Crop Production and

Management

APS ACADEMY
 Topics to Study
1. Agricultural practices:
a. Preparation of soil
b. Sowing
c. Adding Manure and Fertilizers
d. Irrigation
e. Protection from Weeds
f. Harvesting
g. Storage
2. Food from animals
 Agricultural Practices
 Whenever we cultivate plants of the same kind
at one place it is called crop.
 For example, wheat crop means
all wheat plants cultivated in
one field.
 Classification of Crops
 In India, there are vast differences in the climatic
conditions like temperature, humidity and rainfall
from one season to another.
 Crops are classified on the basis of the season in
which they are grown.
 The two seasons are mainly:

1. Rainy season (June to September)  Kharif

2. Winter season (October to March)  Rabi

 Classification of Crops

Kharif crops Rabi crops

• Sown in rainy • Sown in winter

season season
• June to September • October to March
• Paddy, maize, • Wheat, gram, pea,
soyabean, cotton, mustard, linseed
groundnut.
 Crops during summer
 Apart from kharif and rabi crops, there are some crops that
are grown in summer.
 Pulses and vegetables are grown in summer in various
places in India.
 There are 2 main reasons why crops are (usually) not grown
in April and May:
1. Due to the hot weather, there is an excessive need of
irrigation (every 2-3 days). Not all farmers can afford so
much irrigation.
2. The field needs to be kept ‘free’ for 1-2 months so that it
can regain the nutrients that it lost throughout the year.
 Kharif and Rabi
 Certain crops require certain conditions to grow.

 For example, paddy requires a lot of water, so it is

kharif crop.
 Similarly, wheat seeds can only grow at very low
temperatures, so wheat is a rabi (winter) crop.
 There are some crops such as cucumber and corn
which get killed by low temperatures and require
warm soil to grow. So, they are grown in summer.
 Paddy (Rice) – Kharif
Crop
 Notice the water needed by paddy crop
 Agricultural Practices
 To cultivate crops, farmers follow steps over a period
of time. These steps are called agricultural practices:
1. Preparation of soil
2. Sowing
3. Adding manure and fertilizers
4. Irrigation
5. Protecting from weeds
6. Harvesting
7. Storage
 1. Preparation of Soil
 Preparation of soil is the first step before growing
a crop
 There are certain steps to prepare the soil:

1. Turning the soil and loosening it (Tilling or

Ploughing)

2. Leveling

3. Breaking the soil into size of grains

What is meant by turning of
soil?
 Turning over soil mixes the nutrients and makes
the soil more suitable for planting.
 How do we turn the soil?

Step 1: Make a hole by digging

out the soil.

Step 2: Make a 2nd hole and put

the soil from 2nd hole in the 1st hole.

Step 3: Now fill the soil on the sheet in the 2nd hole
Turning and Loosening the
Soil
 If the soil is loose, the roots can penetrate deep into
the soil.
 The loose soil allows the roots
to breathe easily even if they
go deep into the soil.
 The loose soil also helps in
growth of earthworms and
microbes present in soil.
 The microbes further loosen the soil and add humus
to it.
 Turning and Loosening the
Soil
 The microbes decompose the dead organic matter
present in the soil and release it to soil.
 This way, various nutrients are
released back to the soil.
 The nutrients are absorbed by plants.

 Only the top layer of the soil (topsoil) supports plant

growth, and loosening of soil brings nutrient rich soil
to the top, and plants can thus absorb these
nutrients.
Turning and Loosening the
Soil
 Turning and loosening the soil (together) is also
called ploughing. Ploughing the soil
 Ploughs are made of iron.
 If the soil is very dry, it
needs water before
ploughing.
 Levelling the Soil
 Sometimes ploughed fields have big pieces of soil
called crumbs. They are broken with
a plank.
 The field is also levelled for
sowing and irrigation.
 Levelling is done with the
help of a leveller.
 Sometimes Manure is
Added
 In the preparation of soil, manure is not always
added.
Manure
 However, sometimes manure is added
before tilling.
 This helps in proper mixing of manure
with soil.
 The soil is watered before sowing.
 Tools
 Tools are used to break soil into very small size.
We shall discuss 3 main tools.

Plough Hoe Cultivator

 Plough
 It is used for tilling the soil, adding fertilizers,
removing weeds etc.
 It contains a strong iron strip called ploughshare
and a handle called ploughshaft.
 Hoe
 It is used to remove weeds and for loosening the
soil.
 It has a long rod of wood or iron.

 A strong, broad, bent plate of iron is

fixed to one of its ends
 Cultivator
 These days ploughing is done by a tractor driven
cultivator.
 2. Sowing
 There is a variety of seeds available for sowing.

 Good quality seeds must be

chosen which are clean and
healthy of a high yielding
variety.
 Selecting Seeds
 A very common test for seeds is the float/sink
test.
 Some damaged seeds float on water
 This is because damaged seeds
become hollow from inside and are
thus lighter.
 This is an easy and quick method
for separating healthy seeds from
damaged seeds.
 Tools for Sowing
 The traditional tool used for sowing is funnel
shaped.
 The seeds are filled into the
funnel, passed down through
two or three pipes having
sharp ends
 These ends pierce the soil and
place seeds there.
 Seed Drill
 Seed drills are used to sow seeds with the help of
tractors.
 It sows the seeds uniformly
at proper distances and depths.
 It ensures that seeds get
covered by soil after sowing.
 This prevents damage by birds.

 Seed drills save time and labour.

 Overcrowding of Seeds
 Care must be taken that there is sufficient
distance between seeds.
 Overcrowding of seeds leads
to competition for nutrients
which results in unhealthy
plants.
 3. Adding Manure and
Fertilizers
 Manure and fertilizers are added to the soil as
nutrients for healthy growth of plants.
 The soil keeps supplying mineral nutrients to
plants.
 The soil keeps getting depleted of nutrients.

 So, manures and fertilizers are added to the soil

to help it regain the nutrients.
 Manure
 Manure is an organic substance obtained from the
decomposition of plant or animal waste.
 Farmers dump plant and animal
waste in pits at open places and allow
it to decompose.
 The decomposition is caused by
microorganisms.
 The decomposed matter is used as manure

 Manure also improves soil texture and water retaining

 Fertilizer
 Fertilizers are chemical substances that are rich in a
particular nutrient (such as nitrogen, phosphorus,
potassium).
Urea = Rs. 50/kg
 Fertilizers are produced in
factories.
 Some examples are urea,
ammonium sulphate, potash
 Fertilizers have their pros and
cons.
 Fertilizer
 The use of fertilizers increases yield for crops
such as wheat, paddy and maize.
 However, excessive use of fertilizers
reduces the fertility of soil.
 Fertilizers also cause water pollution

 So, instead of using only fertilizers,

we should leave field uncultivated
between crops or use manures instead.
 Crop Rotation
 Crop rotation is another way of replenishing the
soil with nutrients.
 This is done by growing different crops alternately.

 Farmers in India used to grow legumes in one

season and wheat in the next season.
 The legumes replenished the soil with nitrogen.

 Rhizobium bacteria are present in roots of

leguminous plants. They fix atmospheric nitrogen.
 Legumes
 Some examples of pea, peanuts, beans,
soyabeans.
 Manures v Fertilizers

Manure Fertilizer
• Organic salt • Inorganic salt
• Prepared in fields • Prepared in factories
• Provides humus to • Doesn’t provide
soil humus to soil.
• Less rich in plant • Rich in plant nutrients
nutrients such as Nitrogen,
phosphorus,
potassium
 Manure is better than
Fertilizer
 Manures have certain advantages over fertilizers:

1. It enhances the water holding capacity of soil.

2. It makes the soil porous which makes exchange of

gases easy.

3. It increases the number of helpful

microorganisms in the soil.

4. It improves the texture of soil.

 4. Irrigation
 Plants contain nearly 90% water.
There are many ways in which water is essential for
plants:
1. Water is essential for the germination of seeds,
and it is absorbed from the soil by roots.
2. Nutrients dissolved in water get transported to
every part of the plant.
3. Water protects plants from hot air currents.
 Irrigation
 Irrigation is the supplying of water to plants at
different intervals.
 The time and frequency of
irrigation is different for
different crops, different soils,
different seasons.
 In summers, we need to irrigate more.
 Sources of Irrigation
 There are some common sources of irrigation:
1. Wells
2. Tubewells
3. Ponds
4. Lakes
5. Rivers
6. Dams
7. Canals
 Irrigation
 Traditional methods of irrigation:

 Water available in wells, lakes and canals is lifted

and taken to fields.
 Some of the traditional ways are:
1. Moat pulley system (pulley system)
2. Chain pump
3. Dhekli
4. Rahat system (lever system)
 Traditional Irrigation
 Pumps are often used
to lift water.
 Diesel, biogas,
electricity and solar
energy is used to run
these pumps.
Modern methods of Irrigation
 Nowadays, irrigation is done by sprinklers and drip system.

1. Sprinkler system: It is used on

uneven land where water is not
sufficiently available.

Perpendicular pipes, having rotating

nozzles on top, are joined to main
pipeline at regular intervals Sprinkler System

When water flows through main pipeline, it escapes from the

rotating nozzles and sprinkles on the crop like rains.

Sprinkler system is very useful for sandy soil.

Sprinkler system is best
for sandy soil
 Light sandy soils are well suited to sprinkler
irrigation systems. Sandy soils have a low water
storage capacity and a high infiltration rate. They
therefore need frequent but small irrigation
applications.
 Under these circumstances, sprinkler are more
suitable than surface irrigation.
Modern methods of Irrigation
2. Drip irrigation: Water falls drop by drop just at
the position of roots.

It is the best technique for

watering fruit plants,
gardens and trees.

Water is not wasted at all.

It is useful for regions where water is scarce.

 5. Protection from
Weeds
 Many other undesirable plants often grow along
with the crop. They are called weed.
 Weeds compete with the Weeds (green) in a wheat field
crop for nutrients, space,
water and sunlight and
affect the growth of crop.
 Some weeds interfere in
harvesting and may be
poisonous to animals and humans.
 Weeding
 Weeding is the removal of weeds from the field.

 There are 3 ways of weeding:

1. Tilling

2. Manual weeding

3. Weedicides
 Weeding
1. Tilling: tilling before sowing of crops helps in
uprooting and killing of weeds.

Best time to remove weeds is before they produce

flowers and seeds.

2. Manual Removal: Involves physical

removal of weeds by uprooting or
cutting them close to the ground.

This is done with the help of khurpi.

A seed drill is also used for weeding.

 Weeding
3. Weedicides: They are chemicals that are sprayed
in fields to kill weeds. They are diluted with water
and sprayed in the required concentration.

They do not damage the crops.

Weedicides are sprayed before flowering

and seed formation.

Weedicides should be sprayed with nose and mouth

covered, since they are often poisonous.
 6. Harvesting
 The cutting of crop after it matures is called
harvesting.
 In harvesting, crops are pulled out or cut close to
the ground.
 It usually takes 3-4 months for a
cereal (wheat/rice) crop to mature.
 Harvesting is done mainly using:
1. Sickle
2. Harvester
 Harvesting
1. Sickle: manual cutting of crops is done using
sickle.
Sickle
2. Harvester: it is a machine used for
harvesting.

Harvester
 Chaff
 Chaff is the dry protective casing
of the seeds of cereal grain. Chaff
 It can’t be digested by humans
Chaff Grain seeds

Grain
 Threshing
 In the harvested crop, the grain seeds need to be
separated from the chaff.
 This process is called threshing.

 This is done using a machine called

‘combine’ which is a combined
‘harvester and thresher’.
 Winnowing
 Farmers with small holdings of land do the
separation by winnowing. Winnowing machine
 Winnowing is blowing air
through grain to remove
the chaff.
 7. Storage
 If the crop grains are kept for a long time, they
should be safe from moisture, insects, rats and
microorganisms.
 The fresh crop has moisture.

 If the freshly harvested grains (seeds) are stored

without drying, they may be attacked by organisms.
 Therefore, grains are dried in the sun before storing.

 Drying prevents attack by pests, bacteria and fungi.

 Storage
 Farmers often store grains in jute bags or metallic
bins.
 Large scale storage of grains is done in silos to
protect them from pests andJute
rats.
bags
 Dried neem leaves are used for
storing food grains at home.
 In big godowns, special
chemicals are used to protect
grains from pests.
 Silos
 Silos are large godowns in farms used to store
grains
 Food from Animals
 Just like plants, animals also provide us with food.
 When we produce food from animals on a large
scale, it is called animal husbandry.
 Animal Husbandry
 In animal husbandry, animals are reared and
provided with food, shelter and care.
 Rearing of animals means
raising animals for the
purpose of profit.