📑 Topics on this page (Jump to Topic):
📌 1. Cropping Seasons
| Season | Sowing / harvest | Crops |
|---|---|---|
| Kharif | Jun-Jul (monsoon) / Sep-Oct | Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean, tur |
| Rabi | Oct-Dec / Apr-Jun | Wheat, barley, gram, mustard, peas, lentil |
| Zaid | Between rabi and kharif (Mar-Jun) | Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, fodder |
📌 2. Major Crops & Leading States
| Crop | Conditions | Leading states (recent data) |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 25 °C+, 100 cm+ rain, alluvial soil | West Bengal, UP, Punjab |
| Wheat | Cool sowing, warm ripening; 50–75 cm | UP, MP, Punjab |
| Millets (bajra, jowar) — "Shree Anna" | Dry, low rain | Rajasthan (bajra), Maharashtra (jowar), Karnataka (ragi) |
| Pulses | Fix atmospheric nitrogen (Rhizobium) | MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan |
| Sugarcane | Hot-humid, 75–150 cm | UP, Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Cotton | Black soil, 210 frost-free days | Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana |
| Jute ("golden fibre") | Hot-humid, delta alluvium | WB, Bihar, Assam |
| Tea | Slopes, acidic soil, drainage | Assam, WB (Darjeeling), TN |
| Coffee | Shaded hill slopes | Karnataka (≈ 70%), Kerala, TN |
| Rubber | Equatorial-like, 200 cm+ | Kerala |
| Groundnut / Soybean | — | Gujarat / MP ("Soya State"), Maharashtra |
| Spices | — | Kerala — "Spice Garden"; pepper, cardamom |
- India is 1st in milk, pulses, jute; 2nd in rice, wheat, sugarcane, fruits-vegetables, tea (after China). 2023 — International Year of Millets.
📌 3. Agricultural Revolutions
| Revolution | Related to |
|---|---|
| Green | Food grains — HYV seeds; M.S. Swaminathan (India), Norman Borlaug (world) |
| White (Operation Flood, 1970) | Milk — Verghese Kurien; Amul (Anand) |
| Blue | Fish |
| Yellow | Oilseeds |
| Pink | Prawn / onion / meat |
| Golden | Horticulture, honey |
| Brown | Leather / cocoa / fertiliser |
| Silver | Eggs / poultry |
| Red | Tomato / meat |
| Round | Potato |
| Grey | Fertilisers |
📌 4. Farming Types & Irrigation
- Jhum (shifting cultivation) — slash and burn; NE India. Other names: Podu (AP/Odisha), Bewar (MP), Kumari (Western Ghats).
- Plantation farming — single cash crop, large estates, capital and labour intensive: tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana.
- Mixed farming = crops + livestock; sericulture (silk), apiculture (bees), horticulture, pisciculture (fish), viticulture (grapes).
- Irrigation sources: wells & tube wells (largest, ≈ 60%+), canals, tanks (South India). Highest irrigated share — Punjab. Micro-irrigation — drip, sprinkler.
- MSP is recommended by CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices). PM-KISAN (2019): ₹6,000/year.
⚠️ Exam Traps:
- Wheat is rabi, rice kharif — maize can grow in both but is mainly kharif.
- Coffee leader: Karnataka; tea: Assam; rubber: Kerala.
- Blue = fish; Yellow = oilseeds; White = milk.
📌 5. Practice MCQs
📝 Practice MCQs (prepared by SF Prep — not PYQs)
Q1. Wheat is a crop of which season? Practice
Correct answer: (B)
Sown Oct-Dec, harvested Apr-Jun.
Sown Oct-Dec, harvested Apr-Jun.
Q2. Which of the following is a kharif crop? Practice
Correct answer: (C)
Cotton is sown in the monsoon; gram, mustard, barley are rabi.
Cotton is sown in the monsoon; gram, mustard, barley are rabi.
Q3. Watermelon and cucumber are grown in — Practice
Correct answer: (D)
The short summer season between rabi and kharif.
The short summer season between rabi and kharif.
Q4. Who is regarded as the Father of the Green Revolution in India? Practice
Correct answer: (A)
Borlaug globally; Swaminathan in India.
Borlaug globally; Swaminathan in India.
Q5. The White Revolution is related to — Practice
Correct answer: (B)
Operation Flood (1970), Verghese Kurien.
Operation Flood (1970), Verghese Kurien.
Q6. The Blue Revolution is related to — Practice
Correct answer: (C)
Increasing fish production.
Increasing fish production.
Q7. The Yellow Revolution is associated with — Practice
Correct answer: (D)
Oilseeds such as mustard, groundnut, sunflower.
Oilseeds such as mustard, groundnut, sunflower.
Q8. The largest coffee-producing state in India is — Practice
Correct answer: (A)
Karnataka (Chikmagalur, Coorg) produces ≈ 70%.
Karnataka (Chikmagalur, Coorg) produces ≈ 70%.
Q9. The largest producer of natural rubber in India is — Practice
Correct answer: (B)
Kerala produces most of India's rubber.
Kerala produces most of India's rubber.
Q10. Which crop is called the "golden fibre"? Practice
Correct answer: (C)
For jute's golden colour and value.
For jute's golden colour and value.
Q11. Cotton needs about how many frost-free days? Practice
Correct answer: (D)
Cotton needs ≈ 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine.
Cotton needs ≈ 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine.
Q12. "Slash and burn" farming in NE India is called — Practice
Correct answer: (A)
Jhum is shifting cultivation; Bewar in MP, Podu in AP/Odisha.
Jhum is shifting cultivation; Bewar in MP, Podu in AP/Odisha.
Q13. Rearing of silkworms is called — Practice
Correct answer: (B)
Sericulture = silk; apiculture = bees.
Sericulture = silk; apiculture = bees.
Q14. The largest source of irrigation in India is — Practice
Correct answer: (C)
Groundwater (wells-tube wells) irrigates over 60% of net irrigated area.
Groundwater (wells-tube wells) irrigates over 60% of net irrigated area.
Q15. Who recommends the Minimum Support Price (MSP)? Practice
Correct answer: (D)
The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices recommends; the government announces.
The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices recommends; the government announces.
Q16. How do pulse crops improve soil fertility? Practice
Correct answer: (A)
Rhizobium in root nodules fixes nitrogen.
Rhizobium in root nodules fixes nitrogen.
Q17. Which state is called the "Soya State"? Practice
Correct answer: (B)
MP is the leading soybean producer.
MP is the leading soybean producer.
Q18. India ranks first in the world in the production of — Practice
Correct answer: (C)
India is 1st in milk and pulses; 2nd in wheat and tea.
India is 1st in milk and pulses; 2nd in wheat and tea.
Q19. Which year was declared the International Year of Millets? Practice
Correct answer: (D)
The UN declared 2023 on India's proposal.
The UN declared 2023 on India's proposal.
Q20. A key feature of plantation farming is — Practice
Correct answer: (A)
Tea, coffee, rubber estates are capital and labour intensive.
Tea, coffee, rubber estates are capital and labour intensive.