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Crop Production andManagement

POINTS TO REMEMBER

1. We already know that:

� All living organisms require food.

� The energy from food is utilised by an organism for carrying out its various life

processes such as digestion, respiration and excretion.

� Plants can make their food themselves but animals including humans cannot.

� We get food from plants or animals, or both.

2. Crop: When plants of the same kind are grown at a place in a regular manner on

a large scale, it is called a crop.

3. In our country three categories of crops are grown:

(i) Kharif Crops: The crops which are sown in the rainy season (i.e., from June

to September) are called kharif crops. Paddy, maize, soyabean, groundnut,

cotton etc., are kharif crops.

(ii) Rabi Crops: The crops grown in winter season (i.e., from October to March)

are called rabi crops. Examples of rabi crops are wheat, gram, pea, mustard,

linseed.

(iii) Zayed Crops (or Summer Crops): The crops grown in summer season are

called zayed crops. Moong, muskmelon, watermelon, cucumber, gourd and bitter

gourd are examples of zayed crops.

4. Cultivation of crops involved following activities:

(i) Soil Preparation: It involves loosening and tilling of the soil (i.e., ploughing and

watering).

(ii) Sowing: Sowing is the process of putting seeds in the soil.

(iii) Adding Manure and Fertilisers: The substances, which are added to the soil

in the form of nutrients to improve the production of the crops and the fertility

of the soil are called manure and fertilisers.

(iv) Irrigation: Supply of water to crops at appropriate intervals is called irrigation.

(v) Protection from Weeds: Needs are the unwanted plants that grows along with

the crops. Its removals is must for the better growth of the crops.

(vi) Harvesting: The cutting of crop after it is mature is called harvesting.

(vii) Storage: If the crop grains are to be kept for longer time, they should be safe

from moisture, insects and rats.

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2 GOLDEN SCIENCE—VIII

5. Agricultural Practices: There are various activities that have to be performed,

before sowing the seed and upto harvesting. These are called agricultural practice.

6. Fertilisers and Manure: The substance which are added to the soil in the form of

nutrients for the improvement of crop production and the fertility of the soil are

called fertilisers and manure.

7. Thrashing: The process of separation of grain from the chaff in the harvested plant

is called thrashing.

8. Weeds: There are other undesirable or unwanted plants may grow naturally along

with the crop, such plants are called weeds.

9. Weedicides: Those certain chemicals which are used to control weeds are called

weedicide. For example: 2-4D (2-4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), metachlor.

10. Winnowing: A process, which do the separation of grain and chaff is called

winnowing.

11. Humus: Humus is the top layer of the soil, i.e., formed by decaying or decomposition

of organic matter like leaves or animal remains, dead organism, shed leaves or

organism by the microorganism.

12. Pests: Pests are the insects or rodents that destroy much of our crop yield. Thus, it

is necessary to save crops from pests.

13. Important agricultural tools:

(i) Plough: This is used for tilling the soil, adding fertilisers to the crop, removing

the weeds, scraping of soil, etc. This implement is made of wood and drawn by

a pair of bulls. (Fig. 1.1.)

(ii) Hoe: It is used for removing weeds and for loosening the soil. (Fig. 1.2.)

(iii) Cultivator: Used for ploughing. It is driven by tractor use of cultivator saves

labour and time. (Fig. 1.3.)

(iv) Traditional Tool: The tool used traditionally for sowing seeds is shaped like a

funnel. (Fig. 1.4.)

(v) Seed Drill: Used for sowing with the help of tractors. This tool sows the seeds

uniformly at a proper distance and depth. (Fig. 1.5.)

(vi) Sickle: Used for manual harvesting. (Fig. 1.6.)

Fig. 1.1. The plough

Beam

Ploughshare

Ploughshaft

Fig. 1.2. A hoe

Fig. 1.3. Cultivator driven by a tractor Fig. 1.4. Traditional method of sowing

Fig. 1.5. A seed drill Fig. 1.6. Sickle

Fig. 1.7. Spraying weedicide

14. Food from Animals: Like plants the animals also provide us with different kinds

of food. Many people living in the coastal areas consume fish as a major part of their

diet.

CROP PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT 3

GripHandle

Beam

Rod

Bent plate


15. Animal Husbandry: Animals reared at home or in a farm, have to be provided with

proper food, shelter and care, when this is done on a large scale it is called animal

husbandry.

16. Silo: Harvested grains are usually dried before being stored because moisture

encourages the growth of microorganism. They are then stored in metal or earthen

container, gunny bags. Such stores are also called silo.

17. Granaries: The harvested grain, usually stored in huge stores, after they are properly

dried in sunlight. Such stores are called granaries.

18. Fumigation: Fumigation is most effective method for checking the growth of insects

by providing smoke or in gaseous state of chemicals without affecting the grain.

NCERT TEXTBOOK EXERCISES (Pages 13–15)

Q. 1. Select the correct word from the following list and fill in the blanks.

float, water, crop, nutrients, preparation

(a) The same kind of plants grown and cultivated on a large scale at a place is

called .......... .

(b) The first step before growing crops is .......... of the soil.

(c) Damaged seeds would .......... on top of water.

(d) For growing a crop, sufficient sunlight and .......... and .......... from the soil are

essential.

Ans. (a) crop (b) preparation

(c) float (d) water, nutrients.

Q. 2. Match items in column A with those in column B.

Column A Column B

(i) Kharif crops (a) Food for cattle

(ii) Rabi crops (b) Urea and super phosphate

(iii) Chemical fertilisers (c) Animal excreta, cow dung urine and plant

waste

(iv) Organic manure (d) Wheat, gram, pea

(e) Paddy and maize

Ans.

Column A Column B

(iv) Organic manure (d) Wheat, gram, pea

(i) Kharif crops (e) Paddy and maize

(ii) Rabi crops (d) Wheat, gram, pea

(iii) Chemical fertilisers (b) Urea and super phosphate

(iv) Organic manure (c) Animal excreta, cow dung, urine and

plant waste

1. Manures are decomposed organic matter

obtained from plant or animal waste.

2. The use of manures improves soil texture as

well as its water holding capacity.

Q. 3. Give two examples of each:

(a) Kharif crop (b) Rabi crop

Ans. (a) Paddy, maize (b) Wheat, gram.

Q. 4. Write a paragraph in your own words on each of the following:

(a) Preparation of soil (b) Sowing

(c) Weeding (d) Threshing

Ans. (a) Preparation of Soil: It is necessary to prepare soil before growing a crop. It

involves tilling and loosening the soil. This allows the roots to penetrate deep

in the soil. The loose soil allows the roots to breath easily even when they are

deep. The process of loosening and tilling of the soil is called tilling or ploughing.

This is done by using a plough.

(b) Sowing: Sowing is the process of putting seeds in the soil. The tool used

traditionally for sowing seeds is shaped like funnel. The seeds are filled into

the funnel, passed down through two or three pipes having sharp ends. Now-

a-days a seed drill is used for sowing with the help of tractors. This tool sows

the seeds uniformly at a proper distance and depth.

(c) Weeding: The undesirable plants grown along with the crop 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. Thus, affecting

the growth of the crop.

(d) Threshing: The process of separating the grain seeds from the chaff is called

threshing. Traditionally it is done by winnowing. Nowadays this is carried out

with the help of combined harvesters. Which a combination of harvester and

thresher.

Q. 5. Explain how fertilisers are different from manure.

Ans.

Fertilisers Manure

1. Fertilisers are chemicals which are rich in

a particular nutrients like nitrogen

phosphorus and potassium.

2. Excessive use of fertilisers destroys soil

fertility.

Q. 6. What is irrigation? Describe two methods of irrigation which conserve

water.

Ans. Irrigation: Supply of water to crops at appropriate intervals is called irrigation.

Two methods which help us to use water economically are:

1. Sprinkler System: This system is more useful on the uneven land where

water is available in smaller quantity. The perpendicular pipes, having rotating

nozzles on the top, are joined to the main pipeline at regular intervals. When

the water is allowed to flow through the main pipe with the help of a pump,

it escapes from the rotating nozzles. It is sprinkled on the crop as if it is

raining. Sprinkler is very useful for the sandy soil [Fig. 1.8.].



Fig. 1.8. Sprinkler system

2. Drip System: In this system, the water falls drop by drop just at the position

of the roots. So, it is called drip system. It is the best technique of watering fruit

plants, gardens and trees. This system consists of a main pipe to which lateral

pipes are joined. The specially prepared nozzles are attached to these lateral

pipes. The nozzles are grounded just near the roots of the plants. It provides

water to plants drop by drop. Water is not wasted at all. So, it is a boon in

regions where availability of water is poor. [Fig. 1.9.].

Fig. 1.9. Drip system

Q. 7. If wheat is sown in the kharif season, what would happen? Discuss.

Ans. We know that India is a vast country. The climate condition like temperature,

humidity and rainfall vary one region to another. Accordingly, there is a rich

variety of crops grown in different parts of the country and different season, so if

wheat is sown in June to September then production of wheat will be lesser than

the best climate during October to March.

Q. 8. Explain how soil gets affected by the continuous plantation of crops in a

field.

Ans. Since, crops take up nutrients from soil, continuous growing of crops makes the

soil poorer in certain nutrients.

Q. 9. What are weeds? How can we control them?

Ans. In a field many other undesirable or unwanted plants may grow naturally along

with the crop. These plants are called weeds. We can adopt 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 produce flowers and seeds. The

manual removal includes physical removal of weeds by uprooting or cutting them

close to the ground, from time to time. This is done with the help of a khurpi or

a harrow.

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. (Fig. 1.7)

Q. 10. Arrange the following boxes in proper order to make a flow chart of

sugarcane crop production.

Sending crop toIrrigation Harvesting Sowing

sugar factory

1 2 3 4

Preparation of Ploughing theManuring

soil field

5 6 7

Ans. Ploughing the Preparation ofSowing Manuring

field soil

6 5 4 7

Irrigation HarvestingSending crop to

sugar factory

2 3 1

Q. 11. Complete the following word puzzle with the help of clues given below.

Down

1. Providing water to the crops.

2. Keeping crop grains for a long time under proper conditions.

5. Certain plants of the same kind grown on a large scale.

Across

3. A machine used for cutting the matured crop.

4. A rabi crop that is also one of the pulses.

6. A process of separating the grain from chaff.



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ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Q. 1. What does agriculture mean?

Ans. In Latin word ager means field and culture to means cultivate. Thus, agriculture

means to cultivate a field.

Q. 2. How can we reduce loss of grains due to eating away by rodents?

Ans. By the use of storage bins and godowns.

Q. 3. Name two common examples of agricultural crops.

Ans. Wheat, Rice, Barley etc.

Q. 4. What are crop plants?

Ans. The plants grown on a large scale in the vast fields are called crop plants or simply

crop.

Q. 5. What is a crop?

Ans. A cultivated produce from the ground is called a crop.

Q. 6. What precaution should be taken while using grain, fruits and vegetables

brought from the field to the market?

Ans. They should be washed well to make them free from pesticides.

Q. 7. What does a plant need to grow well and healthy?

Ans. Oxygen, water, sunlight and nutrients from the soil.

Q. 8. Define fertilisers.

Ans. Fertilisers are chemical substances rich in soil nutrients, such as potassium, nitrogen

and phosphorus. It is used to improve the production of crops and the soil fertility.

Q. 9. What is tilling or ploughing?

Ans. The process of loosening and turning the soil is called tilling or ploughing.

Q. 10. What is hoe?

Ans. Hoe is a simple tool which is used to remove weeds and for lossening the soil. It

has a long rod or wood or iron.

Q. 11. What is crumbs?

Ans. The ploughed field may have big pieces of soil called crumbs.

Q. 12. Write some useful tools used in ploughing and levelling.

Ans. Wooden plough, iron plough, soil plank.

Q. 13. What are weeds?

Ans. Weeds are the unwanted plants that germinate and grow in the crop field and

share nutrients and sunlight with our crop.

Q. 14. Why is it necessary to remove weeds from our fields?

Ans. If weeds are not removed from our fields they will take the nutrients from the soil

besides air and sunlight. Thus, our crop may fall short of nutrients and sunlight.

Q. 15. What are pests? How are they harmful?

Ans. Pests are the insects or rodents that destroy much of our crop yield. Thus, it is

necessary to save crops from pests.

Q. 16. When is the crop normally harvested in the two seasons?

Ans. The Rabi crops are normally harvested in March /April while the Kharif crops are

harvested at the end of monsoon, i.e., in September /October.

Q. 17. What is harvesting?

Ans. The cutting of crops after maturity and stored is called harvesting.

Q. 18. Name some harvest festivals.

Ans. Pongal, Baisakhi, Holi, Diwali, Nabanya and Bihu are harvest festivals.



Q. 19. Why prayers and religious rites are held at many places during harvesting

season?

Ans. To offer thanks to the Gods for the bountiful harvest.

Q. 20. How is harvesting crop brought to the ground?

Ans. They are cut close to the ground by using a sickle or mechanical harvester.

Q. 21. How is thrashing done?

Ans. Thrashing is mostly done with the help of a machine called thrasher or a motorised

machine called combine. These separate the chaff from grain.

Q. 22. What is thrashing?

Ans. The process of separation of grain from the chaff in the harvested plant is called

thrashing. For this process, a machine called thrasher or a motorized machine called combine

are used.

Q. 23. What do you understand by the term field fallow?

Ans. Leaving the field without growing any crop on it for a season or two is known as

field fallow. In this the field is allowed to take rest and replinished its nutrient resources.

Q. 24. Which microorganisms cause diseases in plants?

Ans. Bacteria, virus and fungi.

Q. 25. How are diseases transmitted in plants?

Ans. Through seeds, soil and air.

Q. 26. Name three pesticides which can be used without affecting the animals

or plants.

Ans. Malathion, Disyston, BHC (Benzenehexachloride).

Q. 27. Define pesticides.

Ans. Pesticides are chemicals which can kill organisms called pests like insects, rats

and birds.

Q. 28. Name some weedicides.

Ans. (i) 2-4D (2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid)

(ii) Metachlor.

Q. 29. Can some method, other than use of insecticides be used to control

pests?

Ans. Biological methods have been tried to control insect population by attracting male

into a trap, containing small amount of female hormone.

Q. 30. Can sound also be useful in saving crops from insects or rodents?

Ans. Chinese have used some particular frequency of sound to scare away rats by its

irritating noise from the crop fields. Birds can easily be scared away by sound.

Q. 31. Distinguish between pesticides and weedicides.

Ans. Weedicides kill weeds while pesticides kill pests. Both are useful for the production

of crops, but are harmful in its use by farmers.

Q. 32. What are biocides?

Ans. The pesticides produced by living organisms which would kill only specific pests

without affecting other organisms, especially humans, are called biocides.

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