This document defines various terms related to arid zone agriculture including cropping systems, irrigation techniques, climate zones, tillage practices, and fertilizers. It provides definitions for 35 key terms such as agronomy, crop rotation, multiple cropping system, surface irrigation, basin irrigation, climate, tillage, fertilizer, and manure. Cropping systems include crop rotation, multiple cropping, intercropping, and relay cropping. Irrigation methods incorporate surface, sprinkler, drip, and subsurface irrigation. Climate zones range from arid to semi-arid to sub-humid to humid. Tillage and soil management practices involve operations such as hoeing, harrowing, and earthing up

1. Terminologies of Arid Zone Agriculture
Agriculture: The science,arts and busness of producing crops
rearing of animals is called agriculture.
1) Agronomy: 1. Agronomy is branch of Agriculture science which deals
with principles & practices of soil, water & crop management.
2) Crop Rotation: crop Rotation is a technique of growing different crops
on the same piece of land in the definite period of time.
3) Cropping Intensity: The term cropping intensity may be defined as “The
land used for the crops in the any specified period of time”. It is denoted by
C.I.
4) Cropping Pattern: The sequence of the crop grown in the piece of land
in the specific period of time is called Cropping pattern.
5) Multiple Cropping system: It refers to the growing of two or more than
two crops on same piece of land in a year is called multiple cropping system.
6) Sequential Cropping system: In this system two or more crops are
grown in fixed order or sequence once after other on the same piece of land
each year.
7) Inter-Cropping: It refers to the sowing of two or more crops at the same
time on the field is called inter-cropping system. It may b mixed or separated
in the row or strips form.
8) Relay Cropping: The seeding of second crop in same field before the
harvest of first one is called relay cropping e.g Barseem in Cotton.
9) Irrigation: The Application of water given to the field to get the
successful crop is called irrigation.
10) Surface Irrigation: That irrigation in which water is directly given to
the field trough channel with gentle slope.

2. 11) Basin Irrigation: The irrigation in which the whole field is flooded is
called basin irrigation.
12) Furrow Irrigation: The irrigation in which water is allowed to flow in
small parallel channels is called Furrow irrigation.
13) Border Irrigation: The system of irrigation in which water is applied to
long strips of land which are separated by ridges.
14) Sub-surface irrigation: The application of water to the field
underground through capillaries or pipes is called sub surface or
underground irrigation.
15) Sprinkle irrigation: water application given to the field like rain is
called sprinkle irrigation.
16) Trickle irrigation/ Drip irrigation: Slow application of water directly
to the plant either root zone of the plant is called trickle irrigation.
17) Climate: the average atmospheric conditions of the some years is called
climate.
18) Weather: The atmospheric conditions of the day.week or month are
called weather.
19) Rain (Precipitation): when water vapors condensed in the cold air the
liquid falls in the form of drops is called rain.
20) Snow Falls: when temperature of the air is too low to freeze its
moisture, the solid water or ice falls as snow.
21) Wind/Storms: When Cooler and heavier air moves to low pressure
zones air currents are produced. These currents are called storms or Wind.
22) Tillage: tillage refers to the physical operation of the field needed to
improve the soil condition for satisfactory plant growth.
23) Tilth: the tilth is defined as the physiological condition of the soil in its
relation to plant growth.

3. 24) Intertillage: the tillage operation between seeding and harvesting of the
plant is called intertillage.
25) Hoeing: The process of removal of unwanted plants (Weeds) by hand
tool is called hoeing.
26) Harrowing: stir and level the soil break up clods and destroy weeds
mechanically is called harrowing.
27) Earthing up: it refers to the practice of covering the plants with soil in
order to establishment of their firm in the field.
28) Dry farming: the production of crops on the land that receive limited
rainfall and have no irrigation facilities is dry land farming.
29) Arid zone: The zone in which annual rainfall is less than 300mm are
known as arid zone.
30) Semi-Arid zone: where annual rainfall range of 300mm to 600mm is
called semi arid zone.
31) Sub Humid Zone: the annual rainfall in this zone varies from 600 to
1000mm.
32) Humid zone: The area where annual rainfall is more than 1000mm is
called humid zone.
33) Run-off farming: the area where annual rainfall is between 200 to
300mm and dry farming is done by water harvesting techniques is called
run-off farming.
34) Fertilizer: The term fertilizer refers to any substance which supplies one
or more of the mineral elements essential for plant growth is called fertilizer.
35) Manure: Manures are bulky organic materials derived from plant
residues and animal’s wastes and excreta are called manure.