INTRODUCTION– Early people were nomadic. They wander from one place to another for food and shelter. They were depended on raw fruits, roots, vegetables, leaves and hunted animals as food. About 10000 B.C., they started to cultivate land by settling near the crop fields and produced Rice, wheat, and other food crops. Thus, they learnt domesticating animals like sheeps, dog, horse, cow, goat etc. and started agriculture.
At present, India is second largest country in agricultural output. The total contribution of agriculture and related sectors in GDP of India is 15-16 % (approximately). To provide food to the vast population extensive and intensive agriculture practices are essential. Regular production, proper management and rational distribution are also necessary.
AGRICULTURE AND CROPS– The cultivation of land, growing crops, it’s processing and rearing of animals to get food, fibers and other products is called agriculture. Latin words -Ager (field) + culture (to grow) = Agriculture. When plants of the same kind are grown and cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. e.g.- The crop of Paddy shows all the standing Paddy plants at a glance. The crops can cereals, pulses, vegetables and fruits. Inspite of diversity in growing of crops, the crops on India can be broadly classified into two types-
(a) Rabi or winter crops
(b) Kharif or summer crops
(a) Rabi or winter crops- The crops grown in the winter season are called Rabi or winter crops. They are sown during October-November months and harvested during March- April months. They need less water and sunlight duration. e.g.- Wheat, barley, pea, gram, mustard, linseed etc.
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| Maize Crop |
(b) Kharif or summer crops- The crops grown in summer season are called Kharif or summer crops. They are sown during June-July months and harvested during September-October months. In India, they are cultivated during rainy season mainly when Monsoon comes. They need more water and more sunlight duration. e. g-Paddy, Maize, Soybeans, Groundnut, Cotton etc.
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S.N.
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Rabi Crops
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Kharif Crops
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1
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They are grown in the winter season.
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They are grown in summer season.
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2
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They are sown during October-November months.
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They are sown during June-July months.
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3
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They are harvested during March- April months.
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They are harvested during September-October months.
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4
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They need less water.
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They need more water.
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5
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They need less sunlight duration.
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They require more sunlight duration
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Note- Different kinds of vegetables and fruits can be grown in between Rabi crop season and Kharif Crop seasons. They are called Zaid crops.
BASIC PRACTICES OF CROP PRODUCTION– Those activities which are performed in proper sequences to grow healthy crops are known as basic agricultural practices. These are –
1. Preparation of soil
2. Seed sowing
3. Replenishing soil by natural method and adding manures and fertilizers
4. Irrigation
5. Protection from weeds, pests and diseases
6. Harvesting, Threshing and winnowing
7. Storage of grains
1. Preparation of soil– The turning and loosening of soil is first basic activity for cultivation of crops. The loosen soil allows the growth of roots more deep. The air get entrapped in loosen soil, which is taken by the roots of plants. So, better aeration of soil occurs. Manures and fertilizers can mix uniformly with the soil. The plants can absorb more mineral salts. The growth of useful bacteria and earthworms is better in this soil. The nutrients present in dead plants and animals are released back into the soil by microbes. The unwanted plants (weeds) are uprooted due to ploughing. The process of loosening and turning of soil is called ploughing or tilling. Ploughing can be done by plough, hoe or cultivator.
Fig. Ploughing by Plough with the help of Oxen
The ploughed fields may have big pieces of soil called ‘crumbs’. By levelling with the help of a leveller the top soil of crop field is made uniform. Leveller is a wooden plank driven by oxen or tractor. Due to levelling- surface of crop field becomes uniform, uniform distribution of water during irrigation, preventing loss of top fertile soil, and ease in seed sowing occurs.
2. Seed sowing– Before seed sowing it is imperative to select the good quality of seeds. The best quality of seeds will have qualities like-
a. It should be of good varieties like disease resistance and more production.
b. It should be clean, healthy and free from borers, insects, pests and diseases.
c. When soaked, it should settle at the bottom of a water containing container. It is because infected seeds would be light and will float on the surface of water.
The seeds should be treated with any suitable fungicide before sowing to prevent diseases. The process of placing of seeds during correct time, space and depth is called seed sowing. The seeds can be sown by manual dispersal called seed broadcasting or by seed drills.
Manual seed dispersal has certain disadvantages like-
(a) Unequal distribution in the field, somewhere very scanty and somewhere overcrowding of seeds occurs.
(b) The seeds on the surface take more time to germinate and may likely to be
eaten by birds. But, seed drills save time put the seeds at proper depth, and space. The appropriate distance among plants allows them to have sufficient sunlight, water and nutrients from soil. So, the crop production is also good.
Transplantation– It is the process of shifting baby plants from seed bed (nursery) to the crop fields. e.g. Paddy, flowering plants, Vegetables, Chilli, Tomato, Cauliflower, etc. Their seeds are first sown in nurseries and then seedlings are transplanted to field after some time.
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| Nursery Bed for transplantation of plants |
3. Replenishing soil by natural methods and adding manures and fertilizers– Manures and chemical fertilizers provide nutrients to the plants for their healthy growth. Nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) etc. are required by plants for growth, development, flowering, fruiting, and other physiological activities. Due to continuous growing of crops there is lack of nutrients in the soil. So, adding of nutrients become imperative for the healthy growth of crops and increasing crop productivity. There are two methods of enriching the nutrients in crop fields-
(a)Natural Methods–
( 1.) Field fallowi.e. leaving the field for a few years without crops. Due to it the nutrients are added by water, decomposition of dead plants and animals, useful soil bacteria.
(2.) Mixed cropping i.e. growing of two or more crops simultaneously in that field. One crop must be a leguminous crop that fixes atmospheric nitrogen by Rhizobium bacteria in their roots. e.g. Wheat + Mustard, Cotton + Groundnuts, Gram + Soybeans etc.
(3.) Crop rotationi.e. Alternation of crops in that field year after year. One crop in the alternate cycle of 2-4 seasons must be a leguminous crop like pea, gram, mustard, soybeans etc. e.g. Paddy (1st Season), Pea (2nd Season), Paddy (3rd Season) and Gram (4th season)
(b) Adding of manures and Chemical fertilizers–
Manures are organic substances decomposed from plants and animal residues. e.g. Compost, Farmyard (Brown) manures and Green manures. By adding the manures in the soil, the soil fertility, water holding capacity, eases in exchange of gases, and growth of useful microorganisms and earthworms increases. Manures provide nutrients to crops.
Chemical fertilizers are inorganic substances which provide any specific nutrient to the crops. They are prepared in factories and not bulky as like manures. e.g.- NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) Urea, Ammonia, Ammonium sulphate, Ammonium phosphate, Super-phosphate, Potassium sulphate, Potassium chloride etc.. Fertilizers are rich in one or two nutrients. Fertilizers can be carried easily in bags and used easily. They dissolve easily in water and absorbed by plants. They increase the crop production many times. But, excess use of fertilizers is harmful as they change the soil texture and harm soil microbes. Excess fertilizers are washed away and carried to water bodies. Presence of more nutrients in water bodies causes ‘algal bloom’ i.e. excess growth of algae in water bodies leading to slow death of aquatic animals.
Differences between manure and fertilizers-:-
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S.N.
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MANURES
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FERTILIZERS
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1
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Manures are organic (natural) substances.
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They are inorganic substances.
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2
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They improve soil texture by adding humus.
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They do not improve soil texture.
|
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3
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They are prepared in fields or pits.
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They are prepared in factories.
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4
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They are bulky and difficult to carry and
handle.
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They are relatively comfortable to carry and handle.
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5
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They are absorbed slowly by plants.
|
They are absorbed easily by plants.
|
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6
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e.g.-Compost, Green manures, Farmyard
manures etc.
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e.g.- Urea, NPK, Ammonium sulphate etc.
|
4. Irrigation– Water is required for growth, development and other physiological activities. Plants absorb nutrients along with water from soil. Water is necessary for seed germination. Almost 85-90 % of plant body has water. In lack of water plants start wilting and dry out. The process of supplying water to crop plants at regular interval of time is called irrigation. The irrigation is more during summer and less in winter. The sandy soil needs more irrigation than clayey and loamy soil. Paddy needs more irrigation than wheat crop. So, the time and frequency of irrigation varies from season to season, soil to soil and crop to crop. Following are the sources of water for irrigation- Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, Dams, Canals, Wells and tube wells. These are natural as well as man-made sources.
There are two ways by which irrigation is done-
(a) Traditional Irrigation Methods- They are more time, and labor consuming methods. Their output is also less. Usually humans and animals are deployed in these methods. In India common traditional irrigation methods are- Rahat or Persian Wheel (Lever system), Moat (Pulley System), Chain Pump, and Dhekli.
(b) Modern Irrigation Methods- These are easier, more efficient and help to use water economically. The two common methods of irrigation that saves water are – Drip irrigation and Sprinkler System.
Drip Irrigation- In it water is supplied to crop plants drop by drop through pipes near the base of plants.
Sprinkler System- It is a network of pipes in which water is supplied and few pipes have rotating nozzles on the top that sprinkle the water all around.
5. Weeding– The unwanted plants growing in the crop field are called weeds. Weeds compete with crop plants for water, nutrients, space and sunlight. So, they affect the growth of the crops. e.g.- Grasses, Amaranthus (Chaulai), Chenopodium (Bathua), Parthenium, Wild Oat etc. The process of removal of weeds is called weeding. The weeds can be removed manually by handpicking, using trowel (Khurpi), spade or harrow like agricultural devices.
Fig.Trowel (Khurpi)Weeds can also be killed by weedicide like 2, 4-D (2, 4 Dichlorophenopsy acetic acid). Spraying of weedicide is manually done by sprayer machine. The farmers should cover by clothes their sensitive organs like eyes, ear, nose, and skin to prevent their exposure to weedicides for long duration. Herbicides, Pesticides, Insecticides, Fungicides, Rodenticides are also sprayed occasionally to control diseases.
6. Harvesting, Threshing and Winnowing-The cutting and collecting of crop plants after maturity is called harvesting. Harvesting is done by sickle or harvester. Then, threshing is done.
Fig.SickleThe process of separating ripen grain seeds from cut crop plants is called threshing. Threshing is done by thresher machine and combine machine. Combine machine has combination properties of harvester and thresher. Then, winnowing is done.
The process of separating grains from chaffs by the help of wind is called weeding. The grains mixed with chaffs are dropped from a certain height and blowing wind carries away the lighter chaffs leaving heavy grains at one place.
7. Storage of grains– After harvesting, threshing and winnowing there comes the last step of storage of grains. The fresh grains (seeds) contain moisture. If they are stored immediately they will be spoiled, attacked by bacteria, fungi, insects, pests and lose their germination capacity.The storage place should be clean, dry, ventilated, made free from germs and no entry point should be left for entry of rodents and pests. The seed grain should be dried in the sunlight to reduce the moisture content. Then, the grains are stored in two common methods-
(a) Dry storage – Grains are packed in jute bags, plastic or metallic drums. Margosa (Neem) leaves are used to repel the insects. So, they are kept inside the grains. Silos, granaries and godowns are used for large storage of grains. Certain chemicals or fumigation (pests like insects, rat etc. repelling smoke) is used to protect the grains in silos, granaries and godowns.
(b) Cold Storage – Those agricultural products which spoil easily because of less life should be stored at low temperature in cold stores. At low temperature the enzymes of microbes become inactive; therefore, the grains remain safe there.
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY– We get our food from plants as well as from animals. We get milk, eggs, meat, and honey as food from animals. The rearing, proving proper food, shelter and taking care of domestic animals is called animal husbandry. Milk giving animals are called ‘milch’ animals. E.g.- Cow, Buffalo, Goat etc. Animals used in different works are called ‘drought’ animals. e.g.- Donkey, Ox, Camel, Yak etc. We also get wool, leather, pearl, horn and bones from animals.
CHEK YOUR PROGRESS 1-
Q1. Define crop. What are the types of crops?
Q.2. Write three difference between the types of crops.
Q.3. How soil is prepared before seed sowing?
Q.4. Write an experiment to segregate good seeds from infected seeds before seed sowing.
Q.5. Differentiate between Manures and fertilizers.
CHEK YOUR PROGRESS 2 –
Q.1. What are weeds? Why they harm the crops if grows along crops?
Q.2. What are weedicides? Write an example of weedicide.
Q.3. Define irrigation. What are the traditional methods of irrigation?
Q.4.What are the modern methods of irrigation? Explain with suitable diagrams.
Q.5 Explain the terms- harvesting, threshing, and winnowing.
Q.6 What should be done before storage of grains?
Project-Prepare a project on various kinds of revolutions took place to increase productivity in agriculture and allied sectors.
Hint / Key words- Need of increasing productivity, census data, Norman S Borlaug, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Green Revolution, Yellow revolution, white revolution and Blue revolution, Charts showing increased productivity.
EXERCISE QUESTIONS- SOLVED
Q.1 Select the correct word from the following list and fill the blanks.
float, water, crop, nutrients, preparation
(a) The same kind of plants grown and cultivated on a large scale at a place is called…………………
(b) The first step before growing crops is………………………. of the soil.
(c) Damaged seeds would …………………. on top of water.
(d) For growing a crop, sufficient sunlight and………………..and………………….from the soil are essential.
Answer- (a) crop (b) Preparation (c) float (d) water, nutrients
Q.2 Match items in column A with those in column B.
Column A Column B
(i) Kharif Crops (a) Food for cattle
(ii) Rabi crops (b) Urea and superphosphate
(iii) Chemical fertilizers (c) Animal excreta, cow dung, urine and plant
Waste
(iv) Organic manure (d) Wheat, gram and pea
(e) Paddy and maize
Answer- (i) –e (ii)-d (iii)-b (iv)-c
Q.3 Give two example of each.
(a) Kharif crop
(b) Rabi Crop
Answer- (a) Kharif crop – Paddy and maize (b) Rabi Crop –Wheat and barley
Q.4 Write a paragraph in your own words on each of the following:
(a) Preparation of soil (b) Sowing
(c) Weeding (d) Threshing
Answer-
(a) Preparation of soil -The turning and loosening of soil is first basic activity for cultivation of crops. The loosen soil allows the growth of roots more deep. The air get entrapped in loosen soil, which is taken by the roots of plants. So, better aeration of soil occurs. Manures and fertilizers can mix uniformly with the soil. The plants can absorb more mineral salts. The growth of useful bacteria and earthworms is better in this soil. The nutrients present in dead plants and animals are released back into the soil by microbes. The unwanted plants (weeds) are uprooted due to ploughing. The process of loosening and turning of soil is called ploughing or tilling. Ploughing can be done by plough, hoe or cultivator.
The ploughed fields may have big pieces of soil called ‘crumbs’. By levelling with the help of a leveller the top soil of crop field is made uniform. Leveller is a wooden plank driven by oxen or tractor. Due to levelling- surface of crop field becomes uniform, uniform distribution of water during irrigation, preventing loss of top fertile soil, and ease in seed sowing occurs.
(b) Sowing- The process of placing of seeds during correct time, space and depth is called seed sowing. The seeds can be sown by manual dispersal called seed broadcasting or by seed drills. Manual seed dispersal has certain disadvantages like-
(i) Unequal distribution in the field, somewhere very scanty and somewhere overcrowding of seeds occurs.
(ii) The seeds on the surface take more time to germinate and may likely to be
eaten by birds. But, seed drills save time put the seeds at proper depth, and space. The appropriate distance among plants allows them to have sufficient sunlight, water and nutrients from soil. So, the crop production is also good.
(c) Weeding-The unwanted plants growing in the crop field are called weeds. Weeds compete with crop plants for water, nutrients, space and sunlight. So, they affect the growth of the crops. e.g.- Grasses, Amaranthus (Chaulai), Chenopodium (Bathua), Parthenium, Wild Oat etc. The process of removal of weeds is called weeding. The weeds can be removed manually by handpicking, using trowel (Khurpi), spade or harrow like agricultural devices. Weeds can also be killed by weedicide like 2, 4-D (2, 4 Dichlorophenopsy acetic acid).The process of killing or removing of weeds is called weeding.
(d) Threshing- The process of separating ripen grain seeds from cut crop plants is called threshing. Threshing is done by thresher machine and combine machine.
Q.5 Explain how fertilizers are different from manure.
Ans- Differences between manure and fertilizers-:-
|
S.N.
|
MANURES
|
FERTILIZERS
|
|
1
|
Manures are organic (natural) substances.
|
They are inorganic substances.
|
|
2
|
They improve soil texture by adding humus.
|
They do not improve soil texture.
|
|
3
|
They are prepared in fields or pits.
|
They are prepared in factories.
|
|
4
|
They are bulky and difficult to carry and
handle.
|
They are relatively comfortable to carry and handle.
|
|
5
|
They are absorbed slowly by plants.
|
They are absorbed easily by plants.
|
|
6
|
e.g-Compost, Green manures, Farmyard
manures etc.
|
e.g.- Urea, NPK, Ammonium sulphate etc.
|
Q.6 What is irrigation? Describe two methods of irrigation which conserve water.
Ans- The process of supplying water to crop plants at regular interval of time is called irrigation. The two modern methods of irrigation that saves water are – Drip irrigation and Sprinkler System.
Drip Irrigation– In it water is supplied to crop plants drop by drop through pipes near the base of plants.
Sprinkler System– It is a network of pipes in which water is supplied and few pipes have rotating nozzles on the top that sprinkle the water all around.
Q.7 If wheat is sown in the Kharif season, what would happen?
Ans- Wheat is a rabi crop. It does not require more water and sunlight duration. During Kharif season the rainfall is heavy as well as sunlight duration is long. So, wheat crop will be destroyed easily in Kharif season.
Q.8 Explain how soil gets affected by the continuous plantation of crops in a field.
Ans- Due to continuous growing of crops year after year in the same field, there is lack of nutrients in the soil. So, adding of nutrients become imperative for the healthy growth of crops and increasing crop productivity. Manures and chemical fertilizers provide nutrients to the plants for their healthy growth. Field fallow, crop rotation, and mixed cropping are also useful.
Q.9 What are weeds? How can we control them?
Ans- The unwanted plants growing in the crop field are called weeds. Weeds compete with crop plants for water, nutrients, space and sunlight. So, they affect the growth of the crops. e.g.- Grasses, Amaranthus (Chaulai), Chenopodium (Bathua), Parthenium, Wild Oat etc. The process of removal of weeds is called weeding. The weeds can be removed manually by handpicking, using trowel (Khurpi), spade or harrow like agricultural devices. Weeds can also be killed by weedicide like 2, 4-D (2, 4 Dichlorophenopsy acetic acid).The process of killing or removing of weeds is called weeding. Spraying of weedicide is manually done by sprayer machine.
Q.10 Arrange the following boxes in proper order to make a flow chart of sugarcane crop production.
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1.Sending crop to sugar factory
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4.Sowing
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2.Irrigation
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3.Harvesting
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7.Manuring
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6. Ploughing the field
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5.Preparation of soil
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Answer– Ploughing the field –>Preparation of soil–> Manuring –> Sowing–>Irrigation –> Harvesting –> Sending crop to sugar factory
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