Crop Production and Agricultural Practices

Crop Production and Management

• Food production must occur on a large scale to feed a large population.
• Regular production, proper management, and distribution are necessary to provide food for all.

Agricultural Practices

• Until 10,000 B.C.E., people were nomadic, wandering in search of food and shelter.
• Agriculture began when people started cultivating land to produce crops like rice and wheat.
• A crop is defined as plants of the same kind cultivated at one place on a large scale.
• Crops are classified based on the season they grow in, such as cereals, vegetables, and fruits.
• India's diverse climate leads to a variety of crops grown across the country.
• Cropping patterns are categorized into two types: Kharif and Rabi crops.

Kharif Crops

• These crops are sown in the rainy season, from June to September.
• Examples include paddy, maize, soybean, groundnut, and cotton

Rabi Crops

• These crops are grown in the winter season, from October to March.
• Examples include wheat, gram, pea, mustard, and linseed.
• Pulses and vegetables are grown during summer in many places.

Basic Practices of Crop Production

• Cultivation involves several activities farmers undertake over time, similar to gardening.
• These activities are agricultural practices.
• Tasks involved include preparing soil, sowing, adding manure and fertilizers, irrigation, protecting from weeds, harvesting, and storage.

Preparation of Soil

• This is the first step in growing a crop.
• Turning and loosening the soil allows roots to penetrate deeply and breathe easily.
• Loosened soil aids earthworms and microbes' growth, which further enriches the soil.
• Turning and loosening the soil brings nutrient-rich soil to the surface for plant use.
• This process is called tilling or ploughing, done using a plough made of wood or iron.
• Dry soil may need watering before ploughing.
• The ploughed field may have clumps of soil called crumbs that need to be broken.
• Levelling the field, often with a leveller, benefits sowing and irrigation.
• Manure can be added before tilling to mix it properly with the soil which is then moistened before sowing.

Agricultural Implements

• Breaking soil clumps is necessary for a better yield before sowing seeds.
• Tools used for this include the plough, hoe, and cultivator.
• Ploughs have been used since ancient times for tilling, adding fertilizers, removing weeds, and turning the soil.
• It contains a triangular piece of iron called ploughshare.
• A hoe is a simple tool for removing weeds and loosening soil.
• Cultivators, tractor-driven, save labor and time.

Sowing

• It entails ensuring proper spacing between seeds to avoid overcrowding.
• Adequate sunlight, nutrients, and water are essential.
• Weeding is necessary to prevent competition for resources.
• High-yielding seeds are selected and sown at uniform distances and depths using a seed drill.
• The seed drill saves time and labor while protecting seeds from birds.

Adding Manure and Fertilizers

• Manure and fertilizers are substances added to the soil.

• It is used in the form of nutrients for the healthy growth of plants.

• Soil supplies mineral nutrients essential for plant growth.

• Continuous cultivation depletes these nutrients, necessitating manure addition.

• Manuring is the process of replenishing soil nutrients.

• Manure is an organic substance from decomposed plant or animal waste.

• Farmers prepare manure by decomposing waste in pits, utilizing microorganisms.

• Fertilizers are chemicals rich in specific nutrients produced in factories.

• Examples of fertilizers include urea, ammonium sulfate, super phosphate, potash, and NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium).

• Fertilizers improve crop yields like wheat, paddy, and maize, but excessive use reduces soil fertility and causes water pollution..

• Manure improves soil texture and water retention, replenishing nutrients.

• Crop rotation, growing different crops alternately, also replenishes nutrients.

• Legumes, grown as fodder, replenish nitrogen in the soil with the help of Rhizobium.

• Manure is better than fertilizers due to its water-holding capacity, porosity, microbe promotion, and soil texture improvement.

Irrigation

• All living beings need water for growth and development.
• Water is absorbed by plant roots along with minerals and fertilizers.
• It's essential for seed germination and nutrient transport.
• Irrigation supplies water to crops at regular intervals.
• The frequency depends on the crop, soil, and season and is higher in summer due to increased evaporation.
• Irrigation sources include wells, tubewells, ponds, lakes, rivers, dams, and canals.
• Traditional methods of irrigation involve cattle or human labor and are cheaper but less efficient.
• Traditional irrigation systems include moat, chain pump
• Modern methods help water our crops economically, such as sprinkler and drip systems/

Sprinkler System

• A sprinkler system works well on uneven land with insufficient water.
• Perpendicular pipes with rotating nozzles sprinkle water like rain.
• More useful for lawns, coffee plantations, and several other crops

Drip System

• In a drip system, water falls drop by drop near the roots.
• The best for fruit plants, gardens, and trees, conserving water.
• It's a boon in regions where water availability is poor.

Protection from Weeds

• Weeds are undesirable plants that grow naturally with crops, competing for resources.
• Weeding, or removing weeds, is necessary because they can affect crop growth and be poisonous.
• Weeds are controlled through tilling before sowing.
• They are also controlled through physical removal.
• Weedicides, like 2,4-D, can be sprayed to kill weeds without harming crops.
• Weedicides are sprayed during vegetative growth but should be used carefully to avoid health effects.

Harvesting

• This Is cutting of a crop after it matures, manually or by machine.
• It usually takes 3-4 months for cereal crop
• It is followed by Threshing, when the grain seeds are separated from the chaff
• Threshing is carried out with combine or thresher machines
• After harvesting, stubble left in the field can cause pollution if burned.
• Farmers either do so manually using a sickle.
• Winnowing separates grain and chaff.

Storage

• Storing produce is important to protect from moisture, insects, rats, and microorganisms.
• Grains must be dried before storage to prevent spoilage, insects, pests, bacteria, and fungi.
• Farmers store grains in jute bags or metallic bins, or in silos and granaries on a large scale.
• Dried neem leaves or specific chemical treatments protect stored grains.

Food from Animals

• Like plants, animals provide food.
• Reared animals have to be provided with food, shelter and care, which is called animal husbandry.