These cover about three-fourths of the total cropped area in the country and contribute to about half of the total value of agricultural production
Rice
It is the most-important food crop, covering about one-fourth of the total cropped area
This is staple food for people living in the Eastern and southern parts of the country
Rice is grown under varying conditions in India from 80 to 300 N latitude and from sea level to about 2500 m altitude
It requires mean temperature of 240 C, with an average annual rainfall of 150 cm
The 100cm Isohyet line forms the limit of rice in rainfed areas
Even in areas of rainfall less than 100cm, it can be grown with irrigation, as is done in case of Punjab, Haryana and western UP
It is a labor intensive cultivation, and requires large supply of cheap labor
Rice is grown in well-watered lowland plains areas, and is called wet or lowland rice
Rice grown in hilly dryland areas, are called dry or upland rice
Deep fertile clayey or loamy soils are considered ideal for rice growth
Such soil requirement make it a dominant crop of river valleys, flood plains, deltas and coastal plains
It is a labor intensive cultivation, and requires large supply of cheap labor
The premier rice producing areas include the lower and middle Ganga plains, east and west Coastal Plains, Brahmaputra valley and parts of Peninsular Plateau
Half of rice production is from four states – West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh; of which West Bengal is the leading producer
Other major producers are Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Tamilnadu, Haryana, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala
Wheat
Next to rice, Wheat is the most important foodgrain of India and is the staple of Northern and North-western part of the country
Wheat is a Rabi crop, which is sown in beginning of winter and is harvested in the beginning of summer
The wheat requires an ideal winter temperature of 100-150C and summer temperature varying from 21-260 C
The temperature should be low at the time of sowing but as the harvesting time approaches, higher temperatures are required for proper ripening of the crop
It thrives in areas of annual rainfall of 75cm, and 100cm annual rainfall is the limitation for rainfall
The isohyet of 100cm marks the boundary between wheat growing areas on one hand, and rice growing areas on the other
In areas of rainfall less than 50cm, irrigation becomes necessary
Although wheat can be grown in a variety of soils, well drained fertile, friable loans and clay loams are the best suited soils for wheat cultivation
It is an extensive type of farming, which is highly mechanized and requires comparatively less labor
India is the second largest producer of wheat in the world, next only to China
In India, the production, yield and area have recorded rapid growth after introduction of Green Revolution Strategy
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana are the four prominent wheat producing states; of which Punjab is the leading producer
Punjab, Haryana and contiguous western parts of UP have earned the distinction of being called the ‘Granary of India’
Other major wheat producing states are Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat
Maize
This is a food as well as fodder crop in India
It is mainly a rainfed Kharif crop, which is sown just before the onset of monsoon and is harvested after retreat of monsoon
It is also grown as Rabi crop, in states such as Tamilnadu
It requires 50-100 cm of rainfall and it cannot be grown in areas of more than 100 cm rainfall
The crop grows well under temperatures varying from 21-270 C
Frost is injurious to maize, and this crop is grown in areas where there are about 4 months of frost free years
Fertile well-drained alluvial or red loams free from coarse materials and rich in Nitrogen are the best soils suited for successful growth
In India, Maize cultivation is characterized by inter-culture and is grown with pulses, vegetables and oil seeds
It is grown over 4% of the net sown area of the country
Two-third of the maize is produced in states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, Maharashtra and Rajasthan
More than one-third of the crop is mostly raised with HYV seeds
Among Indian states Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka has highest area under maize (15% each) followed by Maharashtra (10%)
Millets
These are short duration(3-4 months) warm weather grasses, grown in areas where food crops cannot be successfully grown
Jowar, bajra, ragi, korra, kodon, kutki, sanwa, haraka, varagu, bauti and rajgira are some of the important millets grown in India
Jowar
It is grown as both Kharif and Rabi crop
As Kharif crop, it grown well in areas having mean monthly temperature of 26-330 C; while as Rabi crop it is grown in mean monthly temperature does not fall below 160 C
Requires more than 30 cm of rainfall and doesn’t grow where rainfall exceeds 100cm
Clayey deep regur and alluvium are best suited soils for Jowar
Maharashtra is the leading producer of Jowar in India, followed by Karnataka
Bajra
It is a crop of dry and warm climate, and is grown in areas of 40-50cm of annual rainfall, having an ideal temperature of 25-300 C
It is a Kharif crop, that can be grown on poor light sandy soils, black and red soils and on upland gravely soils
It is a rainfed crop and is seldom irrigated
More than 85% of India’s Bajra comes from four states of Rajasthan, UttarPradesh, Gujarat and Haryana; of which Rajasthan is the largest producer
Ragi
It is an important millet grown in drier parts of South India with some parts coming from Northern part of India as well
It requires 20-300 C temperature and 50-100 cm of rainfall
It is raised on red, light black and sandy loams as well as on well drained alluvial loams
It is mainly a Kharif crop
Karnataka is the largest producer, followed by Uttarakhand
Barley
It thrives well in areas having temperature of 10-150 C, and which receive rainfall of around 75-100cm
Light clay and Alluvial soils are best suited for its cultivation
It is grown as a Rabi crop in the Great plains and valleys of the western Himalayas
Rajasthan is the largest producer accounting for over 40% of production in the country
It is also grown in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Pulses
This is the most important of all pulses and accounts for 37% of the production and 28% of the total area of pulses in India
It prefers mild cool and comparatively dry climate with 20-250 C temperature and 40-50 cm of rainfall
It grows well on loamy soils and is a Rabi crop
Most of it comes from Madhya pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra
Tur or Arhar
It is chiefly a Kharif crop, but in areas of mild winters it is grown as a rabi crop as well
It requires conditions more or less similar to those of other pulses and millets
Maharashtra is the largest producer of Tur, followed by Madhya Pradesh
Other Tur producing states include, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and Tamilnadu
