In northern India, Rabi crops are generally sown during:

Rabi crops are the winter crops of India. They are sown in winter, roughly from October to December, after the rainy season ends, and are harvested in spring and early summer, roughly from March to May (mainly April).

The word "rabi":

"Rabi" is an Arabic word meaning "spring", because the crops are harvested in spring.

Conditions needed for rabi crops:

• Cool weather during the growing period.
• Warm, dry weather at the time of ripening and harvesting.

Water from irrigation and from soil moisture left after the rainy season. Light winter rain also helps the crops.

Rabi is the main season in the irrigated areas of northern and north-western India.

Main rabi crops:

Wheat: the most important rabi crop. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana are leading producers.

Vegetables and fruits, such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes and cauliflower.

States growing rabi crops:

Rabi crops are grown mainly in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Problems:

Unseasonal rain, hailstorms or a sudden rise in temperature in February-March (terminal heat) can damage the rabi crop, especially wheat.

Minimum Support Price:

The government announces minimum support prices for major rabi crops, such as wheat, barley, gram, lentil, mustard and safflower, before the sowing season.

Comparison:

Zaid is the short summer season, from about March to June.

Why not the other options?

• ✗June to July is not the rabi sowing period; the land then carries the other main season's crops.
• ✗March to April is the time of the rabi harvest, not its sowing.
• ✗August to September is still the rainy period, too early for sowing rabi crops in northern India.