CROPS AND CROP SEASONS
Crop Seasons
Activities relating to crops go on continuously throughout the year in India. In north India, there are two main crop seasons. These are ‘Kharif’ (July to October) and ‘Rabi’ (October to March). Crops grown between March and June are known as ‘Zaid’. In other parts of the country there are no such distinct seasons but some kind of classification of crop seasons exists every where. The Kharif season is characterised by a gradual fall in temperature, larger number of rainy days, low light intensity, a gradual shortening of the photoperiod, high relative humidity, and cyclonic weather. On the other hand, bright sunshine, near absence of cloudy days, and lower relative humidity are the characteristics of the Rabi season. The Kharif season starts earlier in the eastern part of the country because of the earlier arrival of the monsoon and continues until the withdrawal of the monsoon. On the other hand, the Rabi season starts earlier in the western part and continues until the sun attains equatorial position. Thus, Kharif is longer in the eastern part and Rabi is longer in the western part.There are several cropping patterns which are followed in India depending upon the climatic, edaphic, socio-economic conditions of the region. With a geographic area of about 329 Mha, stretching between 8°N and 36°N latitude and between 68°E and 98°E longitude, and its altitude varying from the mean sea level to the highest mountain ranges of the world, India hosts a variety of flora and fauna in its soil with few parallels in the world. The country has an average annual rainfall of 1,143 mm which varies from 11,489 mm around Cherrapunji in Assam to 217 mm around Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. Just as rainfall and temperature vary over a wide range, there is considerable difference in the socio-economic conditions of peasants of different parts of the country. Due to the variation in soil-climatic conditions there exists considerable variation in crop genotypes. Considering the potential of foodgrain production in different parts of India, the country has been divided into the following five agricultural regions.
(i) The eastern part including larger part of the north-eastern and south-eastern India, and another strip along the western coast form the rice region of India.
(ii) The wheat region occupies most of northern, western, and central India.
(iii) The millet (bajra)–sorghum (jawar) region comprising Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and the Deccan plateau.
(iv) The Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and some adjoining areas in which potatoes, cereal crops (mainly maize and rice), and fruits are grown.
(v) The plantation crops (e.g. tea, coffee, rubber, and spices) are grown in Assam, hills of south India and peninsular region of India which form the plantation region.
Ideal Weather for Kharif and Rabi Seasons
At the end of May or beginning of June, there should be some rainfall so that the fields can be ploughed. Towards the end of June, heavy rainfall is required for thorough wetting of the land. This must be followed by a period of clear sky for tillage and sowing operations. In the months of July and August, there should be periods of bright sunshine (not exceeding ten days) between two spells of rain. The weather in the month of September should be similar to that in July and August, but with less rainfall. A few showers at the end of September are needed to prepare the land for Rabi crops.
The first requirement for a good Rabi crop is that the soil temperature should fall rapidly to germination temperature. During November and early December, clear days and cool weather are beneficial. Towards the end of December, a light rainfall is useful. The winter rain must be broken by clear weather as continuous cloudy weather results in widespread plant diseases. The rest of the Rabi season should be dry and free from hailstorms.
Crops of Kharif Season
Kharif (or south-westerly monsoon) crops include rice, maize, jawar, bajra, groundnut, cotton and other crops.
1. Rice
Rice cultivation in India stretches from 8°N latitude to 34°N latitude. Rice is also grown in areas below the sea level (as in the Kuttanad region of Kerala) as well as at altitudes of about 2000 m (as in parts of Jammu and Kashmir). High rainfall or assured irrigation is essential for areas of rice cultivation. Rice crop requires about 30 cm of water per month during the growing period stretching from about 3 to 8 months. Rice is grown on about 40 Month in the country. This area also includes about 7 Month which is saline, alkaline or flood-prone. Twenty-five per cent of the rice growing area has assured irrigation and about 55 per cent of the rice growing area is ill-drained or waterlogged. The rest of the rice-growing area is rainfed uplands where the rainfall is marginal to moderate and its distribution is erratic.
Rice cultivation in India is either upland cultivation or lowland cultivation.
The upland system of cultivation is confined to such areas which do not have assured irrigation facilities. In this system, fields are ploughed in summer, farmyard manure is uniformly distributed 2–3 weeks before sowing, and the rain water is impounded in the field until the crop is about 45–60 days old.
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| Crop of Kharif Season |
2 . Maize
Maize is one of the main cereals of the world and ranks first in the average yield. Its world average yield of 27.8 quintals/hectare (q/ha) is followed by the average yields of rice (22.5 q/ha), wheat (16.3 q/ha) and millets (6.6 q/ha). In terms of area of maize cultivation, India ranks fifth (after USA, Brazil, China and Mexico) in the world. However, India stands eleventh in the world in terms of maize production. Within India, maize production ranks only next to rice, wheat, jawar, and bajra in terms of area as well as production. Most of the maize cultivation (around 75 percent) is in the states of Uttar Pradesh (1.4 Mha), Bihar (0.96 Mha), Madhya Pradesh (0.58 Mha), Rajasthan (0.78 Mha) and Punjab (0.52 Mha).
Maize requires deep and well-drained fertile soils, but can be grown on any type of soil ranging from heavy clays to light sands provided that the pH does not deviate from the range 7.5 to 8.5. Maize plants, particularly in the seedling stage, are highly susceptible to salinity and water logging, and hence, proper drainage of the land is essential for the successful cultivation of maize. Over 85 percent of the crop area in India is rainfed during the monsoon.
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| Maize | Credit by- mali maeder |
The sowing of maize starts 7–10 days before the usual date of the onset of monsoon. One irrigation at the initial stage is useful for the establishment of seedlings and the crop yield is increased by about 15–20 per cent. The maize crop is harvested when the grains are nearly dry and do not contain more than 20 per cent moisture. Maize is grown for grains as well as fodder.
3 . Sorghum (Jawar)
Sorghum (popularly known as jawar) is the main food and fodder crop of dryland agriculture. It is grown over an area of about 18 Mha with the average yield of about 600 kg/ha. Jawar cultivation is concentrated mainly in the peninsular and central India. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh are the major jawar-growing states. Jawar is mainly grown where rainfall distribution ranges from 10–20 cm per month for at least 3 to 4 months of the south-westerly monsoon.
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Sorghum (Jawar) |
Sorghum is grown during both Kharif (July–October) and Rabi (October–February) seasons. The Rabi cultivation of jawar constitutes about 37 percent of the total jawar-growing area. Sorghum cultivation still remains predominantly traditional in most parts of the country. Mixed cropping of jawar and arhar (tur) is very common. Harvesting and threshing are still carried out manually or with bullock power. The national average yields are still low and around 500 kg/ha. However, the high-yielding hybrid varieties can yield 2000–3000 kg/ha under average growing conditions.
4 . Spiked Millet (Bajra)
Bajra is a drought-resistant crop which is generally preferred in low rainfall areas and lighter soils. It is grown in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. Over 66 percent of this crop is grown in areas receiving 10–20 cm per month of rainfall, extending over 1 to 4 months of the south-westerly monsoons. It should be noted that jawar and bajra are grown mostly under identical environmental conditions and both have a wide range of adaptability to drought, temperature, and soil.
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Spiked Millet (Bajra) |
5 . Groundnut
Groundnut is grown over an area of about 7 Mha concentrated in the states of Gujarat (24 percent), Andhra Pradesh (20 per cent), Karnataka (12 percent), Maharashtra (12 percent), and Tamil Nadu (13 percent). Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh together have about 20 percent of the total groundnut producing area in the country. Groundnut is generally grown as a rainfed Kharif crop. Groundnut is sown during May and June in the subtropics. In the tropics, however, it is sown during either January and February or June and July. Under rainfed conditions the average yield is 1200–1400 kg per hectare.
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| Groundnut |
6 . Cotton
Cotton occupies about 7.5 Mha in India. Maharashtra (36 percent), Gujarat (21 percent), Karnataka (13 percent), and Madhya Pradesh (9 percent) are the leading states which together grow cotton over an area of about 6 Mha. Other cotton growing states are Punjab (5 percent), Andhra Pradesh (4 percent), Tami Nadu (4 percent), Haryana (3 percent), and Rajasthan (3 percent). Most of the cotton-growing areas in the country are in the high to medium rainfall zones.
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| Cotton |
Cotton requires a well-drained soil. It is grown as a rainfed crop in the black cotton and medium black soils and as an irrigated crop in alluvial soils. The sowing season varies from region to region and starts early (April-May) in north India.
Crops of Rabi Season
Main crops of Rabi (Post-monsoon) season are wheat, barley and gram.
1 . Wheat
In terms of production, wheat occupies the first place among the food crops in the world. In India, it is the second most important food crop, next only to rice. The Indo-Gangetic plains form the most important wheat area. The cool winters and hot summers are conducive to a good crop of wheat. Well-drained loams and clayey loams are considered good soils for the cultivation of wheat. However, good crops of wheat can be raised in sandy loams and black soils also.
Wheat crop requires a well-pulverized but compact seedbed for good and uniform germination. Under irrigated conditions, the first fortnight of November is considered the optimum time for sowing the medium to long-duration wheats (e.g. the ‘Kalyanasona’ variety). For short-duration wheats (e.g. the ‘Sonalika’ variety) the second fortnight of November is the optimum time of sowing. In eastern India, wheat is sown in the third week of December due to the late harvesting of paddy. In north-western India also, wheat sowings get delayed due to the late harvesitng of paddy, sugarcane or potato.
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| Wheat |
For wheat sown under irrigated conditions, four to six irrigations are required. The first irrigation should be given at the stage of initiation of the crown root, i.e., about 20–25 days after sowing. Two or three extra irrigations may be required in case of very light or sandy soils.
Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, and West Bengal together grow wheat over an area exceeding 70 percent of the total area of wheat crop for the country. These states also produce 76 percent of the total what production of India and have extensive irrigation systems covering from 85 percent of the area in Punjab to 51 percent in Bihar.
2 . Barley
Barley (Jau) is an important rabi crop ranking next only to wheat. The total area under this crop is about 3.0 Mha, producing nearly 3 million tonnes of grain. Main barley growing states are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar which together grow barley over an area which is about 80 percent of total barley growing area.
This crop can be grown successfully on all soils which are suitable for wheat cultivation. Barley crop needs less water and is tolerant to salinity. Recent experiments indicate that this crop can be grown on coastal saline soils of Sunderbans in West Bengal and on saline soils in areas of north Karnataka irrigated by canals.
The normal sowing season for barley extends from middle of October to the middle of November, but it can be sown as late as the first week of January. Barley is grown either on conserved moisture or under restricted irrigation. Generally, it needs two to three irrigations. On highly alkaline or saline soils, frequent light irrigations are given.
Harvesting period for barley is between mid-March to mid-April. Harvesting starts in the month of February in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka. In the foothills of the Himalayas, harvesting time varies from the end of April to the end of May. The average grain yield of the ‘dry’ crop is about 700–1000 kg/ha whereas that of the irrigated crop is about twice as much.
3 . Gram
Gram (Chana) is the most important pulse which accounts for more than a third of the pulse growing area and about 40 percent of the production of pulses in India. The average annual area and production of gram are about 7–8 Mha and about 4–5 million tonnes of grain respectively. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh together grow gram over an area exceeding 6 Mha.
In North India, gram is grown on light alluvial soils which are less suitable for wheat. In south India, gram is cultivated on clay loams and black cotton soils. ‘Kabuli gram’, however, requires soil better than light alluvial soils. Gram is generally grown as a dry crop in the Rabi season.
The preparation of land for gram is similar to that for wheat. The seeds are sown in rows from the middle of October to the beginning of November. The crop matures in about 150 days in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and in 120 days in south India.
Other Major Crops
1 . Sugarcane
Sugarcane is the main source of sugar and is an important cash crop. It occupies about 1.8 percent of the total cultivated area in the country. In the past, the area under sugarcane has been fluctuating between 2 and 2.7 Mha. Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for about 47 percent of annual production in terms of raw sugar. However, the production per hectare is the highest in Karnataka followed by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
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| Sugarcane |
Medium heavy soils are best suited for sugarcane. It can also be grown on lighter and heavy soils provided that there is sufficient irrigation available in the former and drainage is good in the latter type of soils. In north India, it is cultivated largely on the loams and clay loams of the Gangetic and other alluviums. In peninsular India, it is grown on brown or reddish loams, laterites, and black cotton soils.
Sugarcane grows over a prolonged period. In north India, planting of sugracane coincides with the beginning of warm weather and is completed well before the onset of summer. Usually, January and February are the best months for planting of suagrcane in Bihar, February in Uttar Pradesh, and the first fortnight of March in Punjab and Haryana.
2 . Tea
Tea is an important beverage and its consumption in the world is more than that of any other beverage. India and Sri Lanka are the important tea growing countries. In India, tea is grown in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Tea is grown over an area of about 358,000 hectares and about 470 million kilograms of the product is obtained annually. The tea crop is the most important plantation crop of India.
The tea plant, in its natural state, grows into a small or medium-sized tree. In commercial plantations, it is pruned and trained to form a multi-branched low bush. Appropriate schedule of fertiliser applications is very useful to produce vigorous vegetative growth of the tea crop. The tea plants are generally raised in nurseries. About one to one-and-a-half year old nursery seedlings are used for field plantation. Timely irrigation is essential for the production of good quality leaves.
3 . Potato
Amongst vegetables, potato is grown over the largest area (for any single vegetable) in the world. In the plains of north India, potato is sown from the middle of September to the beginning of January. Two successive crops can be raised on the same land. Potato needs frequent irrigation depending upon the soil and climatic conditions. Generally, six irrigations are sufficient.
Multiple Cropping
To meet the food requirements of ever-growing population of India, the available cultivable land (about 143 Mha) should be intensively cropped. This can be achieved by multiple cropping which increases agricultural production per unit area of cultivated land in a year with the available resource in a given environment.
There are two forms of multiple cropping:
(i) intercropping(ii) sequential cropping.
When two or more crops are grown simultaneously on the same field, it is termed intercropping. Crop intensification is in both time and space dimensions. There is, obviously, strong intercrop competition in this form of multiple cropping. On the other hand, when two or more crops are grown in sequence on the same field in a year, it is termed sequential cropping. The succeeding crop is planted after the preceding crop has been harvested. Crop intensification is only in time dimension and there is no intercrop competition in sequential cropping.
Hybrid Cropping
Hybrid is an offspring of parents belonging to different characteristic groups of the same genetic group. Plant and animal breeders have developed special techniques for producing hybrids artificially in laboratories, zoos, and farms.
Hybrids generally tend to be sterile. Even if they can produce, the first generation offspring may resemble their parents but next generation may not. The second generation usually shows different combination of the characteristics of the original crossbred parents.
The hybrid seeds have what is called hybrid vigour i.e., they generally tend to be large, faster-growing and healthier than their parent. This fact has been exploited commercially in the cultivation of corn (maize), potatoes, cotton, and several varieties of flowers. However, the hybrid seeds are very costly and, therefore, cannot be adopted on a mass scale in the country. Hybrid seeds, however, appear more promising for glasshouse cultivation of plants.
IRRIGATION ENGG.
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IRRIGATION ENGG.
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