Major field crops

Rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, groundnut, mustard, pigeon pea, gram, sugarcane, cotton and berseem; millets.

Agriculture5 questions
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Important field crops at a glance

  • Rice (*Oryza sativa*, Poaceae): kharif; needs high temperature and plenty of water; usually transplanted; major states West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab. Key pest: stem borer; disease: blast.
  • Wheat (*Triticum aestivum*, Poaceae): rabi; cool growing and warm ripening; key irrigation at CRI; Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh. Disease: rust.
  • Maize (*Zea mays*, Poaceae): grown in all seasons; C₄ plant; called "queen of cereals" for its high yield potential.
  • Sorghum (jowar, *Sorghum bicolor*) and pearl millet (bajra, *Pennisetum glaucum*): drought-hardy millets of dry regions; bajra suits sandy soils of Rajasthan.
  • Groundnut (*Arachis hypogaea*, Fabaceae): oilseed; flowers above ground, but the fertilised ovary forms a peg that pushes into the soil, where pods develop. Gypsum aids pod filling.
  • Mustard (*Brassica juncea*): rabi oilseed; Rajasthan leads; aphid is the main pest.
  • Pigeon pea (arhar, *Cajanus cajan*) and gram (chickpea, *Cicer arietinum*): pulses; gram is rabi, pigeon pea is a long-duration kharif crop; pod borer is a key pest.
  • Sugarcane (*Saccharum officinarum*): long-duration crop propagated by setts (stem cuttings with buds); Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra lead; ratoon crops are raised from stubble.
  • Cotton (*Gossypium* spp., Malvaceae): kharif fibre crop on black soils; Gujarat and Maharashtra lead; bollworms are major pests; Bt cotton resists them.
  • Berseem (*Trifolium alexandrinum*): rabi leguminous fodder giving several cuttings; "king of fodders".

Millets

Millets (sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet or ragi, foxtail, kodo, little millet) need little water and fertiliser, tolerate heat, and are rich in fibre and minerals; ragi is noted for calcium. They are called nutri-cereals, and 2023 was observed as the International Year of Millets.

Key points

  • Groundnut pods form underground from pegs.
  • Sugarcane is planted by setts; ratoons regrow from stubble.
  • Cotton belongs to Malvaceae; cereals to Poaceae; pulses to Fabaceae.
  • Ragi is rich in calcium.
  • Berseem is a multi-cut rabi fodder.

Exam tips

  • Learn botanical names; they appear in matching questions.
  • Know season and leading states for each crop, but not changing production numbers.

Practice questions

Sugarcane is commercially propagated by:Easy
The botanical name of chickpea (gram) is:Easy
In groundnut, the structure that carries the fertilised ovary into the soil is the:Medium
Which millet is especially valued as a rich source of calcium?Medium
A farmer harvests sugarcane and lets new shoots grow from the stubble left in the field for a second crop. This practic…Hard
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