This article will help you to get an overview of the some of the types of crops grown in India and their categorization. You will find this article useful for your Prelims preparation as questions on the types of crops as per the categorization has been asked in the Prelims in the past.

As per season:

a. Kharif crops:

1. Sown at the beginning of south west monsoon and harvested at the end of it.
2. Season: Summer/Rainy
3. Sowing seasons-May to July
4. Harvesting season-September to October

Crops:Rice, jowar, bajra, maize, cotton, groundnut, jute, hemp, sugarcane, tobacco, moong (pulses), soyabean, paddy, turmeric, red chilles.

b. Rabi crops:

1. Need relatively cool climate during the period of growth but warm climate during the germination of their seed and maturation.
2. Season: Winter
3. Sowing season-October-December
4. Harvesting season-March-April
Crops:wheat, barley, gram, linseed, mustard, masoor, sesame, peas, oilseeds, rubber, beans

c. Zaid crops:

1. Raised throughout the year by artificial irrigation
2. Sown in: February-March.
3. Harvesting in: April-June.
Crops:watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, leafy vegetables, pumpkin, bitter gourd.

As per usage:

a. Food crops:

Crops that are grown for human consumption
Crops: Rice, Wheat, Maize, Millets, jowar, bajra, barley, mower, Pulses and Oil seeds

b. Commercial Crops:

Crops grown for commercial purpose either in raw form or semi processed form. These crops are the backbone of the Indian Agriculture from an economic perspective.
Crops:sugarcane, cotton, rubber, jute, tea, coffee, silk, tobacco, oilseeds like groundnut, mustard and rapeseed

Based on Ontogeny (Life cycle)

a. Annual crops:

1. Crop plants that complete life cycle within a season or year.
2. They produce seed and die within the season.
Crops: Wheat, rice, maize, mustard etc.

b. Biennial crops:

1. Plants that have life span of two consecutive seasons or years.
2. First years/ season, these plants have purely vegetative growth usually confined to rosette of leaves. The tap root is often fleshy and serves as a food storage organ. During the second year / season, they produce flower stocks from the crown and after producing seeds the plants die.
Crops: Sugar beet, beet root, etc.

c. Perennial crops:

1. They live for three or more years.
2. They may be seed bearing or non-seed bearing.
Crops: Napier fodder grass, coconut, etc.

Based on climatic condition

1. Tropical crop : Coconut, sugarcane
2. Sub-tropical crop : Rice, cotton
3. Temperate crop : Wheat, barley
4. Polar crop : All pines, pasture grasses

Based economic use (Agronomic)

1. Cereals

2. Millets
Major millets
Sorghum /Jowar
Pearl millet /Bajra
Finger millet or Ragi
Minor millets
Foxtail millet
Little millet
Common Millet
Barnyard millet
Kodo millet

3. Pulses:
Red gram
Black gram
Green gram
Cowpea
Bengalgram
Horsegram
Lentil
Soybean
Peas or gardenpea
Garden bean
Lathyrus/Kesari

4. Oil seeds:
Groundnut or peanut
Sesame or gingelly
Sunflower
Castor –
Linseed or flax –
Niger –
Safflower –
Rapeseed & Mustard – Brown or Indian Mustard
Sarson

5. Sugarcrops
Sugar cane
Sugar beet

Other Categorizations:

Plantation Crops:

Crops grown on plantation having large estates.

Crops: Tea, Coffee, Coconut and Rubber

Fibre crops:

Plants grown for obtaining fibre.
Different kinds of fibre are:
i) seed fibre – cotton;
ii) Stem/ bast fibre – Jute, mesta;
iii) leaf fibre – Agave, pineapple

Fodder / Forage:

It refers to vegetative matter, fresh or preserved, utilized as feed for animals. It includes hay, silage, pasturage and fodder.
Example:Grasses,Legumes