Correct Answer - Option 4 : Gram
Rabi crops:
- Rabi crops or rabi harvest are agricultural crops that are sown in winter and harvested in the spring in India.
- Some example of Rabi crops is wheat, barley, gram, peas, mustard, and linseed.
- States from the north and northwestern parts such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh are important for the production of wheat and other rabi crops.
- Availability of precipitation during winter months due to the western temperate cyclones helps in the success of these crops.
Cotton:
- Cotton grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau.
- It requires high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days, and bright sunshine for its growth.
- It is a Kharif crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
- Major cotton-producing states are– Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Rice:
- Kharif crop.
- Temperature: Between 22-32°C with high humidity.
- Rainfall: Around 150-300 cm.
- Soil Type: Deep clayey and loamy soil.
- Top Rice Producing States: West Bengal > Punjab > Uttar Pradesh > Andhra Pradesh > Bihar.
- It is the staple food crop of the majority of Indian people.
Cereal:
- Cereal is also called grain, any grass (family Poaceae) yielding starchy seeds suitable for food.
- India produces a variety of cereals like jawar, bajra, maize, ragi, etc.
- These are Kharif crops.
Thus, Gram is a Rabi Crop.
Zaid Season:
- It is a short season between Kharif and Rabi season.
- The crops grown during this season are known as Zaid crops.
- Pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon, bitter gourd, etc. are all zaid types of crops.
Kharif Season:
- Kharif crops also are known as monsoon crops as they are cultivated in the monsoon season.
- Their cropping season starts in June and ends in October.
- These crops are sown at the beginning of the rainy season.
- Rice, maize, bajra, ragi, sorghum, soybean, groundnut, cotton, etc. are all Kharif types of crops.