Zaid crops
Topic: Land Reforms, the Green Revolution and Farm Subsidies · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Zaid crops are short-duration crops grown in summer, between the rabi harvest and the kharif sowing. They need irrigation and grow quickly in the heat. Examples are watermelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder. They let farmers use land that would otherwise stay empty in summer, which raises cropping intensity and farm income.
Example
After harvesting wheat in spring, a farmer in western UP grows cucumbers or fodder on the same field for a few summer weeks. Then the farmer sows kharif paddy with the monsoon.
Don't confuse with
- Rabi crops: these are winter crops (sown October-December), for example wheat and mustard. Zaid crops are summer crops.
Related concepts
- Green Revolution
- High-yielding variety seeds
- Research and extension
- Farm mechanisation
- Crop yield
- Seed replacement rate
- Kharif crops
- Rabi crops
- Multiple cropping
- Net sown area