Question

The principal cereal crop in india is
A. Wheat
B. Rice
C. Maize
D. Sorghum

Answer 1

Hint:Cultivation of plants for beneficial use is a very ancient practice performed by human beings. This practice is called agriculture. The plant which is cultivated for commercial purposes or for other beneficial purposes is called a crop. Angiosperms (modern higher plants) are categorised under two groups namely- monocots and dicots. Both these types of plants are commercially useful. These are being cultivated on a large scale all over the world to fulfill our nutritional requirements.

Complete answer:
In India, many types of crops are cultivated for various beneficial purposes. They can be used as food products and medicinal products. Thus, the cultivation of crops in India is economically very important.
The major types of crops found in India are named Kharif crops, Rabi crops and Zaid crops.
These crops are grown at a particular time in a year. Between the months of March and June, Zaid crops are grown, from June to July, Kharif crops are grown and from October to November, Rabi crops are grown.
Wheat is included under Rabi crop and rice, maize and sorghum are included under Kharif crops.
After the green revolution, several high yielding varieties of crops are being cultivated in india. Due to the green revolution, wheat and rice production in India has increased several times. The cultivation of wheat requires low temperatures, as it is a Rabi type of crop. Winter season is the best for cultivating wheat. Due to this limitation of the growing season of wheat, it is not considered as the major food crop in india.
Cultivation of rice usually occurs in large amounts, as compared to wheat in India, as it can be grown very easily by providing adequate temperature and water. It is mainly cultivated in tropical areas because heavy rainfall occurs in tropical areas.
Thus rice is considered as the major food crop of india.
Thus, the correct answer is option B.

Note: India is mainly an agricultural country. The major portion of India's economy is dependent on agriculture and its products. As only limited land is fit for cultivation, India has to strive to increase yields per unit area from existing farm land. The development of various high yielding varieties of several crops and various plant breeding technologies led to dramatic increase in the food production in india. This phase is referred to as the Green revolution.