Food Crops — Part 2: Millets and pulses: visual lesson, ICSE Class 10 Geography (H.C.G. Paper 2)

Lesson

Hardy grains and protein crops

Part 2 — Millets (jowar, bajra, ragi) grow where rice and wheat struggle: on thin soils with little rain. Pulses (gram, arhar, moong, urad, masoor) feed the soil and the people. Both are vital for the dry interior of India.

In this lesson you will

Explain why millets are suited to dry areas and poor soils and name a leading state for each millet
Explain why pulses are important in crop rotation and in the Indian diet, and name the leading pulse-producing states
Calculate and interpret yields from a table of area and production

Table of millets and pulses with examples and strengths
Crop group	Examples	Strength
Millets	Jowar, bajra, ragi	Drought-hardy, nutritious
Pulses	Gram, arhar, moong, urad, masoor	Protein; fix nitrogen in soil

Concept

Why millets suit dry lands

Millets are often called coarse grains, but they are now valued as nutri-cereals. They tolerate drought and high temperatures; they have a short growing season (three to four months); they grow on poor, shallow, sandy or red soils; they need little water and few inputs, so they suit rain-fed farms. They are rich in fibre, iron and calcium, and their stalks are good fodder. Their area fell after the Green Revolution as farmers switched to irrigated rice and wheat, but interest is reviving.

Table of features of millets that suit dry areas
Feature	Why it helps in dry areas
Drought tolerance	Survives dry spells
Short season	Ripens before soil moisture runs out
Poor soils	Grows on sandy, red, shallow soils
Low inputs	Suits rain-fed small farms
Fodder	Stalks feed cattle

Concept

Jowar, bajra and ragi

Jowar (sorghum): about 27–32 °C, 50–100 cm; black and red soils of the Deccan; grown as kharif and, in Maharashtra and Karnataka, as a rabi crop on moisture-holding black soil. Leading: Maharashtra (as of the early 2020s), Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh. Bajra (pearl millet): hot, dry, 40–50 cm, light sandy soils. Leading: Rajasthan (as of the early 2020s), Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra. Ragi (finger millet): dry, moderate rain, red and light soils, also on hill slopes; very rich in calcium and iron. Leading: Karnataka (as of the early 2020s), Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand.

Table of jowar, bajra and ragi with rainfall, soil and a leading state
Millet	Rainfall (approx.)	Soil	A leading state
Jowar	50–100 cm	Black, red	Maharashtra
Bajra	40–50 cm	Sandy	Rajasthan
Ragi	Moderate, dry	Red, light	Karnataka

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