Rabi crop


Rabi crops or
rabi harvest are agricultural crops that are sown in winter and harvested in the spring in India and Pakistan. The term is derived from the Arabic word for "spring", which is used in the Indian subcontinent, where it is the spring harvest.The opposite of rabi crops are the kharif crops which are grown after, the rabi and zaid crops are harvested one after another respectively.

Etymology

The words 'kharif' and 'rabi' have their origin in Arabic. These came to be used in India with the ascent of the Mughal empire in the Indian subcontinent and have been widely used ever since.

Rabi season

The rabi crops are sown around mid-November, preferably after the monsoon rains are over, and harvesting begins in April / May. The crops are grown either with rainwater that has percolated into the ground, or using irrigation. A good rain in winter spoils the rabi crops but is good for kharif crops.
The major rabi crop in India is wheat, followed by barley, mustard, sesame and peas. Peas are harvested early, as they are ready early: Indian markets are flooded with green peas from January to March, peaking in February.
Many crops are cultivated in both kharif and rabi seasons. The agriculture crops produced in India are seasonal in nature and highly dependent on these two monsoons.

Common rabi crops

Cereals

List as follows. These are rabi harvests rather than crops as that term is usually applied to annuals and not perennials: