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.
![]() |
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.
S.N.
|
Rabi Crops
|
Kharif Crops
|
1
|
They are grown in
the winter season.
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They are grown in
summer season.
|
2
|
They are sown
during October-November months.
|
They are sown
during June-July months.
|
3
|
They are harvested
during March- April months.
|
They are harvested
during September-October months.
|
4
|
They need less
water.
|
They need more
water.
|
5
|
They need less
sunlight duration.
|
They require more sunlight duration
|
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.
![]() |
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 fallow
i.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 rotation
i.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-:-
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.
|
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.
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.
The 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.
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-
Answer-
Ploughing the field -->Preparation of soil--> Manuring -->
Sowing-->Irrigation --> Harvesting --> Sending crop to sugar factory
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.
1.Sending crop to sugar factory
|
4.Sowing
|
2.Irrigation
|
3.Harvesting
|
7.Manuring
|
6. Ploughing the field
|
5.Preparation of soil
|