1. Crop Production and Management
(i) All the livingorganismsrequirefoodfortheirlife processeslikedigestion,respiration,and
excretionetc.Plantscanmake theirownfoodbythe processof photosynthesisandanimals
includedhumanscannotmake their foodsotheyare dependedonthe plants.
(ii) Inorderto provide foodfora large population—regularproduction,propermanagementand
distributionof foodisnecessary.
Agricultural Practices:
(i) Whenthe same kindsof plantsare grownat one place on a large scale,it iscalleda crop.
Differenttype cropslike cereals,vegetablesandfruitsetc,canbe classifiedonthe basisof the
seasoninwhichtheygrow.
(ii) Indiaisa vastcountry.Here climaticconditionsliketemperature,humidityandrainfall varyfrom
one regiontoanother.There isa richvarietyof crops grownin differentpartsof the India.Despite
thisdiversity,twobroadcroppingpatternscanbe identified.These are:
(a) Kharif Crops:- The crops whichare sowninthe rainyseason are calledkharif crops.The rainy
seasoninIndiaisgenerallyfromJune monthtoSeptembermonth.Paddy,maize,soyabean,
groundnut,cotton,etc.,are the examplesof kharif crops.
Examplesof Kharif Crops:
2. Rabi Crops:-The cropswhichare grown inthe winterseasonare calledrabi crops.Theirtime
periodisgenerallyfromOctobermonthtoMarch month.Wheat,gram, pea,mustardand linseed
are the examplesof rabi crops.
Besidesthese,pulsesandvegetablesare grownduringsummeratmanyplaces.
Examplesof Rabi Crops:
Basic Practicesof Crop Production:
The several activitiesundertakenbythe farmersforthe cultivationof cropsovera periodof time are
referredtoas agricultural practices.These activitiesare:
1. Preparationof Soil:One of the most importanttasksinagriculture istoturn the soil and loosenit.
The loose soil allowsthe rootstopenetrate andbreathe easilyevenwhentheygodeepintothe soil.
The loosenedsoil helpsinthe growthof earthwormsandmicrobespresentinthe soil.
2. The processof looseningandturningof the soil iscalledtillingorploughing.Thisisdone byusinga
ploughwhichismade of woodor iron.
If the soil isverydry,it mayneedwateringbefore ploughing.The ploughedfieldmayhave bigpieces
of soil calledcrumbs.Itisnecessarytobreakthese crumbswitha plank.The fieldislevelledby
levellerforsowingaswell asforirrigationpurposes.
2. Sowing:Sowingisthe mostimportantpart of crop production.Before sowing,goodqualityseeds
are selected.Theseare cleanandhealthyseedsof agoodvariety.Farmersprefertouse seedswhich
give a highyield.
Before sowing,one of the importanttasksistoknow about the toolsusedforsowingseeds.
(i) Traditional Tool:Itisthe tool shapedlikedfunnel usedtraditionallyforsowingseeds.The seeds
are filledintothe funnel,passeddownthroughtwoorthree pipeshavingsharpends.These ends
pierce intothe soil andplace seedsthere.
(ii) SeedDrill:Nowdaysthe seeddrill isusedforsowing withthe helpof tractors.Withhelpof this
tool sowsthe seedsuniformlyatproperdistancesanddepths.Itensuresthatseedsgetcoveredby
the soil aftersowingandpreventsdamage causedbybirds.Itsavestime andlabour.
Seeddrill
3. AddingManure and Fertilisers
(i) Forthe healthygrowthof plantssubstanceswhichare addedtothe soil inthe formof nutrients
are calledmanure andfertilisers.
(ii) Nutrientsare essential forthe growthof plants.Soil suppliesmineral nutrientstothe crop.In
certainareas,farmersgrow crop aftercrop inthe same field.The fieldisneverleftuncultivatedor
fallow.
(iii) Continuousgrowingof cropsmakesthe soil poorerincertainnutrients.Therefore,farmershave
to add manure to the fieldstoreplenishthe soil withnutrients.Thisprocessiscalledmanuring.
(iv) Manure isan organic substance obtainedfromthe decompositionof plantwastesoranimal
excreta.Farmersdumpplantandanimal waste inpitsat openplacesand allow ittodecompose.The
decompositioniscausedbysome microorganisms.The decomposedmatterisusedasorganic
manure.
(v) Fertilisersare chemicalsmanufacturedinfactories.Theyare chemicalshighlyrichinnutrientslike
nitrogen,phosphorusandpotassium.
Difference betweenFertilisersandManure:
S.no. ManureFertiliser
3. 1. Easilymade usinganimal andplantwaste Made infactoriesinwell definedway
2. No harmful effectasfullynatural Side effectsasitisa chemicals
3. Providesmainlyorganicmatter Providesmainlynutrients
4. Good forlongterm soil fertility Notgood for longtermsoil fertility,If usesinexcessive
amount
5. Noteffectas fertilisers Veryeffective inobtainingfastresult.
6. It isverycheap It isverycostly
Advantage of Manure:
(i) It provideslotsof organicmatterwhichmakessoil porous.
(ii) Itincreasessoil fertilityingeneral.
(iii) Itprovide some nutrientsinsmall amounts
(iv) Asitmade from waste products,soenvironmentiscleaned.
(v) It increasesthe waterholdingcapacity.
4. Irrigation:
(i) Wateris importantforpropergrowthand developmentof plants.
(ii) Waterisessential becausegerminationof seedsdoesnottake place underdryconditions.
Nutrientsdissolvedinwatergettransportedtoeachpart of the plant.
(iii) Wateralsoprotectsthe crop frombothfrost andhot air currents.The supplyof waterto crops at
differentintervalsiscalledirrigation.
(iv) It’snota goodto dependonrainfor wateras it isnot fullyreliable.A properirrigationsystem
will ensure timelyandadequate watertocrops.Thiswill leadtomore yield.
Sourcesof Irrigation:Wells,Tube wells,Ponds,Lakes,Rivers,DamsandCanalsare the sourcesof
Irrigation.
1. Traditional Methodsof Irrigation:
The water available inwells,lakesand canalsisliftedupbydifferentmethodsindifferentregions,
for takingitto the fields.Here varioustraditional methodsare:
2. Modern Methodsof Irrigation:
4. (i) SprinklerSystem:
In thissystem,perpendicularpipes,havingrotatingnozzlesontop,are joinedtothe mainpipeline at
regularintervals.Whenwaterisallowedtoflow throughthe mainpipe underpressurewiththe help
of a pump,itsprinklesfromthe rotatingnozzles.Itgetssprinkledonthe cropas if it israining.
SprinklerSystem
(ii) Dripsystem:
In thissystem,the waterfallsdropbydropjust at the positionof the roots.So itis calleddrip
system.
Drip system
5. ProtectionfromWeeds:
(i) Weedsare the undesirableplantswhichmaygrow naturallyalongwiththe cropinthe field.
(ii) The removal of weedsiscalledweeding.Weedingisnecessarybecause theyaffectthe growthof
the crop by compete withthe cropplantsfor water,nutrients,space andlight.
WeedControl:
Farmersuse many waysto remove weedsandcontrol theirgrowth.Tillingbefore sowingof crops
helpsinuprootingandkillingof weeds,whichmaythendryup andget mixedwiththe soil.The best
time forthe removal of weedsisbefore theyproduce flowersandseeds.The manual removal
includesphysical removal of weedsbyuprootingorcuttingthemclose tothe ground,fromtime to
time withthe helpof a khurpi.Weedsare alsocontrolledbysprayingcertainchemicalscalled
weedicides,in the fieldstokill the weeds.Theydonotdamage the crops.
6. Harvesting:
(i) The cuttingof crop afteritis mature iscalledharvesting.Inharvesting,cropsare pulledoutorcut
close to the ground.Harvestingisalsodone manuallybysickle orbya machine.
(ii) Inthe harvestedcrop,the grainseedsneedtobe separatedfromthe chaff withthe helpof
machine called‘combined’.Itisinfact a combinedharvesterandthresher.Thisprocessiscalled
threshing.
5. Combine
7. Storage:
If the crop grainsare to be keptfor longertime,theyshouldbe safe frommoisture,insects,ratsand
microorganisms.The freshcrophasmore moisture.If freshlyharvestedgrains(seeds) are stored
withoutdrying,theymaygetspoiltorattackedby organisms,losingtheirgerminationcapacity.
