Crop Production And Management

Crop

Plants of the same kind that are grown and cultivated as a source of food in a large cultivable land is called a crop.

Types Of Crop

Rabi Crops: Crops, which are grown in the winter season (from October to March) are called Rabi crops.

Kharif Crops: The crops, which are sown in the rainy season (from July to October) are called Kharif crops.

Types Of Agricultural Practices

1. Preparation Of Soil
2. Sowing
3. Adding Manure
4. Irrigation
5. Protecting From Weeds
6. Harvesting
7. Storage

Preparation of Soil

Soil preparation is the first step before growing crops. Turning and loosening the soil helps roots grow deep and breathe easily. It also supports the growth of earthworms and microbes, which further improve the soil and add humus. Since only the top layer of soil supports plant growth, loosening brings nutrient-rich soil to the surface, making it available for plants. This process is essential for healthy crop cultivation.

Tilling or Ploughing

The process of loosening and turning of the soil is called tilling or ploughing and is done by using a plough.

Plough

• A plough is a device that is used by farmers for different purposes, such as adding fertilizers, tilling and loosening the soil.
• It is also used for adding fertilizers to the soil, removing weeds, scraping of soil, etc
• The ploughshare is the triangular iron strip.
• A ploughshaft is the main part of the plough, which is made using a log of wood.
• The other end of the shaft has a handle.
• The other end is attached to a beam which is placed on the bull’s neck.
• A wooden, traditional plough can be operated by a pair of ox and a man.
• Nowadays, these wooden ploughs are being replaced by iron ploughs.

Hoe

A hoe is a tool that is used to dig up soil to remove weeds and also loosen up the soil before planting a sapling.

Cultivator

• A cultivator is attached to the tractor and helps in loosening soil.
• Cultivators are used instead of ploughs since they are faster.

Sowing

• Sowing is the process of planting seeds in the soil.
• The seeds are sowed in the soil that is loosened by a cultivator or plough.

Quality of the Seeds

• The quality of the seed is an important factor that determines the crop yield.
• The selection of good seeds is done by putting the seeds in water.
• The dead and damaged seeds become hollow and float on water, whereas the good seeds sink.

Traditional Tools

• Before the advent of modern agricultural machinery, traditional tools were used by farmers.
• These include ploughs, shovels, scythes and pickaxes.
• The traditional tool used to sow the seeds was like a funnel.
• Once seeds were put into this funnel, they would go into 2-3 tubes having sharp ends.
• The ends will pierce into the soil and place the seeds there.

Seed Drill

• Seed drills are used for sowing with the help of tractors.
• It ensures that seeds are sown uniformly, at a particular depth and are covered by soil after sowing.

Nursery

• A nursery is a place where young plants and trees are grown for planting elsewhere.
• Nursery acts as a repository of saplings.

Adding Manure and Fertilisers

The substances which are added to the soil in the form of nutrients for the healthy growth of plants are called manure and fertilisers. Continuous growing of crops makes the soil poorer in certain nutrients. Therefore, farmers have to add manure to the fields to replenish the soil with nutrients. This process is called Manuring. Improper or insufficient Manuring results in weak plants.

Manure/Fertilizers

• Manures and fertilizers are substances that are added to the soil to increase its fertility.
• Manures are made by decomposition of organic substances, and fertilizers are made of inorganic chemicals.

Advantages Of Manure

• The organic manure is considered better than fertilisers.
• 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.

Differences between Manure and Fertilizers

Disadvantages of Using Fertilizers

• Excessive use of fertiliser can cause pollution.
• It can also change the pH of the soil in certain rare cases.

Leaving the Land Fallow

• When land is left fallow for a certain period of time, the land replenishes its nutrients by itself.
• This land can be used for agriculture again.

Crop Rotation

• Crop rotation ensures that the same crop will not grow continuously and lead to the erosion of soil fertility.
• By growing crops that require different sets of nutrients, we can ensure that soil fertility is restored.

Irrigation

The supply of water to crops at different intervals is called irrigation. The time and frequency of irrigation varies from crop to crop, soil to soil and season to season

• To maintain the moisture of the soil for healthy crop growth, fields have to be watered regularly. Water also protects the crop from both frost and hot air currents.
• Sources of irrigation: The sources of irrigation are wells, tube wells, ponds, lakes, rivers, dams and canals.

Traditional system

These methods are cheaper, but less efficient. The various traditional ways are:

• Dekhli
• Moat (pulley-system)
• Rahat (Lever system)
• Chain Pump

Modern method of Irrigation

Modern methods of irrigation help us to use water economically. The main methods used are as follows

• Sprinkler System
• Drip Sytem

Sprinkler System

A sprinkler system is used in farming to spray water evenly over crops. It distributes water through a network of pipes and sprinkler heads, covering large areas efficiently. These systems can be automated with timers to control when and how long watering occurs, helping farmers save time and water while ensuring healthy plant growth.

Drip System

A drip system is an efficient irrigation method that slowly delivers water directly to plant roots through pipes and emitters. Unlike sprinklers, it targets each plant's base, reducing water loss and ensuring proper moisture. It’s ideal for water-scarce areas and is widely used in gardens, farms, and greenhouses to save water and support healthy plant growth.

Protecting from Weeds

Weeds

Weeds are undesirable plants that may grow naturally along with the crop.

• Weeds compete with the crops by absorbing all the water, nutrients, space and light.

Tilling

• Tilling is a process done before sowing of crops that helps in uprooting and killing weeds.

Manual Removal

Manual removal includes physical removal of weeds by uprooting them from the soil or chopping them off to ground level periodically.

Weedicides

• Chemicals used to kill the weeds are known as weedicides.
• They usually don’t damage the crop.

Harvesting

Harvesting is the process of cutting the crop after it is mature.

Methods of Harvesting

• Harvesting is done by two methods.
• First is the manual method, where a sickle is used.
• Second is the mechanical method, where a huge machine called a harvester is used.

Threshing

• Threshing is the process of loosening the grains from the chaff.
• While it can be done manually, a machine is used that separates all the grain seeds these days.

Winnowing

• Winnowing is the process that separates grain seeds from the chaff using the help of the wind.
• Due to the wind, the lighter chaff flies away, and the heavier grains fall down.

Storage

• Storage of the grains is an important step in agriculture.
• After harvesting steps, the ready grains are stored in granaries or silos.
• The grains have to be stored in a dry place that does not have a rodent or fungal infestation.
• Fumigation of storage places is carried out to make it free from microbes.

Granaries

Granaries are the place where freshly obtained food grains are stored.

Animal Husbandry

Animal husbandry is the management and care of farm animals for milk, egg or meat.

Short Answer Questions (SAQs)

What are the different types of irrigation methods?

There are four main types of irrigation methods, first is the Traditional Method which includes Dekhli, Rahat, Chain Pump and Moat , And the second one is Modern Methods which includes drip system and sprinkler system.

What are biofertilizers?

Biofertilizers are living microbes that enhance plant nutrition by either mobilizing or increasing nutrient availability in soils. Various microbial taxa, including beneficial bacteria and fungi are currently used as biofertilizers, as they successfully colonize the rhizosphere, rhizoplane or root interior.

What is animal husbandry?

Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk or other dairy products.

MCQs

1. Weedicides are used to destroy:

(a) insects

(b) weeds

(c) pests

(d) none of these

► (b) weeds

2. Cutting mature crop manually or by a machine is called:

(a) Irrigating

(b) Harvesting

(c) Breeding

(d) Weeding

► (b) Harvesting

3. Grains are separated from stalks by a process called________

(a) Harvesting

(b) Threshing

(c) Weeding

(d) Winnowing

► (b) Threshing

4. The medium of growth for plants is :

(a) Cell

(b) Soil

(c) Water

(d) Air

► (b) Soil

5. Breeding, rearing and management animals for human use is :

(a) Aniculture

(b) Animal husbandry

(c) Animal culture

(d) None of these

► (b) Animal husbandry

6. The rearing of honey bees on large scale is called:

(a) sericulture

(b) tissue culture

(c) pisciculture

(d) apiculture

► (d) apiculture

7. Any plant cultivated at a large stretch of land is called :

(a) Crop

(b) Weed

(c) Cereal

(d) Fibre

► (a) Crop

8. Watering the crops is called:

(a) sowing

(b) manuring

(c) tilling

(d) irrigation

► (d) irrigation

9. Crop plants may be attacked by pests which affect the crop production. Fungi are such type of pests which cause diseases like

(a) Smut of wheat

(b) Citrus canker

(c) Blight of potato

(d) Both (a) and (c)

► (d) Both (a) and (c)

10. The manure prepared from green plants is :

(a) FYM

(b) Compost

(c) Green manure

(d) all the above

► (c) Green manure

11. Which of the following tools would a farmer use to remove weeds from the field?

(a) Hoe

(b) Axe

(c) Plough

(d) Cultivator

► (a) Hoe

12. Take a beaker and fill half of it with water. Put some wheat seeds in it, stir it and wait for some time. Which of the following holds true regarding the observation and inference of this experiment?

(a) Healthy seeds being lighter float on the surface of water.

(b) Damaged seeds being lighter float on the surface of water.

(c) Some healthy seeds and some damaged seeds float on the surface of water.

(d) Damaged seeds being heavier settle down at the bottom.

► (b) Damaged seeds being lighter float on the surface of water.

13. Combines are used for:

(a) sowing of seeds

(b) harvesting the crops

(c) threshing

(d) harvesting and threshing both

► (d) harvesting and threshing both

14. Peas are rich in:

(a) vitamins

(b) carbohydrates

(c) proteins

(d) fats

► (c) proteins

15. Improper use of fertilizers can cause:

(a) soil alkalinity & soil acidity

(b) soil acidity only

(c) soil acidity and soil erosion

(d) soil erosion

► (a) soil alkalinity & soil acidity

16. The system of irrigation wherein water is supplied drop by drop near the roots of plants, is called

(a) Sprinkler system

(b) Pulley system

(c) Lever system

(d) Drip system

► (d) Drip system

17. Wheat and gram belong to

(a) Rabi crops

(b) Kharif crops

(c) Both of these

(d) None of these

► (a) Rabi crops

18. The agricultural implement used for removing weeds and for loosening soil is :

(a) Hoe

(b) Axe

(c) Plough

(d) Cultivator

► (a) Hoe