A last-week revision sheet for agricultural geography. Learn each crop as a row: season, temperature, rain, soil, region.

## Seasons

| Season | Sowing | Harvest | Crops |
|--------|--------|---------|-------|
| Kharif | June–July (monsoon onset) | September–October | Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, ragi, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean |
| Rabi | October–December | April–June | Wheat, barley, gram, peas, masur, mustard |
| Zaid | Short summer gap | Before kharif | Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, fodder |

## Crop Requirements (NCERT)

| Crop | Key conditions |
|------|----------------|
| Rice | Above 25°C; humid; above 100 cm rain (or irrigation) |
| Wheat | Cool growing season; 50–75 cm evenly spread; sunshine at ripening |
| Bajra | Sandy and shallow black soils |
| Ragi | Dry regions; rich in iron, calcium, roughage |
| Maize | 21–27°C; old alluvium |
| Sugarcane | 21–27°C; 75–100 cm; hot and humid |
| Cotton | Black soil; 210 frost-free days; bright sunshine |
| Jute | Floodplain soils renewed yearly; high temperature |
| Tea | Warm, moist, frost-free; humus-rich, well-drained soils |
| Coffee | Hill slopes; Baba Budan hills origin in India |
| Rubber | Above 25°C; more than 200 cm |

## Land Use (nine-fold)

| Group | Categories |
|-------|-----------|
| Forests | 1. Forests |
| Not available for cultivation | 2. Barren and unculturable; 3. Non-agricultural uses |
| Other uncultivated (excluding fallow) | 4. Permanent pastures; 5. Miscellaneous tree crops; 6. Culturable waste (more than 5 years) |
| Fallow | 7. Current fallow (up to 1 year); 8. Other fallow (1–5 years) |
| Cultivated | 9. Net sown area |

## Irrigation and Farming Types

| Item | Fact |
|------|------|
| Largest source of irrigation | Wells and tube wells (groundwater) |
| Tank irrigation | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh |
| Micro-irrigation | Drip and sprinkler; PMKSY (2015) "Per Drop More Crop" |
| Shifting cultivation | Jhum (NE), Podu (AP), Bewar (MP), Kumari (Western Ghats) |
| Paddy crops of the east | Aus, aman, boro |

{{< callout type="important" title="High-yield facts" >}}
- Cropping intensity = GCA ÷ NSA × 100.
- Pulses fix nitrogen; good for crop rotation.
- 2023: International Year of Millets (UNGA resolution, March 2021).
- Planning Commission: 15 agro-climatic regions.
{{< /callout >}}

## Common Traps

{{< callout type="warning" title="Watch for these" >}}
- Groundnut and tur are kharif; mustard and gram are rabi.
- Rice grows in dry Punjab only because of irrigation.
- Culturable waste is more than 5 years uncultivated; other fallow is 1–5 years.
{{< /callout >}}

## Related Topics

- [Cropping Patterns and Major Crops](/geography/agriculture-geography/cropping-patterns-and-major-crops/)
- [Agricultural Geography — practice questions](/geography/agriculture-geography/previous-year-questions/)
- [Agriculture and Food Security](/economy/agriculture-and-food-security/)
- [All quick revision sheets](/quick-revision/)

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Source: https://upscnotes.co/geography/agriculture-geography/quick-revision/

Geography Agricultural Geography GS Paper I

Agricultural Geography — Quick Revision

One-page UPSC revision of Indian agricultural geography: crop seasons, crop requirements, farming types, nine-fold land use, irrigation and regional patterns.

SyllabusGS I · Economic geography of India; major crops and cropping patterns in various parts of the country, types of irrigation and irrigation systems (GS III)

By UPSC Notes Editorial Team 2 min read Updated Oct 2026 #quick revision#geography#agriculture-geography

A last-week revision sheet for agricultural geography. Learn each crop as a row: season, temperature, rain, soil, region.

Seasons

Season	Sowing	Harvest	Crops
Kharif	June–July (monsoon onset)	September–October	Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, ragi, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean
Rabi	October–December	April–June	Wheat, barley, gram, peas, masur, mustard
Zaid	Short summer gap	Before kharif	Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, fodder

Crop Requirements (NCERT)

Crop	Key conditions
Rice	Above 25°C; humid; above 100 cm rain (or irrigation)
Wheat	Cool growing season; 50–75 cm evenly spread; sunshine at ripening
Bajra	Sandy and shallow black soils
Ragi	Dry regions; rich in iron, calcium, roughage
Maize	21–27°C; old alluvium
Sugarcane	21–27°C; 75–100 cm; hot and humid
Cotton	Black soil; 210 frost-free days; bright sunshine
Jute	Floodplain soils renewed yearly; high temperature
Tea	Warm, moist, frost-free; humus-rich, well-drained soils
Coffee	Hill slopes; Baba Budan hills origin in India
Rubber	Above 25°C; more than 200 cm

Land Use (nine-fold)

Group	Categories
Forests	1. Forests
Not available for cultivation	2. Barren and unculturable; 3. Non-agricultural uses
Other uncultivated (excluding fallow)	4. Permanent pastures; 5. Miscellaneous tree crops; 6. Culturable waste (more than 5 years)
Fallow	7. Current fallow (up to 1 year); 8. Other fallow (1–5 years)
Cultivated	9. Net sown area

Irrigation and Farming Types

Item	Fact
Largest source of irrigation	Wells and tube wells (groundwater)
Tank irrigation	Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh
Micro-irrigation	Drip and sprinkler; PMKSY (2015) “Per Drop More Crop”
Shifting cultivation	Jhum (NE), Podu (AP), Bewar (MP), Kumari (Western Ghats)
Paddy crops of the east	Aus, aman, boro

High-yield facts

Cropping intensity = GCA ÷ NSA × 100.
Pulses fix nitrogen; good for crop rotation.
2023: International Year of Millets (UNGA resolution, March 2021).
Planning Commission: 15 agro-climatic regions.

Common Traps

Watch for these

Groundnut and tur are kharif; mustard and gram are rabi.
Rice grows in dry Punjab only because of irrigation.
Culturable waste is more than 5 years uncultivated; other fallow is 1–5 years.

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