Categories: AGRICULTURE

What is Difference Between Rabi and Kharif Crops?

The difference Between Rabi and Kharif Crops is that Kharif and Rabi are the two cultivation patterns that are adopted in many Asian countries, depending on the monsoon. The Kharif crop growing season begins with the beginning of the monsoon and ends when the rainy season ends. On the other hand, Rabi crops are grown in winter, that is, they are sown when the monsoon ends and they are harvested before the advent of the summer season.

Kharif crops require hot and humid weather, while cold and dry weather is best suited for Rabi crops. Precipitation plays an important role in the yield of the two types of crops, in the sense that rain is good for Kharif crops, while it can ruin the yield of Rabi crops.

In general, only a few people know the two patterns of agriculture. However, it is important for everyone to know the difference between Kharif and rabi crops since the prices of food grains and vegetables depend largely on the yield of these two.

Comparative chart

Basis for comparison	Kharif Crops	Rabi crops
Sense	Kharif crops can be described as crops that are sown at the beginning of the rainy season.	Rabbi crops are crops that are sown after the end of the monsoon, that is, during the winter season.
Main crops	Rice, corn, cotton, peanuts, jowar, bajra, etc.	Wheat, peas, gram, oilseeds, barley, etc.
Requirement	It takes a lot of water and heat to grow.	It requires a warm climate for the seeds to germinate and a cold climate to grow
Flowering	Require the shortest day duration	Require the longest day duration
Planting month	June July	October November
Harvest month	September October	March April

Definition of Kharif crops

Kharif crops, popularly known as monsoon crops, are defined as crops grown in Asia in the rainy seasons, that is, from June to September. These crops are planted with the onset of the first rains, due to the southwest monsoon. The timing and amount of rainwater are the two important factors that decide the production of Kharif crops. The main crops are rice, corn, jowar, bajra, cotton, peanuts, sugar cane, turmeric, legumes, etc.

In India, planting dates may vary depending on the extent of the monsoon in each state, which means that, in southern states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, etc., the crop is usually sown at the end of May, after which move north. India. Therefore, Kharif crops are usually planted at the end of June in the northern states.

Definition of rabi crops

The term ‘Rabi’ is an Arabic word, which means spring. Rabbi crops are crops that are sown at the beginning of the winter season and are harvested in the spring season, in the countries of South Asia, that is, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc. They are sown with the end of the monsoon in the country, usually in late October or early November.

As rabbi crops are grown in the dry season, they require timely irrigation to grow. The main crops of rabi are wheat, gram pea, oats, barley, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and many seeds such as mustard, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed, cumin, coriander, etc.

Key differences between Kharif and Rabi crops

The difference between Kharif and rabi crops can be clearly drawn on the following grounds:

Kharif crops refer to crops planted in the countries of South Asia with the beginning of the rainy season. At the other extreme, Rabi crops involve crops that occur when the rainy season ends and the winter season begins.
Kharif crops need a lot of water and heat to grow, while rabbi crops require a warm climate for seed germination and cold weather to grow.
At the time of growth, Kharif crops require a warm and humid climate and a shorter duration of the day for flowering. On the contrary, for rabi crops, a cold and dry climate and a longer duration of the day are required for flowering.
The sowing months of Kharif crops are June and July. In contrast, rabi crops are usually planted in October and November.
Kharif crops are harvested in September and October. In contrast, the best time to harvest Rabi crops is in March and April.

conclusion

Kharif and Rabi crops are mainly used to signal the right time to sow and grow a particular crop. Apart from these two, there is one more type of crop, which is grown in the summer season, that is, from March to June, known as Zaid crops. These are grown for short duration, between Rabi and Kharif season. Includes watermelon, melon, bitter gourd, cucumber, etc.