Question

How do Kharif crops differ from Rabi crops?

Answer 1

Hint: Different crops are planted at different times of the year as they have differences in their temperature, sunlight, and water requirements. According to what time of the year they are planted, crops can be classified.

Complete answer:
In India based on their seasonal requirements crops are divided into two categories: Kharif and Rabi.

	Kharif	Rabi
Sowing season	Beginning of monsoons, known as monsoon crops	Cooler weather required, sowing is after the monsoons
Sowing time	Sown around April-May at the beginning depending on when the rains actually start.	Generally around September-October. For germination these crops require warmer weather and a longer day length for flowering compared to kharif crops.
Harvest time	End of the monsoon season, around August-September	After winter ends, in March-April, therefore they are also known as spring crops.
Water required	Very high, a break in the monsoons can cause the crops to fail, therefore backup irrigation is a must if the monsoons are forecast to be inadequate.	Unexpected heavy rains can cause severe damage to the crops,
Examples	Rice, cotton, maize, jowar	Wheat, peas

Note: If a farmer can manage it, they can have two crops one after the other, since the sowing season for Kharif is at the end of the harvest season for Rabi, and the same for the Rabi crops. Some farmers are able to rotate the crops sown and have two harvests during the year. Fields that are very waterlogged however, may not be usable for Rabi crops.