Crop Production and Management
All living organisms required food.
the energy from the food is utilised by an organism
for carrying out its various life processes such as
digestion respiration and excretion.
We get our food from plants or animals.
In order to provide food for large population-regular
production, proper management and distribution are
necessary.
Crops:- When the same kind of plants are grown and
cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop.
For example, a crop of wheat means that all the plants
grown in a field are that of wheat.
In our country, three categories of Crops are grown
1. Kharif crop
2. Rabi crop and
3. Zaid crop
Kharif crop:- the crops which are grown in the rainy
season (that is from June to September) are called Kharif
crops. example paddy, maize, soybean, groundnut and
cotton.
Ravi crop:- the crop which is grown in winter (that is
from October to March) is called the Ravi crop. example
wheat, gram, pea mustard, and line seed.
Zaid crop:- the crops Grow n in the summer season.
Examples are moong, muskmelon, watermelon,
cucumber, bitter guard and guard.
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Basic Practices of Crop Production
Preparation of Soil
Sowing
Adding manual and fertilizer
Irrigation
Protection from weed
Harvesting
Storage.
Preparation of Soil
Soil Preparation:- The Preparation of the soil is the first
step before growing a crop. it involves loosening And
tilling of the soil. This allows the root to penetrate deep
into the soil.
The loose soil allows the root to breathe easily.
The loose soil help in the growth of earthworms and
microbes present in the soil.
Agricultural Implements
Plough:- this is used for tilling the soil, adding fertiliser
to the crop, removing weeds, and scraping of soil. The
plough is made of wood and attached by pair of bulls.
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The plough
hoe:- It is used for removing weeds and for losing the soil.
Hoe
Cultivator:-cultivator used for ploughing. it is driven by
a tractor. It saves labour and time.
The cultivator is driven by a tractor
Sowing
Sowing:- Sowing is the most important part of crop
production. sowing is the process of putting seeds in the
soil.
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Selection Of Seeds
Take a beaker and fill half of it with water. Put a handful
of wheat seeds and stir well. Wait for some time. after
some time some seeds float in the water and some seeds
settle down. Good quality seeds are always heavier than
low-quality seeds.
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.
S. Fertiliser Manure
No.
1. A fertiliser is an inorganic 1. Manure is a natural
salt. substance obtained by the
decomposition of cattle dung,
human waste and plant
residues.
2. A fertiliser is prepared in 2. Manure can be prepared
factories. in the fields.
3. A fertiliser does not 3. Manure provides a lot of
provide any humus to the humus to the soil.
soil.
4. Fertilisers are very rich in 4. Manure is relatively less
plant nutrients like rich in plant nutrients.
nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium
Advantages of Manure: Organic manure is considered
better than fertilisers. This is because
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.
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Irrigation
Irrigation:- Supply of water to the crop at appropriate
intervals is called irrigation.
Sources of irrigation:
wells,
tubewells,
Ponds,
lakes,
rivers,
dams and canals.
Traditional Methods of Irrigation
moat (pully-system)
chain pump
Dhekli and
Rahat (lever system)
Modern Methods of Irrigation
Sprinkler System:- The perpendicular pipes, having
rotating nozzles on top, are joined to the main pipeline at
regular intervals. When water is allowed to flow through
the main pipe under pressure with the help of a pump, it
escapes from the rotating nozzles. It gets sprinkled on the
crop
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Drip system:- In this system, the water falls drop by drop
directly near the roots. So it is called a drip system.
Protection from Weeds
Weeds:- Weeds are unwanted plants that grow along with
the crops and are called weeds.
Protection from weeds:- The removal of unwanted
plants (weeds) is necessary for better growth of the crop.
Weeding is necessary since weeds compete with the
crop plants for water, nutrients, space and light.
weeding affect the growth of the crop.
weeds are controlled by removals of weeds by
uprooting or cutting them.
weeds are also controlled by using certain chemicals,
called weedicides, like 2,4-D etc
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Harvesting
Cutting of crop after it matures is called Harvesting*.
Cereal crops usually take 3-4 months to mature.
In India, many festivals are associated with
harvesting, such as Pongal, Baisakhi, Holi, Diwali,
Nabanya and Bihu.
Harvesting can be done manually (using sickle) or by
machine (called Harvester).
Harvesting Threshing
Winnowing
After harvesting, separating chaff from grain can be
done through threshing and winnowing.
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Threshing is separating chaff from grain by beating
the crop against a stone or wooden bar. In this
process, grains fall from the stalk due to force.
After threshing, winnowing separates the husk from
the seeds by blowing air through it. In this process,
the husk (which is lighter) flies away and the seeds
(which are heavier) fall down.
There is a machine called ‘Combine’ which works as
a harvester as well as a thresher.
Storage
For long-time use of the crop, it is necessary to store
crops properly i.e kept away from moisture, insects, rats
and microorganisms.
freshly harvested grains (seeds) are stored without
drying, they may get spoilt or attacked by organisms,
losing their germination capacity. Hence, before
storing them, the grains are properly dried in the sun
to reduce the moisture in them. This prevents the
attack by insect pests, bacteria and fungi.
Farmers store grains in jute bags or metallic bins.
Animals Husbandry
Animals reared at home or on farms, have to be
provided with proper food, shelter and care. When this is
done on a large scale, it is called animal husbandry.
