Class 6 | Geography | Chapter 5 - Types of Crops | Question and Answer


 D. Differentiate between the following:

1. Cash crop and food crop  

Cash crops-These are plants grown to be sold for profit. India is the top producer of many crops. cash crops include cotton, jute, sugar cane, tobacco, and oilseeds.


Food crops-Food crops are plants grown for humans to eat. It includes rice, wheat, maize, millets and pulses.


2. food crop and plantation crop  

Food crops-It includes rice, wheat, maize, millets and pulses; cash crops include cotton, jute, sugar cane, tobacco, and oilseeds.


Plantation crops-It includes tea, coffee, coconut and rubber. It grows in well-drained loamy soils. It requires fairly high temperatures (20?-30?C) and heavy rainfall, well distributed over the year (150-300 cm annually). It grows on hill slopes, as stagnant water harms the crop and it requires a lot of manual labour

3. wheat and rice  

Wheat-It is the second most important crop of India after Rice. It is the staple food in North and North-western India. It's a winter crop and needs low temperature. Ideal temperature for wheat cultivation is between 10-15?C at the time of sowing and 21-26?C at the time of harvesting. Wheat thrives well in less than 100 cm and more than 75 cm rainfall. The most suitable soil for cultivation of wheat is well drained fertile loamy soil and clayey soil. Plain areas are most suitable.


Rice-It is a tropical crop that can be grown almost throughout the year. It depends on atmospheric moisture and rainfall for irrigation. India is the 2nd largest producer of rice in the world. India has largest area in world under rice cultivation. It grows well in alluvial soil with clayey subsoil. It is grown on terraces in hilly areas. It requires to be flooded with 10-12 cm deep water in the early stages.

4. jute and cotton 

Jute-It is also called the 'golden fibre'. Jute is a tropical plant that requires hot and humid climate. It is one of the most important natural fibres in terms of cultivation and usage. Almost 85% of the world's jute is cultivated in the Ganges Delta. It is a soil exhausting crop and ideally suited to the delta and floodplains as floods renew the soil annually.


Cotton-It is the most important fibre crop and cotton seed is used as a vegetable oil and a part of fodder for milch cattle for better milk production. Cotton grows in tropical and subtropical areas. Cotton requires modest rainfall and in India, it is one of the predominant rainfed crops. Cotton requires uniformly high temperature (21?C to 30?C). It grows in areas having at least 210 frost free days in a year. Optimum soil for cotton is the Black soils of Deccan and Malwa plateau.

E. Answer the questions in about 20-30 words.

1. Describe the main categories of crops with example. 

There are 3 categories of agricultural products grown in India: food crops, cash crops and plantation crops. 

Food crops are plants grown for humans to eat. Cash crops are plants grown to be sold for profit. India is the top producer of many crops. 

Food crops include rice, wheat, maize, millets and pulses; cash crops include cotton, jute, sugar cane, tobacco, and oilseeds; and plantation crops include tea, coffee, coconut and, rubber. 


2. Describe the ideal condition for rice cultivation. 

Rice grows well in alluvial soil with clayey subsoil. It is grown on terraces in hilly areas. The traditional rice fields are known as paddy fields and require to be flooded with 10-12 cm deep water in the early stages.


3. What are millets where are they grown in India?

Coarse food grains like jowar, bajra and ragi are called millets. The areas under these crops have fallen drastically in recent years in India. The coarse cereals and millets are grown in areas with high temperature and are called dry land crops because can be grown in areas with 50-100 cm rainfall. The coarse cereal crops are less sensitive to soil deficiencies. They can be grown in inferior alluvial or loamy soil. Top three states with maximum production of total coarse cereals are Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.

4. What type of climate and soil is ideal for cotton cultivation? 

Cotton grows in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Cotton requires modest rainfall and in India, it is one of the predominant rainfed crops. Cotton requires uniformly high temperature (21?C to 30?C). It grows in areas having at least 210 frost free days in a year. Optimum soil for cotton is the Black soils of Deccan and Malwa plateau. It also grows well in alluvial soils of the Satluj-Ganga plain and red and laterite soils of the peninsular region.

5. List the three main benefits of green revolution. 

The three main benefits of Green Revolution are: 

  • The agricultural industry was able to produce much larger quantities of food.
  • This reduced production costs and also resulted in cheaper prices for food in the market.
  • This was also beneficial to the environment because it meant that less forest or natural land needed to be converted to farmland to produce more food.