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Chapter – 1
Crop Production and Management
In order toprovide food fora large population - regular production, proper management and distribution offood is necessary.
Crop : When plants of the samekind are grown and cultivated atone place ona large scale, it iscalled a crop. In India, crops can bebroadly categorised intotwo types basedon seasons - Rabi andKharif crops. Sowing of seeds at appropriate depths and distances givesgood yield. Goodvariety of seeds are sown afterselection of healthy seeds. Sowing is done by seed drills. Soil needs replenishment and enrichment through the useof organic manure and fertilisers. Useof chemical fertilisers has increased tremendously with the introduction of newcrop varieties.
Basic practices of crop production:
(i) Preparation of Soil: One of the most important tasks in agriculture is to turn the soil and loosen it.The process of loosening and turning of the soil is called tilling or ploughing. (ii) Sowing: Sowing of seeds at appropriate depths and distances gives good yield. Good variety of seeds issown after selection of healthy seeds. Sowing is doneby seed drills. (iii) Adding Manure and Fertilisers Soil needs replenishment and enrichment through theuse of organic manure and fertilisers. Use of chemical fertilisers has increased tremendously withthe introduction ofnew crop varieties. Fertiliser: The inorganic compounds containing nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium andphosphorus. They aremade in thefactories. Example: Urea, ammonium sulphate, potash, etc. Manure: A natural substance prepared from decomposition of plant and animal wastes (cow dung, animal bones, dead leaves, dead insects andvegetable wastes) by the action ofmicrobes. (iv) Irrigation : Supply of water to crops at appropriate intervals is called irrigation.
Method of Irrigation: (a) Tradition methods ofIrrigation: Moat, Chain pump, Dheki, Rahat. (b) Modern methods of Irrigation: Sprinkler system, Drip system. (v) Protection from Weeds: Weeding involves removal ofunwanted and uncultivated plants called weeds. (vi) Harvesting: Harvesting is thecutting of themature crop manually or by machines. (vii) Storage Proper storage of grains is necessary to protect them from pests and microorganisms.Harvested food grains normally contain more moisture than required for storage. Large scaleof storage of grains isdone in silos and granaries toprotect them from pest like ratsand insects. Farmers store grains injute bags ormetallic bins. Food is alsoobtained from animals for which animals are reared. Thisis called animal husbandry.
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