St. Andrews Scots Sr. Sec.

School
9th Avenue, I.P. Extension, Patparganj, Delhi – 110092
Session: 2022-2023
Chapter 1 - Notes

Class: VIII Subject: Science Topic: Crop Production and Management

Crop Production and Management

(i) All the living organisms require food for their life processes like digestion,
respiration, and excretion etc. Plants can make their own food by the process of
photosynthesis and animals included humans cannot make their food so they are
depended on the plants.
(ii) In order to provide food for a large population— regular production, proper
management and distribution of food is necessary.

Agricultural Practices:
(i) When the same kinds of plants are grown at one place on a large scale, it is called a
crop. Different type crops like cereals, vegetables and fruits etc, can be classified on
the basis of the season in which they grow.
(ii) India is a vast country. Here climatic conditions like temperature, humidity and
rainfall vary from one region to another. There is a rich variety of crops grown in
different parts of the India. Despite this diversity, two broad cropping patterns can be
identified. These are:

(a) Kharif crops:- The crops which are sown in the rainy season are called kharif
crops. The rainy season in India is generally from June month to September
month. Paddy, maize, soyabean, groundnut, cotton, etc., are the examples of
kharif crops. Examples of kharif crops are:
2. Rabi Crops:-The crops which are grown in the winter season are called rabi crops.
Their time period is generally from October month to March month. Wheat, gram, pea,
mustard and linseed are the examples of rabi crops.
Besides these, pulses and vegetables are grown during summer at many places.
Examples of rabi crops are:

Basic Practices of Crop Production:

The several activities undertaken by the farmers for the cultivation of crops over a
period of time are referred to as agricultural practices. These activities are:

1. Preparation of Soil: One of the most important tasks in agriculture is to turn the
soil and loosen it. The loose soil allows the roots to penetrate and breathe easily even
when they go deep into the soil. The loosened soil helps in the growth of earthworms
and microbes present in the soil.
The process of loosening and turning of the soil is called tilling or ploughing. This is
done by using a plough which is made of wood or iron.
If the soil is very dry, it may need watering before ploughing. The ploughed field may
have big pieces of soil called crumbs. It is necessary to break these crumbs with a
plank. The field is levelled by leveller for sowing as well as for irrigation purposes
Plough

 A plough is a device that is used by farmers for different purposes such as

adding of fertilizers, tilling and loosening of the soil.

 It is also used for adding fertilizers to the soil, removing weeds, scraping of
soil, etc.

 The ploughshare is the triangular iron strip.

 A plough shaft is the main part of the plough, which is made using a log
of wood.

 The other end of the shaft has a handle.

 The other end is attached to a beam which is placed on the bull’s necks.

 A wooden, traditional plough can be operated by a pair of an ox and a man.

 Nowadays these wooden ploughs are being replaced by the iron ploughs.

Hoe
A hoe is a tool that used to dig up soil to remove weeds and also loosen up the soil
before planting a sapling.
Cultivator

 A cultivator is attached to the tractor and helps in loosening soil.

 Cultivators are used instead of ploughs since they are faster.

2. Sowing: Sowing is the most important part of crop production. Before sowing, good
quality seeds are selected. These are clean and healthy seeds of a good variety.
Farmers prefer to use seeds which give a high yield.
Before sowing, one of the important tasks is to know about the tools used for sowing
seeds.

(i) Traditional Tool: It is the tool shaped liked funnel used traditionally
for sowing seeds. The seeds are filled into the funnel, passed down through two
or three pipes having sharp ends. These ends pierce into the soil and place seeds
there.

(ii) Seed Drill: Now days the seed drill is used for sowing with the help of
tractors. With help of this tool sows the seeds uniformly at proper distances and
depths. It ensures that seeds get covered by the soil after sowing and prevents
damage caused bybirds. It saves time and labour.

Seed drill
 3. Adding Manure and Fertilisers
(i) For the healthy growth of plants substances which are added to the soil in the form
of nutrients are called manure and fertilisers.
(ii) Nutrients are essential for the growth of plants. Soil supplies mineral nutrients
tothe crop. In certain areas, farmers grow crop after crop in the same field. The field
is never left uncultivated or fallow.
(iii) Continuous growing of crops makes the soil poorer in certain nutrients. Therefore,
farmers have to add manure to the fields to replenish the soil with nutrients. This
process is called manuring.
(iv) Manure is an organic substance obtained from the decomposition of plant wastes
or animal excreta. Farmers dump plant and animal waste in pits at open places and
allow it to decompose. The decomposition is caused by some microorganisms. The
decomposed matter is used as organic manure.
(v) Fertilisers are chemicals manufactured in factories. They are chemicals highly rich
in nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Difference between Fertilisers and Manure:

S.no. Manure Fertiliser

1. Easily made using animal and plant Made in factories in well defined way
waste
2. No harmful effect as fully natural Side effects as it is a chemicals

3. Provides mainly organic matter Provides mainly nutrients

4. Good for long term soil fertility Not good for long term soil fertility, If uses in excessive
amount
5. Not effect as fertilisers Very effective in obtaining fast result.

6. It is very cheap It is very costly

 Advantages of Manure:
(i) It provides lots of organic matter which makes soil porous.
(ii) It increases soil fertility in general.
(iii) It provide some nutrients in small amounts
(iv) As it made from waste products, so environment is cleaned.
(v) It increases the water holding capacity.

4. Irrigation:
(i) Water is important for proper growth and development of plants.
(ii) Water is essential because germination of seeds does not take place under dry
conditions. Nutrients dissolved in water get transported to each part of the plant.
(iii) Water also protects the crop from both frost and hot air currents. The supply of
water to crops at different intervals is called irrigation.
(iv) It’s not a good to depend on rain for water as it is not fully reliable. A proper
irrigation system will ensure timely and adequate water to crops. This will
lead tomore yield.
Sources of Irrigation: Wells, Tube wells, Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, Dams and Canals are
the sources of Irrigation.
1. Traditional Methods of Irrigation:
The water available in wells, lakes and canals is lifted up by different methods
indifferent regions, for taking it to the fields. Here various traditional methods are:
2. Modern Methods of Irrigation:
(i) Sprinkler System:
In this system, 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 sprinkles from the rotating nozzles. It
gets sprinkled on the crop as if it is raining.

Sprinkler System

(ii) Drip system:

In this system, the water falls drop by drop just at the position of the roots. So it is
called drip system.

Drip system

5. Protection from Weeds:

(i) Weeds are the undesirable plants which may grow naturally along with the crop in
the field.
(ii) The removal of weeds is called weeding. Weeding is necessary because they
affect the growth of the crop by compete with the crop plants for water, nutrients,
space and light.
Weed Control:
Farmers use many ways to remove weeds and control their growth. Tilling before
sowing of crops helps in uprooting and killing of weeds, which may then dry up and
get mixed with the soil. The best time for the removal of weeds is before they
produceflowers and seeds. The manual removal includes physical removal of weeds
by uprooting or cutting them close to the ground, from time to time with the help of a
khurpi. Weeds are also controlled by spraying certain chemicals called weedicides, in
the fields to kill the weeds. They do not damage the crops.

6. Harvesting:
(i) The cutting of crop after it is mature is called harvesting. In harvesting, crops are
pulled out or cut close to the ground. Harvesting is also done manually by sickle or by
a machine.
(ii) In the harvested crop, the grain seeds need to be separated from the chaff with the
help of machine called ‘combined’. It is in fact a combined harvester and thresher.
This process is called threshing.

Methods of Harvesting

 Harvesting is done by 2 methods.

 First is the manual method where a sickle is used.

 Second is the mechanical method where a huge machine called harvester is

used.

Threshing

 Threshing is the process of loosening the grains from the chaff.

 While it can be done manually, these days a machine is used that separates all
the grain seeds.
Winnowing

 Winnowing is the process of separation of grain seeds from the chaff using
the help of the wind.

 Due to the wind, the lighter chaff flies away and the heavier grains fall down.

Combine

7. Storage:
If the crop grains are to be kept for longer time, they should be safe from moisture,
insects, rats and microorganisms. The fresh crop has more moisture. If freshly
harvested grains (seeds) are stored without drying, they may get spoilt or attacked by
organisms, losing their germination capacity.

Food is a basic need for all living entities as food supplies with all the nutrients
required by our body to grow, develop and repair our body in case of any damage. We
obtain our food resources from plants and animals through agriculture and animal
husbandry.

Importance Of Food Storage

It is necessary to store food, listed below are a few points highlighting the same:

 Storing food is economical to the consequences that can be caused otherwise.

 Food Corporation of India(FCI) buys grains from farmers and stores in

warehouses to be able to supply food hence meeting the ever-growing demand

 Increases the shelf-life of a food item. There are different ways of storing
various food items. For example, food item such as meat requires to be stored
in the refrigerator as they tend to decay quickly because of its high moisture
content

 Proper storage enables uniform distribution of produce throughout the year

 Useful in case of emergencies such as famines.

Green Revolution
Indian agriculture was going through a difficult phase during the 1960s with a steady
growth in population, Failed monsoons and low agricultural output feared
agricultural department that food crisis would soon occur.Then the adviser to the
Indian Minister of Agriculture,Dr. M. S. Swaminathan invited American agriculturist
Dr. Norman E. Borlaug to develop high yielding seeds in India. With Dr. Borlaug’s
help, the agricultural produce in India doubled and this led to the “Green Revolution.”

The Impact of Green Revolution in India :

Green Revolution refers to an extra-ordinary increase in agricultural produce. The

Green Revolution has been possible due to the adoption of new technologies and
using high yielding varieties of seeds.

The High Yielding Varieties of seeds was the reason for the success of the Green
Revolution.Rice, wheat and jowar were among the first crops to be grown with these
seeds. Wheat gave the best results. Due to this, the Green Revolution is also called the
“Wheat Revolution.”

Along with High Yielding Varieties of seeds chemical fertilizers also were largely
responsible for the success of the Green Revolution. Development of irrigation
facilities was another contributor to the success of the Green Revolution. Many areas
have been brought under irrigation throughout the country which reduced
the dependence on monsoons.

The use of modern agricultural equipment and machinery like tube wells, tractors,
crushers and diesel engines have reduced the toil and time required for farming and
improved agricultural productivity. Increased Credit facilities to farmers, through
co-operative societies and rural banks, also helped the success of the Green
Revolution.

Positive changes of Green Revolution:

 Production of food
Increase in production of food crops due to the Green Revolution has solved the
problem of food shortage in the country. Increase in production has also resulted in a
reduction in the import of essential food grains from foreign countries.

 Industrial sector
Increase in agricultural production has resulted in greater demand for fertilizers.
The number of industries manufacturing agricultural equipment have also increased.

 Economical growth
An improved productivity has led to increase in the prosperity and standard of living
of the farmers. The Green Revolution has convinced rural people to use modern
equipment in agriculture to attain prosperity.

Negative changes of Green Revolution:

 The Green Revolution increased the production of selected crops and there
was no significant change in the production of other crops.

 Excess use of chemical fertilizers made the land unfertile and also affected the
environment adversely.

 The rich farmers who can afford to buy high yielding seeds, fertilizers and
equipment were benefitted but the poor farmers remained poor.