Top6: Crops and their Geographical Conditions.

1. RICE

RICE is grown in north and north-eastern India, coastal areas, and the Deltaic region. A dense network of canal irrigation and tubewells has made it possible to grow rice in less rainfall, such as Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan.

2. WHEAT

This is the second most important cereal crop. It is the main food crop in the north and north-western parts of the country. This rabi crop requires a cool growing season and bright sunshine at the time of ripening. It requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the growing season. There are two important wheat-growing zones in the country- the Ganga -satlaj plains in the northwest and the black soil region of Deccan. The major wheat-producing states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan.

3. MILLETS

Jowar, Bajra, and Ragi are the important millets grown in India. Though these are known as coarse grains, they have very high nutritional value. For example, ragi is very rich in iron, calcium, other micronutrients, and roughage. Jowar is the third most important food crop concerning area and production. It is a rain-fed crop mostly grown in moist areas which hardly need irrigation. Major Jowar producing states are Maharastra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil. Major Bajra producing states are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharastra, Gujarat, Haryana. Ragi is a dry season crop and grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy, shallow black soils. Major ragi-producing states are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkam, Jharkhand, and Arunachal Pradesh.

4. MAIZE

It is a crop that is used both as food and fodder. A Kharif crop requires a temperature between 21-degree Celcius to 27 degrees Celcius and grows well in old alluvial soil. In some states, like Bihar, maize is grown in the rabi season also. The use of modern inputs such as HYV seeds, Fertilizers, and Irrigation has contributed to the increased production of maize. Major maize-producing states are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

5. PULSES

India is the largest producer as well as consumer of pulses in the world. These are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet. Major pulses grown in India are tur(arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas, and gram. Can you distinguish which of these pulses are grown in the Kharif season and grown in rabi season? Pulses need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions; being leguminous crops, all these crops except arhar help restore soil fertility by fixing nitrogen from the air. Therefore, these are mostly grown in rotation with another crop. Major pulse-producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharastra, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.

6. SUGARCANE

It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop. It grows well in hot and humid climates with a temperature of 21 degrees Celcius to 27 degrees Celcius and annual rainfall between 75cm to 100cm. Irrigation is required in regions of low rainfall. It can be grown on a variety of soils and needs manual labor sowing to harvest. India is the second-largest producer of sugarcane, only after Brazil. It is the main source of sugar, Gur(jaggery), Khandsari, and molasses. The major sugarcane-producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharastra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana.