Crop Production And Management

Sickle: A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool used for harvesting, or reaping crops (as shown below)

Harvesting in our country is either done manually by sickle or by a machine called harvester. The other agricultural practices which are done by sickle are: preparing hay and also cutting some crops.

The cutting and gathering of mature food crop like wheat or paddy is known as harvesting.

Sickle is general purpose of harvesting tool which is used in the traditional harvesting of crops.

The process of beating out the grains from the harvested crop plants is called threshing.

A machine called combine is used for harvesting and threshing (Cutting of standing crop and recovering grains).

A machine called combine is used for harvesting and threshing (Cutting of standing crop and recovering grains).

The process in which grains are separated from chaff with the help of wind is called winnowing.

The food materials that we obtain from animals are milk, meat and eggs.

Cow and buffalo are two domestic animals which are used to obtained milk.

Goat is meat yielding animal and hen is egg yielding animal.

Honey is an animal food obtained from insect called “bees”.

The branch of agriculture which deals with feeding, shelter, health and breeding of domestic animals is called animal husbandry.

Fish is good for health. We get cod liver oil from fish which is rich in vitamin D.

Cod liver oil of fish is rich in vitamin D.

The government agency like food corporation of India (FCI) buy food grains from farmers and storing them properly.

Organisms fungus and moulds grow on stored food grains having higher moisture content.

Leguminous crops like pulses, beans, peas are generally grown between two cereals crops in crop rotation to restore the fertility of soil.

Rotation of crops (leguminous and non-leguminous crops) in the same field replenishes the soil with nitrogen naturally and increases the soil fertility.

The nitrogen-fixing bacteria present in root nodules of leguminous plants is rhizobium bacteria.

Agricultural practice weeding comes first.

The preparation of soil is the first step in the cultivation of a crop.

It is a simple tool which is used for removing weeds and for loosening the soil.

The implement used for sowing is seed drill.

The practice used for cultivating paddy is transplantation.

Manure and fertilizers are added to the fields by the farmers to maintain the fertility of soil.

These grass is known as weed.

Paddy crop (rice crop) can tolerate standing water in the field whereas crops like wheat, gram cannot.

The best time for the removal of weeds is before they produce flowers and seeds.

(i) sprinkler system (ii) Drip system

(a) crop (b) preparation (c) nutrients; water

(d) float (e) nitrogen (f) irrigation

(g) weeds (h) neem (i) coastal

The fresh crop has more moisture. So, the food grains obtained by harvesting the crop are dried before storage. If freshly harvested food grains are stored without drying, they may get spoilt or attacked by organisms, losing their germination capacity.

The farmers store food grains in jute bags and metal bins at home.

(a) Sprinkler system is more suitable for uneven land where sufficient water is not available.

(b) Sprinkler system is very useful for sandy soil.

(c) Drip system is best technique for watering fruit plants, gardens and trees.

(d) Drip system of irrigation is more suitable where availability of water is poor.

The undesirable plants which grow along with a cultivated crop are called weeds. Wild oat is a weed which is found in wheat crop field.

Weed compete with the crop plants for water, nutrients, space and light. Thus, they affect the growth of crops.

Proper watering of crop at right time is called irrigation. Each crop needs a specific amount of water during its various stages of its growth. The irrigation requirements depend on the nature of crop. Some crops like paddy crop (rice crop) need more water whereas other crops like wheat, gram require less water.

The irrigation requirements of a crop depend on the nature of soil in which the crop is grown. There are two types of soil- sandy soil and clayey soil. Sandy soil is highly porous having highly permeability. So, the water quickly percolates down to the soil and crop plants standing in the sandy soil, are not able to get adequate amount of water. Thus, crop cultivated in sandy soil need more frequent irrigation of water. On the other hand, the clayey soil is much less permeable than sandy soil due to which it can retain water for a much longer time. Thus, crop cultivated in clayey soil can absorb adequate amount of water. Hence, the crop grown in a clayey soil need irrigation less frequently.

In the sprinkler system of irrigation, a main pipeline is laid in the field. The perpendicular pipes, having rotating nozzles on top, are joined to the main pipeline at regular intervals. When water is allowed to flow through the main pipe under pressure with the help of a pump, it escapes from the rotating nozzles. It gets sprinkled on the crop as if it is raining.

Advantages of sprinkler system of irrigation:

(i) This system is more useful on the uneven land where sufficient water is not available.

(ii) This system is also very useful for sandy soil.

In this system, there is a network of narrow pipes with small holes, in the fields. When water flows through these pipes, water falls drop by drop just at the position of the roots. So, it is called drip system. Water is not wasted at all. It is the best technique for watering fruit plants, gardens and trees.

Advantages:

(i) Drip system is very useful in those regions where availability of water is poor.

(ii) Drip system provides water to plants drop by drop. So, water is not wasted at all.

Each crop needs a specific amount of water during its various stages of its growth. The irrigation requirements depend on the nature of crop. Some crops like need more water whereas other crops require less water. For example, paddy crop requires continuous irrigation whereas wheat crop requires less water.

The frequency of irrigation of crops is higher in summer season due to the increased rate of evaporation of water from the soil and the leaves.

The removal of weeds from the crop fields is known as weeding. It is necessary process as weed competes with the crop plants for water, nutrients and space. Farmers adopt many ways to remove weeds and control their growth. The various ways by which weeds are removed from the crop fields are-

(i) With hand – In this method, weeds are removed manually by uprooting or cutting them close to the ground.

(ii) By using a khurpa – In this method, weeds can be removed by using a implement called khurpa.

(iii) By using weedicides- Example- 2, 4-D

If wheat is sown in the kharif season, it will not grow well as plants cannot tolerate too much water of the rainy season.

When plants of the same kind are grown and cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Examples- Wheat and Maize.

Based on seasons, all crops are classified into two main groups:

(i) Kharif crops- The crops which are sown in the rainy season are called kharif crops. Example- paddy, maize.

(ii) Rabi crops – The crops grown in winter season are called rabi crops. Examples- wheat, gram, etc.

The various agricultural practices which they are undertaken by the farmers are:

(i) Preparation of soil

(ii) Sowing

(iii) Adding manure and fertilisers

(iv) Irrigation

(v) Protecting from weeds

(vi) Harvesting

(vii) Storage

The preparation of soil is the first step before growing a crop. The soil is prepared for sowing the seeds of crop by ploughing, levelling and manuring. The process of loosening and turning the soil is called ploughing. It is done by using a tool called plough. It is made up of wood or iron. One of the important task in agriculture is to turn the soil and loosen it. It allows the roots to penetrate deep into the soil so that plants are held more firmly to the soil. The ploughed field may have big pieces of soil called crumbs. It is necessary to break these crumbs with a plank. The levelling of ploughed soil is done by using an implement called leveller. Sometimes, manure is added to the soil before tilling. This helps in proper

mixing of manure with soil. Once the soil is ploughed, levelled and manured, it is ready for sowing of seeds.

Top layer of soil supports plant growth. It gets loss due to ploughing because of which it can easily washed away by rain or blown away by wind. So, ploughed soil is levelled by pressing it with a wooden leveller, so that top soil is not blown away by wind or washed away by water.

Following are the advantages of sowing seeds with a seed drill:

(i) Seed drill sows the seeds uniformly at proper distance and correct depths.

(ii) It sows the seeds in regular rows.

(iii) It ensures that seeds get covered by the soil after sowing as a result of which seeds cannot be picked by birds

(iv) Sowing by using a tractor joined with seed drill saves time and labor.

Seeds should be sown at right spacings. They should be neigher sown too close nor too far apart. If seeds are placed too close, then plants formed form them will be also too close and will not get enough sunlight, water and nutrients to grow. On the other hand, if seeds are placed too far, then it will be a wastage of field space. Thus, the seeds should be sown at right spacing to proper growth.

The process of loosening and turning the soil is called ploughing or tilling. The agricultural implements used for tilling (loosening and turning) the soil are plough and hoe.

Loosening and turning the soil is very important for cultivation of crops. The loosening and turning the soil by ploughing is beneficial because of the following reasons:

(i) The loose soil allows the roots to breathe easily even when they go deep into the soil.

(ii) The loosened soil helps in the growth of earthworms and microbes present in the soil.

The government agency like food corporation of India (FCI) buy food grains from farmers and storing them properly so that they can be supplied throughout the country.

Pesticide solution are sprayed on the gunny bags in big go downs from time to time to protect the grains from damage.

Manure is an organic substance obtained by the decomposition of plants or animals wastes.

Advantages of manure:

● it enhances the water holding capacity of the soil.

● it makes the soil porous due to which exchange of gases becomes easy.

● it increases the number of friendly microbes.

● it improves the texture of the soil

Fertilisers are chemical substances which are rich in a particular nutrient. Some examples of fertilizers are urea, potash, NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), etc.

Harmful effects caused by the excessive use of fertilizers are-

(i) Excessive use of fertilizers makes the soil less fertile.

(ii) Excessive use of fertilizers causes water pollution.

Plants require nutrients for their proper growth and functioning. If continuous plantation of crops is done in the fields then the soil will become poor in necessary nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc. This affect the yield and also affects the quality of soil. So, the nutrients once consumed by crop must be replenished so that soil get all its nutrients back and it will be ready for the next harvest.

Fertilizers help the farmers to get better yield of crops such as wheat, paddy and maize.

The removal of weeds is called weeding. Weeding is necessary since weeds compete with the crop plants for water, nutrients, space and light. Thus, they affect the growth of the crop. Some weeds interfere even in harvesting and may be poisonous for animals and human beings.

Weedicides are special chemicals which are used to control weeds. 2,4-D is an example of weedicide.

Weedicides affects the health of farmer. So, weedicides should be used vary carefully. During spraying of weedicides, the nose and mouth of farmer should be covered with a piece of cloth.

Differences between manures and fertilizers:

(i) Harvesting: The cutting and gathering of mature food crop like wheat or paddy is known as harvesting.

(ii) Threshing: The process of removal of the grains of harvested crop from the chaff is called threshing.

(iii) Winnowing: The process in which grains are separated from chaff with the help of wind is called winnowing.

Food grains are stored on a large scale in silos and granaries (gunny bags).

The advantage of storing food grains in gunny bags is that food grains filled in gunny bags can be easily transported and distributed at various parts of country.

Traditional methods of irrigation are chain pump and dhekli.

Modern methods of irrigation are sprinkler and drip system.

The process of threshing is done with the help of a machine called combine. It is in fact a combined harvester and thresher.

Combine separates the grains from chaff.

The branch of agriculture which deals with feeding, shelter, health and breeding of domestic animals is called animal husbandry.

The various practices necessary for raising animals for food and Other purposes are:

● Proper food of animals,

● Proper shelter of animals, and

● Proper care of animals.

Kharif crops- The crops which are sown in the rainy season are called kharif crops. The rainy season in India is generally from June to September. Example- paddy, maize.

Rabi crops – The crops grown in winter season are called rabi crops. The winter season in India is generally from October to March. Examples- wheat, gram, etc.

Sowing is the process of putting the seeds in the soil. There are two methods of sowing the seeds in the soil. These are-

(i) Sowing by hand, and (ii) Sowing with a sand drill.

Following precautions should be taken while sowing the seeds in the soil:

(i) The seeds should be sown at right depth in the soil suitable for germination.

(ii) The seeds should be sown at proper spacing.

(iii) The seeds should not be sown in highly wet soil.

(iv) The seeds should not be sown in a dry soil.

Good quality seeds basically mean the most competent seeds, which will definitely give rise to a healthy plant, which would bear more healthy seeds. This is important when you're dealing with plants at a large scale, and you need to maintain crops for a large​ time frame.

Best wheat seeds would be ones who's color, shape and size are normal (not brownish, oddly shaped, tiny or bloated). Apart from just the looks, seeds are also tested for their efficiency in germination (how many seeds from set of 100 would grow in plants when sowed).

The process of transferring the seedlings from the nursery to the main field by hand is called transplanting or transplantation. Some crops like paddy and many vegetables, the seeds are not directly sown in the field’s soil. In these crop, initially the seeds are sown in the small nursery to obtain seedlings. Seedlings are then transplanted into the regular fields placing them at a proper distance from one another.

The practice of transplantation is used in the cultivation of paddy crop and many vegetables like tomatoes and chillies.

Advantages of transplantation in growing crops:

(i) The process of transplantation helps in planting seedling at a proper distance from one another so that plants can get obtain adequate amount of water, nutrients and sunlight.

(ii) The process of transplantation helps to select only healthy seedlings for the cultivation of crops.

The supply of water to crops at right time is called irrigation. All the crop plants need water for their growth. Water is important for proper growth and development of flowers, fruits and seeds of plants.

Irrigation is necessary for the absorption of nutrients by plants from the soil. Water is absorbed by the plant roots. Along with water, minerals and fertilizers are also absorbed.

Irrigation is necessary to provide moisture for gemination of seeds because germination of seeds does not take place under dry conditions.

Irrigation is also necessary for healthy crop growth so as to get good yield. Nutrients dissolved in water get transported to each part of the plant. Water also protects the crop from both frost and hot air currents.

The various sources of irrigation in our country are- wells, tubewells, ponds, lakes, rivers, dams and canals.

The nitrogen-fixing bacteria present in root nodules of leguminous plants is rhizobium bacteria. Rotation of crops (leguminous and non-leguminous crops) in the same field replenishes the soil with nitrogen naturally and increases the soil fertility.

The crops which are sown in the rainy season are called kharif crops. The rainy season in India is generally from June to September. Example- paddy, maize.

The sowing of seeds by hand is called broadcasting.

Fish liver oil is rich in both vitamin A and vitamin D.


Note: (If you have to choose just one answer, select Vitamin D like in case of MCQs)

The process of transferring the seedlings from the nursery to the main field by hand is called transplanting or transplantation. Some crops like paddy and many vegetables like tomatoes and chillies, the seeds are not directly sown in the field’s soil.

The crops grown in winter season are called rabi crops. Examples- wheat, gram, etc.

The process of transferring the seedlings from the nursery to the main field by hand is called transplanting or transplantation. Some crops like paddy and many vegetables, the seeds are not directly sown in the field’s soil.

Paddy, tomatoes and chillies are grown by transplantation.

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are chemical which can be provided to the soil by chemical substance called fertilizers whereas humus cannot. It is provided to the soil by natural substance called manure.

Paddy, tomatoes and chillies are grown by transplantation.

The Rhizobium bacteria present in the root nodules of pea plants can fix nitrogen.

The process of beating out grains from the harvested wheat crop is called threshing. It is done by a machine called combine.

The food obtained from animals is very rich in proteins.

The government agency like food corporation of India (FCI) buy food grains from farmers and storing them properly.

The removal of unwanted plants called weeds is called weeding.

Poultry gives us meat as well as eggs.

Seeds should not be sown in dry soil because water is necessary for germination of seeds.

Sprinkler system is more suitable for uneven land where sufficient water is not available.

The two crops which are not grown by sowing their seeds directly into the soil in large fields are tomatoes and chillies.

In this system, there is a network of narrow pipes with small holes, in the fields. When water flows through these pipes, water falls drop by drop just at the position of the roots. So, it is called drip system. Water is not wasted at all. It is the best technique for watering fruit plants, gardens and trees.

The correct order is : Ploughing the field ; Preparation of soil, Sowing; Manuring; Irrigation; Harvesting; Sending crop to sugar factory

(i) e (ii) d (iii) b (iv) c

(a) Crops wheat and gram can be cultivated by sowing seeds directly into fields.

(b) Paddy and tomatoes can be cultivated by transplanting.

(a) Crop rotation

(b) The nitrogen-fixing bacteria present in root nodules of leguminous plants is rhizobium bacteria. Rotation of crops (leguminous and non-leguminous crops) in the same field replenishes the soil with nitrogen naturally and increases the soil fertility.

Harvesting is missing from the above list.