CROP PRODUCTION

Introduction to Agriculture
● Food is the third most basic need for life, after oxygen and water.

● Agriculture is the practice of production of food, fibres, and other

useful items by the cultivation of plants and animals.

● The primary objective of agriculture is the production of food. As

human population has been constantly increasing, there is an
increased need for food production.

● Animal husbandry and crop improvement programmes play a major

role in increasing food production.
Understanding Crops

● Plants grown at a large scale on a

piece of land are called crops.
● Few examples of crops are wheat,
cereals, etc.
● Crops are usually grown to produce
food at a large scale that could be sold
for money in the market.
● Some crops are also grown as fodder
crops that are used to feed the
animals.
 Classification of Crops by Season

Crops can be classified into three groups according to the season in

which they are cultivated.
Kharif Crops
● Monsoon crops
● Grown in rainy season
● Planted in July
● Harvested in October
For example, Rice, Maize, Soybean, etc.
Rabi Crops

● Winter crops
● Grown in winter season
● Planted in October
● Harvested in March
For example, Wheat, Linseed, Mustard, etc.
Zaid Crops

● Summer crops
● Grown in summer season
● Planted in March
● Harvested in June
For example, Watermelon,
muskmelon, pumpkin, etc.
Can You guess
crop season ?
● Groundnut
● Green peas
● Watermelon
● Brinjal
● Ragi
Agricultural
Practices
Various steps involved in agriculture
are collectively known as agricultural
practices, which include:

● Ploughing
● Sowing
● Addition of manure and fertilizer
● Irrigation
● Weeding
● Harvesting
● Storage
 ●Ploughing

● Preparation of soil before sowing

● Ploughing is done to turn or loosen the
soil
Advantages of Ploughing

•It helps in bringing nutrient-rich soil to the top layer.

• It helps in removing weeds.

• It increases the growth of decomposers (microbes) and

earthworms which in turn help in
decomposition of plant and animal wastes.

• It helps the root to penetrate deep into the soil and allows
it to breathe easily.
Tools Used For ploughing
 ●Sowing

Sowing

● Planting seeds is known as sowing.

Before sowing, it has to be ensured that
the seeds are of good quality.
● Sowing bad quality seeds or damaged
seeds reduces the yield. Planting the
● Seeds at uniform distances is also
important to avoid overcrowding.

● This allows plants to get enough

sunlight, nutrients and water.
Different methods of sowing are:
1. Broadcasting: It is scattering of seeds by hand.
2. Drilling: It is the dropping of seeds into the soil with the help of
tools like seed drill.
3. Transplanting: In this method, seeds are grown in the nursery
first and then planted into
the field at seedling stage.
4. Use of traditional tool: In this the seeds are sowed manually by
the help of funnel shaped
tools.
Steps in Agricultural Practices

The key steps in agricultural practices

include:

● Addition of manure and fertilizer

● Irrigation
● Weeding
● Storage

These steps are crucial for successful

farming.
 ●Addition of
manure and
fertilizer
Sowing

● Plants absorb nutrients from the soil.

Manure: Manure is the organic matter

formed by the decomposition of plant and
animal wastes.

Fertilizers: Fertilizers are industrially

produced chemicals that contain nutrients
required by
plants, for example, Nitrogen, Phosphorus,
and Potassium (NPK), Urea, etc.
Feature Manures Fertilizers
Synthetic or mineral-
Source Natural, organic
based
Nutrient Content Low, diverse High, targeted
Environmental Eco-friendly, less Potential pollution
Impact pollution risk
Improves long-term Can degrade over
Soil Health
health time
Speed of Action Slow Fast
Usually more
Cost Usually cheaper
expensive
Interactive Discussion

Let's discuss how these agricultural

practices impact our food supply and
what we can do to support local farmers!

How can we Increase Soil fertility?

Crop rotation
Mixed cropping
Field fallowing
Irrigation

● The artificial supply of water to the crops

at regular intervals is called irrigation.

● Irrigation is mainly used in areas where

rainfall is irregular or droughts are
expected.

● The sources of irrigated water are

numerous, like groundwater, water from
springs or wells, rivers, lakes or even
treated wastewater.

● All living organisms require water for their

normal growth and functioning.

● Plants contain nearly 90% water. For a

healthy crop, field needs to be watered
regularly.
Types of Irrigation

● 1. Surface irrigation: Water moves across the

surface of an agricultural field.

● 2. Drip irrigation: Water falls drop by drop at

the position of roots. This can be the most
efficient method of irrigation in regions with
water scarcity. Water wastage is minimized by
utilizing this method.

● 3.Sprinkler irrigation: It consists of a main

pipe to which many pipes with rotating nozzles
on top are attached. The nozzles rotate at regular
intervals. When pressurized water flows through
the main pipe, it escapes through the nozzles.
Due to this, the water sprinkles on the crops and
it seems as if it is raining. Sprinkled irrigation is
helpful on uneven land and sandy soil
Weeding

● The unwanted plants that grow

along with crops naturally are called
weeds.
● It is importantto remove weeds as
they will compete with the crops for
nutrients, water, sunlight and space.
● The removal of weeds is called
weeding.
● Weeding is usually done before the
flowering of weeds.
Types of Weeding

● Manual removal: Uprooting or

cutting the weeds close to the
ground.

● Use of weedicides: Chemicals used for

weed control are known as weedicides,
for example, 2, 4–D. They do not damage
the crops.
● Ploughing: Ploughing helps to uproot the
weeds, causing them to die.

● Animal grazing: Allowing animals

(goats, cows) to feed on weeds.
Weeding

● The unwanted plants that grow

along with crops naturally are called
weeds.
● It is importantto remove weeds as
they will compete with the crops for
nutrients, water, sunlight and space.
● The removal of weeds is called
weeding.
● Weeding is usually done before the
flowering of weeds.
Harvesting

The process of gathering the crops after they

mature to separate the useful products, such as
grains
is called harvesting.

Separation of grains from crops includes two

steps:

● 1. Threshing: Separation of grain seeds from

harvested crop is called threshing. There is a
machine called combine that can be used for
both harvesting and threshing.

● 2. Winnowing: Separation of grains from

chaff is called winnowing.
Storage

● Storage of grains after harvesting is of great

importance as it will affect the yield. If they are not
stored properly, there is a chance of loss of grains due
to attack by insects, pests, rats or microorganisms.

Different methods to store grains are given below:

● Before storing, grains should be dried properly in

sunlight to reduce moisture content.

● If freshly harvested grains are stored without drying,

they may get spoilt or attacked by microorganisms
losing their germination capacity.
Storage methods

● •• Grains can be stored at a large

scale in silos or granaries, by
spraying chemical insecticides. Granaries
● •• On small-scale production,
grains can be stored in jute bags
or metallic bins. Instead of
chemical insecticides, dried neem
leaves or turmeric can be used to
repel insects, pests, etc

Silos
Quiz Time

● What are crops and how are they classified?

● Which is the first step in agricultural practice?
● Define crop rotation.
● Define field fallowing.
● Write the difference between threshing and
winnowing.
Thank you