WHAT IS CROP PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT FOR CLASS – 8 (SCIENCE)

CROP PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT FOR CLASS – 8 (SCIENCE)

When did Agriculture begin? In Agriculture, various types of tools are used for cultivation. Crops are very essential commodities for our lives and the entire living organism. We will discuss it later in this chapter.  Here question is, Why do we eat food?

Answer is : The food is essential for living organism. When they eat food, it produces energy. The energy is used to various system, like digestion, reproduction, excretion, respiration and many body functions.

Agriculture:

            It is assumed that nearly 10,000 BCE, the people were nomads. They have no idea about the cultivation. They try to search of food. Whatever they got like fruits, and other edible things used to eat for hunger. After this period, people started cultivation for their needs stop nomadic habit. They made shelter for themselves. When people cultivate the land and grow rice, wheat and other necessary things for themsives is known or a term is used “Agriculture”. People sowed same type of plants in large scale in a specific season; a term is given “Crop”. In other word, when plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a “Crop”.      

Crop:

            The same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a “Crop”.  For example, crop of wheat means that all the plants grown in a field are that of wheat. We already know that crops are of different types like cereals, vegetables and fruits. Crops are classified on the basis of the season in which they grow. India is large country and having several climates. In different parts of India crops are grown systematically and non-systematically.  Despite this diversity, two broad cropping patterns can be identified. These are:

(i) Kharif Crops :

The crops which are sown in the rainy season are called kharif crops. The rainy season in India is generally from June to September. Paddy, maize, soyabean, groundnut and cotton are kharif crops.

(ii) Rabi Crops :

The crops grown in the winter season (October to March) are called rabi crops. Examples of rabi crops are wheat, gram, pea, mustard and linseed.

Besides these, pulses and vegetables are grown during summer at many places.

Practices of Crop Production:

            Several questions rose in your mind that, why Paddy in not grown in Winter? Why Kharif crops are not sown in the rainy season? Well, the reason is Paddy require a lot of water while kharif crops do not require much water. This is the reason Rabi and Kharif crops differentiating according to season wise. Cultivation of crops needs several activities by farmers over a period of time. You may find that these activities are similar to those carried out by a gardener or even by you when you grow ornamental plants in your house. These activities or tasks are referred to as agricultural practices which are listed below:

(i) Preparation of soil (ii) Sowing (iii) Adding manure and fertilisers (iv) Irrigation (v) Protecting from weeds (vi) Harvesting (vii) Caring or protection from animals/cattle, and (VIII) Storage.

(i) Preparation of Soil:

The very first step is preparation of soil before growing a crop. One of the most important tasks in agriculture is to turn the soil and loosen it. This allows the roots to penetrate deep into the soil and get moist as per need. The loose soil allows the roots to breathe easily even when they go deep into the soil. The loosened soil is very helpful in the growth of earthworms and microbes present in the soil. These tiny organisms are friends of the farmers since they further turn and loosen the soil and add humus to it.

In the previous classes you have learnt that soil contains minerals, water, air and some living organisms. In addition, dead plants and animals get decomposed by soil organisms. In this way, various nutrients in the dead organisms are released back into the soil. These nutrients are again absorbed by plants. We should remember that  only a few centimetres of the top layer of soil supports plant growth, turning and loosening of soil brings the nutrient-rich soil to the top so that plants can use these nutrients. The loosening and turning of the soil process is called tilling or ploughing. This is done by using a plough. The farmers do all the necessary loosening and turning soil process by the help of some tools. Like Hoe, Animal Plough,Cultivator, and many man made tools. After this process finished they need to sow.

(ii) Sowing:

            It is necessary to selection of goods seeds to sow so that crop be good. Farmers prefer to use seeds which give high yield, less effort, low water etc. The tool used traditionally for sowing seeds is funnel-shaped and pulled by animals. Nowadays the seed drill is used for sowing with the help of tractors.

(iii) Adding manure and fertilisers:

            As we know that nutrients are essential for our health in the same way nutrients for the healthy growth of plants are essential. So, the farmers add nutrients to the soil for health

 

growth of crops is called manure and fertilisers. Continuous cultivation of crops makes the soil poor in nutrients. Therefore, farmers have to add proper manure to the fields to replenish the soil with nutrients time to time. This process is called manuring. Crops must be rotating for the betterment of soil.

 

Sl. No.	Fertiliser	Manure
1	Fertiliser is a man-made in-organic salt.	Manure is a natural substance obtained by the decomposition of cattle dung and plant residues.
2	Fertiliser is prepared in factories.	Manure can be prepared in the fields.
3	Fertiliser does not provide any humus to the soil.	Manure provides a lot of humus to the soil.
4	Fertilisers are very rich in plant nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.	Manure is relatively less rich in plant nutrients.

 

Advantages of Manure:

The 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.

(iv) Irrigation:

            The supply of water to crops at regular intervals is called irrigation. As we know that non can live without water and food. But water is more essential. Water promotes the seed’s germination. In dry condition germination is not possible. Water also protects from frost and hot air wave (Loo). The time and frequency of irrigation varies from crop to crop, soil to soil and season to season. In summer, the frequency of watering is higher while in winter or rainy

 

season watering is normal or lower needs. Water also play a vital role to dissolved Nutrients in water is transported to each part of the plant.

Irrigation Sources:

The sources of water for irrigation are— wells, tubewells, ponds, lakes, rivers, dams and canals. Irrigation may be Traditional and Modern. Sprinkler System, Drip System are known as Modern Irrigation Techniques / Methods.

(v) Protecting from weeds:

            What is weed and weeding? In a field many other undesirable plants may grow naturally along with the crop. These undesirable plants are called weeds. The removal of unnecessary grown plants from the field is known as weeding. The best time for the removal of weeds is before they produce flowers and seeds. Many Farmes using physical removal of weeds by tilling or cutting close to the root and some farmers use Chemical, called weedicides,

(vi) Harvesting:

            The cutting of crop after it is mature is called harvesting. It is very important to the farmers and for us. In harvesting, crops are pulled out or cut close to the ground. It usually takes 3 to 4 months for a cereal crop to mature. In our country generally small farmers use physical attempt. They cut their crop by a sickle while some big farmers use Harvesting machine called Harvester. The next important task is separation seeds from the chaff. This process is called threshing. This is carried out with the help of a machine called combine which is in fact a harvester as well as a thresher.

            After three or four months of hard work there comes the day of the harvest. The efforts of the past season have borne fruit and it is time to relax and enjoy a little. Men and women celebrate it with great enthusiasm. Special festivals associated with the harvest season are Pongal, Baisakhi, Holi, Diwali, Nabanya and Bihu.

(vii) Caring or protection from animals/cattle:

            As we know that pets and animal are harmful for the crops. They can eat grain and crops, so carefully it is handled by the farmers. They wake up at night and protect their crops which is kept in the Khalyan or open places.

(viii) Storage:

            After collection of grain, the next step is to store it in a safe place. So the storage of produce is an important task. If the farmers want to keep their harvested grains for long time

 

then it must be kept safe from moisture, insects, rats and microorganisms. Harvested grains have more moisture. If freshly harvested grains (seeds) are stored without drying, they may get spoilt or attacked by organisms, making them unfit for use or for germination. 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. However, large scale storage of grains is done in silos and granaries to protect them from pests like rats and insects. Some one uses dried Neem leaves to keep their grain safe from insects and rats.

Key Points of the Study:

ü  In order to provide food to our growing population, we need to adopt certain agricultural practices.

ü  Same kind of plants cultivated at a place constitute a crop.

ü  In India, crops can be broadly categorised into two types based on seasons - rabi and kharif crops.

ü  It is necessary to prepare soil by tilling and levelling. Ploughs and levellers are used for this purpose.

ü  Sowing of seeds at appropriate depths and distances gives good yield. Good variety of seeds are sown after selection of healthy seeds. Sowing is done by seed drills.

ü  Soil needs replenishment and enrichment through the use of organic manure and fertilisers. Use of chemical fertilisers has increased tremendously with the introduction of new crop varieties.

ü  Supply of water to crops at appropriate intervals is called irrigation.

ü  Weeding involves removal of unwanted and uncultivated plants called weeds.

ü  Harvesting is the cutting of the mature crop manually or by machines.

ü  Separation of the grains from the chaff is called threshing.

ü  Proper storage of grains is necessary to protect them from pests and microorganisms.

ü  Food is also obtained from animals for which animals are reared. This is called animal husbandry.

KEYWORDS that are used in the Study
AGRICULTURAL	GRANARIES	PLOUGH	STORAGE
PRACTICES	HARVESTING	RABI	THRESHING
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY	IRRIGATION	SEEDS	WEEDS
CROP	KHARIF	SILO	WEEDICIDE
FERTILISER	MANURE	SOWING	WINNOWING

 

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