Match the following agricultural plantation crops with their principal cultivating regions in Kerala: List I (Crop): 1. Tea, 2. Rubber, 3. Cardamom, 4. Coconut. List II (Region): A. High-altitude cool hill tracts, B. Midland lateritic hills, C. Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats, D. Coastal sandy plains. Select the correct matching code:

💡 Solution & Explanation

Tea thrives in high-altitude cool hill tracts such as Munnar. Rubber is predominantly cultivated across the undulating midland lateritic hills where well-drained soils prevail. Cardamom requires the humid, shaded forest microclimates of the Cardamom Hills in the Western Ghats. Coconut prospers in the alluvial and sandy soils of the coastal plains. This precise zonation reflects the adaptation of cash crops to Kerala's altitudinal and edaphic gradients.