1. Sugarcane
- Climate: tropical and sub-tropical; about 21–27 °C; no frost; about 75–150 cm of rain or irrigation; long growing period of ten to eighteen months.
- Soil: deep, fertile, well-drained alluvial or black soil; heavy manuring.
- Planting: from setts (stem pieces with buds) in furrows.
- Ratooning: stubble left after harvest sprouts into a second (ratoon) crop — saves setts, ploughing and time, but yields fall and pests build up.
- Yields higher in the peninsula (Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka): tropical, frost-free climate; longer season; higher sugar content; black soil and irrigation; cooperative mills. The north has cold winters, frost and loo.
- Leading states: Uttar Pradesh (a leading producer — largest as of the early 2020s), Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.
- Products: sugar, gur, khandsari; by-products bagasse (fuel, paper) and molasses (alcohol).
| Region | Yield | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Peninsula | Higher | Frost-free, longer season |
| Northern plains | Lower | Cold winters, frost, loo |
Key terms
- Sett
A piece of sugarcane stem with buds, planted to grow a new crop.
- Ratooning
Letting the stubble of a harvested sugarcane crop sprout again to give another crop without replanting.
2. Oilseeds
| Oilseed | Season | Requirements | A leading state (early 2020s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groundnut | Mainly kharif | 20–30 °C; 50–75 cm; loose sandy loam (pods form underground) | Gujarat |
| Mustard | Rabi | Cool; about 25–40 cm; loam | Rajasthan |
| Soya bean | Kharif | Warm; moderate rain; well-drained black soil | Madhya Pradesh |
Oilcake left after pressing is used as cattle feed and manure.
| Oilseed | Season |
|---|---|
| Groundnut | Kharif |
| Mustard | Rabi |
| Soya bean | Kharif |
Key terms
- Oilcake
The solid residue left after oil is pressed out of seeds, used as cattle feed and manure.
3. Cotton
- Season: kharif.
- Climate: about 21–30 °C; about 210 frost-free days; 50–100 cm of rain; bright, dry weather when the bolls open (rain stains the fibre).
- Soil: black soil (regur) of the Deccan — retains moisture, rich in lime, potash and magnesium; irrigated alluvium in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan.
- Cultivation: bolls picked by hand in several rounds; ginning separates fibre from seed; fibre baled for mills; seed gives oil and cattle feed.
- Leading states: Gujarat and Maharashtra (as of the early 2020s), Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Karnataka.
| Need | Value |
|---|---|
| Frost-free days | About 210 |
| Rainfall | About 50–100 cm |
| Soil | Black (regur) |
Key terms
- Regur
The black soil of the Deccan, also called black cotton soil, which holds moisture well.
- Ginning
Separating cotton fibre from the seeds.
4. Jute
- Season: kharif; called the golden fibre.
- Climate: hot, above about 25 °C; heavy rain about 150–250 cm; high humidity.
- Soil: floodplain loam renewed each year by fresh silt.
- Retting: stalks cut and bundled → soaked in ponds or slow streams for about two to three weeks → bacteria loosen the fibre → fibre stripped, washed, dried, baled.
- Why the Ganga–Brahmaputra delta: hot, humid, rainy climate; flood silt; plenty of water for retting; cheap labour; Hooghly mills and Kolkata port nearby.
- Leading states: West Bengal (a leading producer — largest as of the early 2020s), Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Meghalaya.
- Uses and outlook: gunny bags, ropes, carpets; competition from synthetics; promoted as a biodegradable alternative to plastic.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Soaking | Bundles under water two to three weeks |
| Stripping | Fibre pulled from stalks |
| Drying | Fibre washed and sun-dried |
Key terms
- Retting
Soaking bundles of jute stalks in water so that bacteria loosen the fibre from the stem.
5. Tea
- Climate: about 20–30 °C; frost-free; heavy rain about 150–250 cm, well distributed; frequent light showers.
- Soil: deep, fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic, rich in humus and iron.
- Relief: hill slopes — water drains away and does not collect around roots; shade trees protect bushes.
- Labour: large, skilled labour force for plucking.
- Plucking: two leaves and a bud, every one to two weeks.
- Processing: withering → rolling (or CTC) → fermentation → drying → grading and packing; green tea is not fermented.
- Leading states: Assam (a leading producer — largest as of the early 2020s), West Bengal (Darjeeling, Dooars), Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris), Kerala.
| Stage | Order |
|---|---|
| Withering | 1 |
| Rolling | 2 |
| Fermentation | 3 |
| Drying | 4 |
Key terms
- Withering
Spreading freshly plucked tea leaves to lose moisture and become soft before rolling.
- Fermentation (tea)
Allowing rolled tea leaves to oxidise until they turn copper-brown, before drying.
6. Working with crop figures
- Yield = production ÷ area.
- Percentage difference = (higher − lower) ÷ lower × 100.
- Sugar produced = cane crushed × recovery rate ÷ 100.
- Made tea = green leaf ÷ (kg of leaf needed for 1 kg of tea).
- State whether figures are illustrative; give units with every answer.
| Measure | Formula |
|---|---|
| Yield | Production ÷ area |
| Sugar | Cane × recovery ÷ 100 |
Key terms
- Sugar recovery
The percentage of the weight of crushed cane that is obtained as sugar.
Exam tips
Common mistakes
- Calling mustard a kharif crop or soya bean a rabi crop.
- Saying ratoon crops give higher yields than the planted crop.
- Saying tea needs waterlogged soil, or jute grows in dry areas.
- Putting fermentation before rolling in tea processing.
How marks are usually awarded
- Requirements (2–3 marks): temperature, rainfall and soil with values.
- Processes (2–3 marks): ratooning, ginning, retting or tea processing in the correct order.
- Reasons (1 mark each): a clear geographical cause linked to a named area.
- Data (2–3 marks): working shown, answer with unit.