Question

Which of the following crops are most suitable for cultivation under scanty rainfall conditions?
1. Horse Gram
2. Rice
3. Mustard
4. Wheat
Select the correct answer from the codes given:
a. 2 & 3
b. 2& 4
c. 1 & 2
d. 1 & 3

Answer 1

Hint: there are different factors that are responsible for the growth of crops in a particular area. These factors include sunlight, temperature, rainfall and type of soil available. However, the major responsible factor is the rainfall. Some crops are adapted to grow in less-water conditions and some require huge amounts of water for their growth.

Complete answer
India is an agriculture-based economy in which agriculture contributes to 18% of India's GDP. In India, due to the distinct weather conditions and different soil types, a number of crops are grown.
Majority of the crops grown in Indian are water intensive crops. The water intensive crops use a huge amount of water for their cultivation. During the growth of these crops, they require good irrigation, high precipitation and good moisture. Examples of water intensive crops include wheat, rice, cotton etc.
Rice- one of the staple foods of the world, it requires about 4,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of rice. The rice crop is grown in flooded soils which helps in more uptakes of nutrients and also prevents growth of weed.
Wheat- For greater production of wheat, it requires almost 900 liters of water to produce one kg of wheat. It requires warm temperature conditions for good yield. It grows in clayey soil which is well drained.
Some crops grow well in the areas where there is less rainfall. Examples include- horse gram, millets, mustard etc. The mustard requires cool climatic conditions and dry weather at the time of their cultivation. The horse gram can be grown on any soil. It requires moderate rainfall at the time of growth.

Thus the answer of the above question is option (D) 1 & 3.

Note: there are two types of crops on the basis of season in which they are grown- rabi and kharif crops. The rabi crops are grown in the winter season starting from September-October month to the end of February-March. Examples include- wheat, mustard etc. The kharif crops are grown during the rainy season starting from June to the end of November. Examples include rice, maize etc.