Crop Production
When plants of the same kind are grown and cultivated at one place on a large scale,it is refered as crop.For example sugarcane means all the plats sown in the field are that of sugarcane.There are different types of crops ike vegetabes,fruits,cereals etc.
India is a vast country with vary climatic conditions from region to region.There are mainly two types of cropping patterns in India.
1.Kharif Crops- Crops which are grown in rainy season.Ex.soyabean,cotton etc
2.Rabi Crops-crops which are grown in winter season.Ex.wheat,gram etc.
Agricultural Practices
1.Preparation of soil
2.Sowing
3.Adding manure and fertilisers
4.Irrigation
5.Protecting from weeds
6.Harvesting
7.Storage
In India it is necessary to prepare soil by tiling and levelling.Ploughs and levellers are used for this purpose.
Agricultural Implements-Before sowing it is necessary to break the soil and loosen it For this purpose various tools are usedv , mainly plough and hoe and nowadays tractors are preferable for ploughing.
Sowing-Good quality seeds are selected before sowing.traditional tools shaped funnel was used for sowing.Nowadays seed drill is used for sowing with the help of tractor.
Manure and fertiliser-Replenishment and enrichment of soil is necessary which is done with help of organic manure and fertilisers.With the introduction of new crop varieties usage of chemical fertilisers has increased tremendously.
Irrigation-Supply of water to crops at different intervals is called irrigation. –Sources of irrigation-Wells,Tubewells,ponds,lakes,rivers,dams and canals.
-Traditional methods-Moat,Chain Pump,Dhekli,Rahat
-Modern Methods –Sprinkler system,Drip System
Protection From Weeds
Any undesirable plants may grow naturally along with the crops.These undesirable plants are called weeds.The removal of weeds is called weeding.Weeds can be removed by physical removal method by cutting and uprooting them.they are also controlled by certain chemicals called weedicide.
Harvesting-The cutting of mature crop manually or by machines. Separation of grains from the chaff is called threshing and winnowing is also the same method done by farmers holding small piece of land.
Storage-To protect grains from weather,pests and microorganism proper storage is necessary.Large scale storage is done in silos and granaries to protect them from rats and insects.
Animal Husbandry-Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, eggs, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding and the raising of livestock.
NCERT SOLUTIONS.
1.a)crop b)preparation c)float d)water,nutrients
2.1-e,2-d, 3-b,4-c
3 a)paddy,maize b)wheat,gram
- a)Preparation of soil
The first step before growing a crop is preparation of soil.Loosening and turning of soil is very important task in agriculture.This allows the roots to penetrate deep into the soil.The loose soil allows the roots to breathe easily even when they go deep into the soil.The looseing of soil helps in the growth of several soil microbes, earthworms etc which enrich the rsoil with humus and other essential nutrients.The process of loosening and turning of the soil is called tilling and ploughing.This helps Plants to utilize the nutrients for their growth.
b)Sowing
Sowing is the most important part of crop producton.Selection of good quality seeds is necessary before sowing.Sowing is traditionally done with the help of traditional tool or seed drill.The tool used traditionally is shaped like a funnel,passed down through two or three pipes having sharp ends.In present time, seed drill that males the use of tractors used in sowing seeda.The tool disperse seeds uniformally and with equal depth.Sowing by using a seedd drill saves time and labour.
c)Weeding
Any undesirable plants may grow naturally along with the crops.These undesirable plants are called weeds.The removal of weeds is called weeding.Weeds can be removed by physical removal method by cutting and uprooting them.They are also controlled by certain chemicals called weedicide like 2,4-D.These are sprayed in the fields to kill weeds.They do not damage the crops.The weedicides are diluted with water to the extent required and sprayed in the fields with the sprayer.The weedicides are sprayed during the vegetative growth of weeds before flowering and seed formation.Spraying if weedicides may affect the health of farmers,so they should use chemicals very carefully.they should cover their face with a piece of cloth while spraying these chemicals.
D)Threshing
Threshing is the process of separating grain or weeds from the chaff.It is done after harvesting the crop.It is usually carried out with the help of machine called Combine.It is dual in nature ,it harvests plants and clean grains too.
5.Difference between fertilisers and manure are
| Fertilizer | Manure |
| A fertilizer is an inorganic salt. | Manure is a natural substance obtained by the decomposition of cattle dung,human waste and plant residues. |
| A fertilizer is prepared in factories. | Manure can be prepared in the fields. |
| A fertilizer does not provide any humus to the soil. | Manure provides a lot of humus to the soil. |
| Fertilizers are very rich in plant nutrients like nitrogen,phosphorous,and potassium. | Manure is relatively less rich in plant nutrients. |
6.The process of watering the crops is called irrigation.Two methods of irrigation are
A)Sprinkler System-This system is used on the uneven land where less water is available.
B)Drip Irrigation-This system is used to save water as it allows the water to flow drop by drop at the roots of the plants.
7 )Kharif Season means rainy season which is not good for sowing wheat crop.The whole crop might get destroyed because of temperature,dampness,availability of pests etc.That is why sowing wheat in kharif season is not favourable because it will fully destroy the crop.
8)Soil gets affected by the continous plantation of crops in a field because if the same crop is grown and also no nourishment will remain left in the soil nor in the plant.soil will get poor in certain important nutrients.crop rotation method will be used to regain nourishment and plants
9) Any undesirable plants may grow naturally along with the crops.These undesirable plants are called weeds.The removal of weeds is called weeding.Weeds can be controlled by physical removal method by cutting and uprooting them.They can also be controlled by certain chemicals called weedicide. Weedicides are sprayed during the vegetative growth of weeds before flowering and seed formation.
10) 5,6,4,7,2,3,1
11)Down
1)Irrigation 2)Storage 5) Crop
Across
3)Harvester 4)Gram 6)Winnowing
