the country.

Requires hot and humid climate with temperature varying between 15°-28° C and rainfall from 150-250

cm

Intially its cultivation was introduced on the Baba Budan Hills and even today its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and

Tamil Nadu.

Rubber

Equatorial Crop, but under special conditions

Also grown in tropical

and sub-tropical areas.

Moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than

200 cm. and temperature above 25°C.

Mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya.

Cotton

Fibre Crop

Kharif Crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.

Cotton grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of

the Deccan Plateau.

It requires high temperature (21° -30° C), light rainfall (50-

100 cm) or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and bright sun-shine for its growth.

Major cotton-producing states are– Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Jute

Known as Golden fibre

Grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains where soils are renewed every year. High temperature is required

during the time of growth

Major jute producing states are West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya.