What is Rabi crops?

Rabi crops

Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June. Some important Rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard. Rabi crops are grown in parts of India, states from the north and northwestern parts, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, are essential for the production of wheat and other Rabi crops. Good rain in winter spoils the rabi crops but is suitable for Kharif crops. In India, Uttar Pradesh is the largest wheat-producing state and is closely followed by Punjab and Haryana. The green revolution has also contributed to the growth of the Rabi mentioned above crops.

• Wheat: This is the second most important cereal crop. It is the main food crop in the north and northwestern parts of the country. 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-Satluj plains in the northwest and the black soil region of the Deccan. The central wheat-producing states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
• Rapeseed and Mustard: Rapeseed and mustard comprise several oilseeds such as rai, sarson, toria and taramira. These are subtropical crops cultivated during the rabi season.
• Gram: Gram is cultivated in subtropical areas. It is primarily a rainfed crop cultivated during the rabi season in central, western and northwestern parts of the country. Just one or two light showers or irrigations are required to grow this crop successfully.