Republic of the Philippines

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

AGRICULTURAL ARTS

Basic Principles and Strategies of Crop Production

Learning Outcomes:
LO1. Know and understand the basic principles and strategies of crop production
LO2. Identify the factors affecting the production of vegetable and field crops.

Basic principles of Agricultural/Crop production

1. Timely- and well preparation of land
In this principle, the following should be taken into consideration:
 Pre- requisite to get high yield
 Must know the sowing time
 Soil should be prepared according to crop requirement
 Wheat and oilseed crop need shallow depth
 Cotton, maize need greater depth
 Deep ploughing help water conservation
 Land should be levelled in saline areas
 Proper drainage in water logged areas
2. Good quality seed of high yielding varieties
 Approved variety of seeds
 Seed with more genetic potential
 Seed treatments
 Use adequate seed rates to obtain proper plant population
 Germination and purity percentage
 Moisture content in soil before sowing
3. Proper time of sowing seed in proper water to have optimum plant density.
 Timely sowing-high yields
 Soil should be neither too dry neither too wet at time of sowing
 Oilseed crops should sawn in more water than other crops
 Adequate plant population-in high yield.
4. Timely application of proper fertilizer in right amount and proper proportion keeping in
view soil and climatic condition.
 A big gap exist between potential yield and yields at farm level
 Application at right time
 Use of fertilizer according to prevailing condition
5. Timely application of irrigation water in right amount
 Irrigate when irrigation is needed
6. Insects, diseases and weed control
 Recommended dose of insecticides
 Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

AGRICULTURAL ARTS

 Use disease resistant varieties

7. Post harvest technology
 20 % yield loss due to improper handling
 To avoid grain shattering. Proper time of harvest is important for wheat,sorghum
and bajra
 In maize delayed harvesting, grains in the cobs start germinating if rain can occur
 Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

AGRICULTURAL ARTS

Factors Affecting The Production Of Vegetable And Field Crops

The vast area in the Philippines devoted to vegetable and field crop production should have
been enough to meet the needs of the growing population had it not been for the following
problems:
1. Poor culture practices
2. Limited knowledge in postharvest handling of farm products.
a. Concerned with the conditions affecting the crops while it is growing.
b. Includes conditions under which farm products are kept during the interval between
harvest and use.
Broad Classification of the factors Affecting the Crop Production
1. Internal ( Genetic or Hereditary)
The increase in crop yields and other desirable characteristics are related to Genetic make-
up of plants.
High yielding stability
Early maturity
Resistance to lodging
Drought flood and salinity tolerance
Tolerance to insect, pests, and diseases
Chemical composition of grains ( oil content, protein content)
Quality of grains ( fineness, coarseness)
Quality of straw ( sweetness, juiciness)
The above characters are less influenced by environmental factors since they are
governed by genetic make-up.
2. External ( Environmental)
External Factors
A. Climatic Factors
Nearly 50% of the yield is attributed to the influence of climatic factors. The following
are the atmospheric weather variables which influences the crop production.
1. Precipitation includes all water which falls from atmosphere such as rainfall, snow
hail, fog and dew.
2. Temperature is the measure of density of heat energy. It affects the leaf production,
expansion and flowering.
3. Atmospheric humidity ( Relative Humidity) is the ratio between the amount of
moisture present in the air to the saturation capacity of the air at a particular
temperature. When the humidity is high, there is a chance for pest and disease
outbreak.
 Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

AGRICULTURAL ARTS

4. Solar radiation controls the distribution of temperature and there by distribution of

crops in a region. All the physical processes taking place in the soil, plat
environment is dependent on light.
5. Wind velocity not only supplies moisture and heat, but also fresh carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis. When wind speed is enormous mechanical damage happens.
6. Atmospheric gases on plant growth.
Carbon dioxide important for photosynthesis
Oxygen important for respiration of both plants and animals
Nitrogen important plant nutrient.
B. Edaphic Factors
Plants grown in land completely depend on the soil on which they grow. The soil factors
that affect crop growth are;
1. Soil Moisture- helps in chemical and biological activities of soil
2. Soil air –essential for nutrient availability.
3. Soil temperature affects the physical and chemical processes going on in the soil.
4. Soil mineral water –derived from the weathering of rocks and minerals.
5. Soil organic matter—supplies all the major, minor and micro nutrients to crop.
6. Soil organisms – release the plant nutrients
7. Soil reaction ( ph)– affects crop growth and neutral soils with ph 7.0
C. Biotic factors
Beneficial and harmful effects caused by other biological organisms ( plants and
animals) on the crop plants.
1. Plants – competitive and complementary nature among field crops when grown
together. Competition between plants occurs when there is demand fro nutrients,
moisture and sunlight.
2. Animals – insects cause damage to crop yield and considered as harmful organism.
D. Physiographic Factors
1. Topography – nature of surface earth (levered or sloppy) (plain or valley)
2. Altitude – increase in altitude cause a decrease in temperature and increase in
precipitation and wind velocity ( hills and plains)
3. Steepness of slope – it results in run off of rain water and loos of nutrient rich top
soil.
4. Exposure to light and wind—a mountain slope exposed to low intensity of light and
strong dry winds may result in poor crop yields.
E. Socio-economic Factors
Society inclination to farming and members available for cultivation.
 Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

AGRICULTURAL ARTS

Appropriate choices of crops by human to satisfy the food and fodder requirement of
farm household
Breeding varieties by human inventions
Nearness to the road and market
The economic condition of the farmer greatly decides the input/resource mobilizing
ability ( small, medium and large farmers)