Agriculture and Agronomy in India

Overview of Agriculture and Agronomy in India

• Agriculture in India is considered both an art and science, with a history of primitive methods and the development of scientific agriculture in the Green Revolution.
• Crop ecology in India is influenced by the monsoon climate, which brings both drought and floods, and meteorological services are available to farmers for weather forecasting.
• The hydrologic cycle is important to plant life, and India has broad agricultural regions based on climate, crops, livestock, and vegetation.
• Agronomy is defined as the science of crop production and includes concepts in organic farming and sustainable agriculture.
• Crops in India are classified based on origin, history, distribution, soil and climate requirements, varieties, cultivation practices, seed production, and agronomic improvement.
• Cereals, pulses, oilseeds, commercial and fiber crops, spices and condiments, and medicinal and aromatic plants are all important crops in India.
• Cropping systems and patterns are prepared based on agro-climatic regions and include crop rotation, mono-culture vs mixed cropping, integrated farming systems, co-operative farming, agroforestry, and irrigated vs rainfall farming.
• Dry farming is practiced in certain areas, and water management is important for sustained crop production in India.
• Seed production involves the classification of seeds, seed quality, germination, dormancy, and seed treatment methods, as well as precautions for storage.
• Weeds can have both beneficial and harmful effects, and weed management includes integrated weed management, herbicides, and pre and post emergent weed control in field and vegetable crops.
• Legumes are important in crop rotation in India.
• Efficient cropping zones in India, with special reference to Northeast India, are based on soil and climate requirements.