Question

Which one of the following crops has maximum water requirement?

• A. Maize
• B. Rice
• C. Wheat
• D. Sorghum

Hint:

Although sugarcane ($1500\text{--}2500\,\text{mm}$) and banana have even higher water requirements due to their long growth periods, among seasonal cereal crops, ______Rice______ is the most water-intensive.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The water requirement of a crop is the total quantity of water needed to grow a high-yielding crop over its entire lifecycle, including evapotranspiration, metabolic needs, and unavoidable application losses.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us compare the average water requirements of the listed crops:
1. Wheat (C): This is a rabi crop requiring approximately $350\text{--}500\,\text{mm}$ of water during its cycle.
2. Sorghum (D): This is a highly drought-tolerant C4 crop requiring around $450\text{--}650\,\text{mm}$ of water.
3. Maize (A): This is a C4 crop requiring approximately $500\text{--}800\,\text{mm}$ of water.
4. Rice (B): Rice is historically grown under continuously flooded or submerged soil conditions.
Due to high rates of percolation, evaporation, and transpiration in standing water, the total water requirement for transplanting rice is extremely high, typically ranging from $1200\text{--}1500\,\text{mm}$ and sometimes up to $2500\,\text{mm}$ depending on soil type and climate.
Therefore, rice has a vastly higher water requirement than the other three grain crops.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Among the options, rice has the maximum water requirement, which corresponds to option (B).