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Notes Class 8 Crop Production and Management

The document provides an overview of crop production and management, detailing the importance of food for human survival and the classification of crops into Kharif and Rabi types based on growing seasons. It discusses various agricultural practices including soil preparation, sowing, irrigation, and the use of manures and fertilizers, as well as the significance of weed control, harvesting, and storage. Additionally, it touches on animal husbandry as a branch of agriculture focused on livestock rearing for food production.

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7 views7 pages

Notes Class 8 Crop Production and Management

The document provides an overview of crop production and management, detailing the importance of food for human survival and the classification of crops into Kharif and Rabi types based on growing seasons. It discusses various agricultural practices including soil preparation, sowing, irrigation, and the use of manures and fertilizers, as well as the significance of weed control, harvesting, and storage. Additionally, it touches on animal husbandry as a branch of agriculture focused on livestock rearing for food production.

Uploaded by

cricketxplore2409
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Class 8th

Science

Notes of Chapter 1: Crop Production and Management

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Introduction

→ Human requires food for their survival as the energy obtained


from the food is used for the various metabolic activities as
Respiration, Excretion etc. We get our food from plants by
Agricultural practices and animals too by the process of Animal
husbandry
→ When plants of the same kind are grown and cultivated at one
place on a large scale, it is called a crop. For example- wheat,
rice, cereals, vegetables, fruits. These are classified on the basis
of season in which they grow.
→ India is the India is a vast country. The climatic conditions like
temperature, humidity and rainfall vary from one region to
another. Accordingly, there is a rich variety of crops grown in
different parts of the country.

Types of crops

→ Kharif Crops: The crops which are sown in the rainy season
are called kharif crop. The rainy season in India is from June to
September. For Example- Paddy, maize, soybean, groundnut,
cotton etc.
→ Rabi Crops: The crops grown in the winter season are Rabi
crops. Their time Period is generally from October to March. For
Example- Wheat, gram, pea, mustard and linseed.
(Paddy is not cultivated in summer season because it requires lot
of water. Therefore, it is cultivated in rainy season)

Cultivation of crops include various Agricultural practice

• Preparation of soil:
i) The preparation of soil is the first step before growing a crop.
ii) The process of loosening and turning of the soil is called tilling
or ploughing. This is done by using a plough.
iii) This allows the roots to penetrate deep into the soil. The loose
soil allows the roots to breathe easily even when they go deep
into the soil. The loosened soil helps in the growth of earthworm
and microbes present in the soil. These organisms are friends of
the farmer since they further turn and loose the soil and add
humus to it. Only a few centimeters 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.
Thus, turning and loosening of soil is very important for
cultivation of crops.

Agricultural Implements

(i) Plough: Ploughs are made of wood or iron. This is being used
since ancient times for tilling the soil, adding fertilisers to the
crop, removing the weeds, scraping of soil, etc. It contains a
strong triangular iron strip called ploughshare. The main part of
the plough is a long log of wood which is called a plough shaft.
The ploughed field may have big pieces of soil called crumbs.
Field is levelled for Sowing.

• Hoe: It is a simple tool which is used for removing weeds and


for loosening the soil. It has a long rod of wood or iron. A strong,
broad and bent plate of iron is fixed to one of its ends and works
like a blade. It is pulled by animals.

• Cultivator: Nowadays ploughing is done by tractor driven


cultivator. The use of cultivator saves labour and time.

(ii) Sowing: Sowing is the most important part of crop


production. Before sowing, good quality seeds are selected.
Farmers prefer to use seeds which give a high yield.

• Traditional tool: The tool used traditionally for sowing seeds is


shaped like a funnel. 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.
• Seed drill: the seed drill is used for sowing with the help of
tractors. This tool sows the seeds uniformly at proper distances
and depths. It ensures that seeds get covered by the soil after
sowing. This prevents damage caused by birds. Sowing by using a
seed drill saves time and labour.
It is important to maintain the distance to avoid overcrowding of
plants to ensure proper nutrients, sufficient sunlight and water.

(iii) Adding Manures and Fertilizers: The substances which


are added to the soil in the form of nutrients for the healthy
growth of plants are called manure and fertilisers. 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. Improper
or insufficient Manuring results in weak plants.

• 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.
• Fertilisers are chemical substances which are rich in a
particular nutrient. Fertilisers are produced in factories. Some
examples of fertilisers are urea, ammonium sulphate, super
phosphate, potash, NPK(Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium). But
excessive use of fertilisers has made the soil less fertile.
Fertilisers have also become a source of water pollution.

• Another method of replenishing the soil with nutrients is


through crop rotation.
Fertilizer Manure

Manure is prepared from organic matter


Fertilizer is an inorganic salt such as human waste, cow dung and
farm waste, etc

Fertilizers are manufactured


Manures can be prepared on farms
in factories

Fertilizers are added in


Manures need to be added in large
comparatively smaller
quantities as the nutrient content is less
quantities

Fertilizers do not provide any Manures provide a lot of humus to the


humus to the soil soil

Differences between Manure and Fertilizers

Advantages of Manures
→ The organic manure is considered better than fertilisers.
→ 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 different intervals


is called irrigation. The time and frequency of irrigation varies
from crop to crop, soil to soil and season to season
→ To maintain the moisture of the soil for healthy crop growth,
fields have to be watered regularly. Water also protects the crop
from both frost and hot air currents.
→ Sources of irrigation: The sources of irrigation are wells, tube
wells, ponds, lakes, rivers, dams and canals.
• Traditional system: These methods are cheaper, but less
efficient. The various traditional ways are:
→ Moat (pulley-system)
→ Chain pump
→ Dhekli, and
→ Rahat (Lever system)

• Modern method of Irrigation: Modern methods of irrigation


help us to use water economically. The main methods used are as
follows
→ Sprinkler System
→ Drip system

(v) Protection from weed


→ In a field many other undesirable plants may grow naturally
along with the crop. These undesirable plants are called weeds.
→ The removal of weeds is called weeding. Weeding is necessary
since weeds compete with the crop plants for water, nutrients,
space and light. The best time for the removal of weeds is before
they produce flowers and seeds. Weeds are also controlled by
using certain chemicals, called weedicides, like 2,4-D. These are
sprayed in the fields to kill the weeds. They do not damage the
crops. The weedicides are diluted with water to the extent
required and sprayed in the fields with a sprayer.

(vi) Harvesting
→ The cutting of crop after it is mature is called harvesting. 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.
Harvesting in our country is either done manually by sickle or by a
machine called harvester.

→ In the harvested crop, the grain seeds need to be separated


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
combined harvester and thresher. Farmers with small holdings of
land do the separation of grain and chaff by winnowing.

(vii) Storage: Storage of produce is an important task. 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 dried
neem leaves are used for storing food grains at home. For storing
large quantities of grains in big godowns, specific chemical
treatments are required to protect them from pests and
microorganisms.

Animal Husbandry
→The branch of agriculture which deals with the rearing of
animals-livestock. In order to provide food for a large population.

→Animals reared at home or in farms, have to be provided with


proper food, shelter and care. When this is done on a large scale,
it is called animal husbandry.
→ Fish is good for health. We get cod liver oil from fish which is
rich in vitamin D.
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