Agriculture

 

 

The term crop is used to describe plants of the same kind that are grown and cultivated at one place in significant quantities. Plants that are planted during the rainy season are called kharif crops. Crops that grow during the winter season are called rabi crops. 
Many activities are performed before cultivating a crop, which are termed as agricultural practices. Soil preparationmeans loosening the soil or turning it. Earthworms decompose plant and animal waste, and thereby benefit the soil by increasing the humus and nutrient level in it. Ploughs have been in use since ancient times for tilling soil, adding manure and fertilisers, and for scraping of soil. Depending upon the animals available on a farm, ploughing is done using horses and camels to pull ploughs. A plank is used to break the crumbs into fine soil. The next step is to level the soil with the help of a leveller.

Ploughs were made from wood. Nowadays, iron ploughs have become more popular. Earlier, a hoe was used for tilling, but these days we use it only to remove weeds. When the cultivator is pulled by a tractor, the teeth assist in breaking the soil.Healthy seeds contain more nutrients.Damaged seeds are hollow, discoloured and contain fewer nutrients.Seed selection is done by soaking the seeds in a beaker containing water.Modern seed drills sow seeds at a proper depth and distance, and cover them with a layer of soil, keeping them well out of a bird’s reach. The traditional seed drill contains a funnel-shaped container, from where the seeds pass and get placed into the soil. Bananas are first sown in a nursery and the saplings are planted in the field.

 

The term crop is used to describe plants of the same kind that are grown and cultivated at one place in significant quantities. A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder and fuel, or for any other economic purpose. Major world crops include maize (corn), wheat, rice, soyabean, potatoe and cotton. The term “crop” most commonly refers to plants.

Plants that are planted during the rainy season are called Kharif crops. The term Kharif means "autumn” in Arabic. Crops that grow during the winter season are called Rabi crops. The term Rabi means "spring" in Arabic.

Many activities are performed before cultivating a crop, which are termed as agricultural practices. Agricultural practices are a collection of principles to apply for on-farm production and the post-production process, resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products, while taking into account economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Soil preparation means loosening the soil or turning it.

Earthworms decompose plant and animal waste, and thereby benefit the soil by increasing the humus (topsoil horizon that contains organic matter) and nutrient levels in it. Folk names for the earthworm include "dew-worm," "rainworm," "night crawler" and "angleworm" (due to its use as fishing bait). It is also called a ‘friend of the farmer’. Aristotle called earthworms the ‘intestines of the earth’.

Ploughs have been in use since ancient times for tilling soil, adding manure and fertilisers, and for scraping soil.

Depending upon the animals available on a farm, ploughing is done using horses or camels to pull ploughs.

A plank is used to break crumbs into fine soil. The next step is to level the soil with the help of a leveller.

Ploughs were earlier made from wood. Nowadays, iron ploughs have become more popular.

Earlier, a hoe was used for tilling, but these days, we use it only to remove weeds. Weeds are plants that grow where they are not wanted. They grow in the fields where they compete with crops for water, soil nutrients, light and space, and thus reduce crop yield. They also harbour insects, pests and micro-organisms. Certain weeds release into the soil inhibitors or poisonous substances that are harmful to plants, human beings and livestock.

When the cultivator is pulled by a tractor, the teeth assist in breaking the soil. Cultivate means preparing the soil for growing crops, breaking the surface soil around to destroy weeds, use the soil or land for growing crops, to grow crops from seeds, shoots, etc., or to improve or develop plants by various horticultural techniques.

Healthy seeds contain more nutrients. Seed health refers to the absence of disease-causing organisms such as fungi, nematodes, bacteria, viruses and insects.

Damaged seeds are hollow and discoloured, and contain fewer nutrients.

Seed selection is done by soaking seeds in a beaker containing water. Seed selection is aimed at obtaining healthier seeds. It can also be used to maintain and improve the quality of the crop variety. Plants can be reserved for obtaining seeds for growing the next crop. In this way, the farmer can slowly improve the quality of his crop. The selection of plants may be based on characteristics such as the size of the plant, the colour or size of the fruits, the number of grains per ear, etc. However, selection can also be done to keep the seeds of the plants that suffered fewer attacks by insects or disease. In this way, the farmer will select at harvest time the best seeds to be kept aside for the next season. For sowing, only the very best seeds should be used.

Modern seed drills sow seeds at a proper depth and distance, and cover them with a layer of soil, keeping them well out of a bird’s reach.

The traditional seed drill contains a funnel-shaped container, from where seeds pass and get placed into the soil.

Bananas are first sown in a nursery, and the saplings are planted to the field later. A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a usable size.

 

 

Crop Protection

 

 

 

Agriculture is cultivating on large areas.Manureprovides soil with nutrients. The crop has been harvested last week and is left fallow to recover nutrients.Decomposition occurs in pits dumped with organic waste with the help of earthworms and bacteria. 

Fertilisers are chemicals used to add minerals like potassium, phosphorus and nitrates to the soil. The supply of waterto crop is irrigation. The frequency of irrigation varies from season to season. Manure increases the water retention capacity of soil, making it porous. Plants contain nearly 90% water, and need water for proper development of flowers,fruits and seeds. In dry conditions, seeds do not germinate. Water protects plants from frostbite and hot air currents. Water protects crops from hot air by evaporation, and traps cold breeze. Traditional methods of irrigation include moat,chain pump, dhekli and rahat, and need animal and human labour to draw water.

Wells, tube wells, ponds, lakes, rivers, dams and canals are sources of water. Sprinklers and drip systems are used when the soil is sandy or uneven. Pumps lift water and run on biogas or solar energy. During summer, it is difficult for farmers to water crops. Weeds are removed manually before they produce flowers and seeds. Weeds are controlled bychemicals such as 2, 4-D, a systemic weedicide that kills weeds. Weedicides are poisonous to humans. Drip irrigation waters fruit plants and suits regions that have scarcity of water. Khurpi is used to remove weeds. Farmers use weedicides in diluted form and they handle weedicides carefully by covering their nose and mouth while spraying. This stops theirpropagation in the field. Tilling the soil uproots the weeds. 

 

 

Harvest and Storage

 

 

Cutting the crop after it has ripened and gathering the grains is known as harvesting. We can use the word crop ripened rather than using the word crop mature. A sickle has a sharp serrate-edged metal blade attached to a wooden handle. A sickle is used for cutting the crop. A harvester is a machine that helps to cut the ripened crop from the fields. Threshing is the process of separating the grains from the straw and chaff. A thresher is used for threshing. A combine is a combination of a thresher and a harvester. Winnowing is a process in which we allow natural wind to blow through the grains, so the lighter substances fly away, whereas the heavier grains fall to the ground.

The fan in a winnowing machine blows away the chaff. Protection of crops against microorganisms, rodents, pests and moisture is done by drying in sun and exposing to fumes. Silos are huge, air-tight cylindrical structures used to store grains. Granaries are large rooms built above ground level to prevent rodents and pests from getting near the grains. Incold storage, vegetables and fruits are stored at low temperatures. Animal husbandry means rearing and breeding livestock on a large scale. Poultry farming means rearing hens, ducks and turkey for meat and eggs.