In India, there are two main agricultural seasons in a year.
The Kharif season or the summer season; and The Rabi season or the Winter
season.
The Kharif season starts in June when the South-West monsoon
starts. Seeds are sown in June and July and crops are harvested in September
and October. Crops which require large quantities of water are cultivated
during the Kharif season. The main Kharif crops are rice, sugar-cane, jute,
cotton, tobacco, maize etc. These crops cover 65% of total cultivated area.
The Rabi Season starts in the middle of October when the
south-west monsoon retreats and the north-east Monsoon begins. Seeds are sown
in October and crops are harvested in March and April. Generally, crops which
require less water are grown during the rabi season. The main rabi crops are
wheat, barley, gram, mustard, linseed etc. These crops require cooler
conditions and less moisture Rabi crops account for 33% of cropped area.
Besides the above two groups of crops, there are certain
crops which are grown throughout the year in all parts of the country under
artificial irrigation, they are called zaid crops. The chief Zaid crops are
rice, maize, melons, groundnut, water melons, cucumber, leafy and tuber
vegetables etc.
Dry Farming
Dry farming is a system under which farming is carried on in
the regions where the rainfall is scanty i.e. less than 50 Cm annually and
where irrigation facilities are either absent or very little. It is followed in
Gujarat, Rajasthan, South Punjab, Northern Maharashtra; Generally,
single-cropping is practised under this system. Under this system, only those
crops which can withstand drought conditions, such as Jowar and Bajra are
grown.
Humid Farming
Humid Farming is a system of farming practised in regions
where the rainfall is adequate i.e. between 100 Cm to 200 Cm without the help
of irrigation. It is followed in the West Coast, West Bengal, Parts of Bihar,
U.P and Assam. Under this system, generally, double cropping (i.e. growing of
two crops in a year on the same land) is practised. Rice, Sugarcane, jute etc.
are cultivated under this system.
Irrigation Farming
Irrigation farming is a system of farming under which crops
are grown with the help of irrigation i.e. supply of water from rivers,
reservoirs, tanks, wells to land for cultivation in regions of seasonal or low
rainfall. It is followed in Western U.P., Punjab, Haryana, parts of Bihar,
Orissa, A.P., Tamil Nadu, Karnataka etc. Under this system, multiple or double
cropping is practiced. A large variety of crops, such as rice, sugarcane,
cotton, wheat, tobacco etc. are grown under this system.
Shifting Cultivation
Shifting cultivation means the migratory subsistence
farming. Under this system, a plot of land is cultivated for a few years and
then, when the crop yield declines because of soil exhaustion and the effects
of pests and weeds, is deserted for another area. Here the ground is again
cleared by slash-and-burn methods, and the procedure is repeated. Shifting
cultivation is predominant in the forest areas of Assam (Known as jhum), Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunchal Predesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa
and Andhra Pradesh (Podu). Rainfed rice, Maize, buck wheat, small millets, root
crops and vegetables are grown on the burnt over clearings.
Plantation Farming
Plantation farming means the cultivation of a single cash
crop in plantations or estates (large areas of land) on a large scale. The
farming is carried on with the help of technically advanced methods of
cultivation and tools. The tea plantations of Assam and West Bengal, coffee
plantations of Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu and rubber plantations of
Kerala are the examples of Plantation farming in India.
Single, Double and Multiple Cropping
Single cropping also known as mono-cropping or mono-culture
is a system of farming under which the cultivators grow one crop from the lands
during the year. It is generally undertaken in those areas where soil and
climatic conditions are most favourable for the production of a particular crop
only. Example: Tea, Coffee, etc.
Double cropping is a system under which two crops are raised
by the farmers from the same plot of land during the year. It is practiced in
densely populated countries where soil and climatic conditions favor the
cultivation of two crops during the year. Example: Rice.
Multiple cropping is a system under which the farmer grown
more than two crops from the same plot of land during the year. It is a highly
intensive system of farming. For the success of this system, the soils must be
cultivated intensively by providing scientific fertilizers, better seeds and
regular water supply through irrigation. Example: Cotton, tobacco, vegetables.
Arable Farming
It is a system under which the farms are used only for the
cultivation of crops i.e. food crops and cash crops. Mixed farming is a system
under which the lands used not only for the cultivation of crops, but also for
other purposes, such as stock-raising, poultry farming, sericulture,
bee-keeping etc.
Crop Rotation
The system of farming by which different crops are
alternately grown on the same land in a specific order. Among the advantages of
a rotation are the more effective control of weeds, pests & diseases and
the more economical utilisation of soil fertility. For example, leguminous
crops like pulses are grown alternately with wheat, barley or mustard.
Mixed Cropping
Mixed cropping means the cultivation of more than one crop
simultaneously on the same piece of land. The two crops are sown together but
harvested at different times because the growth period of hte plants of the
different crop varies. Early maturing crops are mixed with groundnut, cotton or
pulses which mature late. The crops are so mixed that soil nutrients removed by
some are replaced by others, at least partly.
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