Sacred Heart School

Grade – 8 Science
Chapter – 1 Crop production & management
Textbook Exercise

Sensitivity: LNT Construction Internal Use

 Chapter -1
Crop production & management
Answer key

1. Fill in the blanks-:

1. Crop 2. Preparation 3. Float
4. water and nutrients

2. Match the column-:

1. Kharif crops -- Paddy and maize
2. Rabi crops -- Wheat gram and pea
3. Chemical fertilizers -- Urea and super phosphate
4. Organic manure --- Animal excreta, cow dung , urine and plant waste

3. Give two examples of each-:

1. Kharif crop – Paddy and maize
2. Rabi crop --- Wheat gram and Pea

4. a. Preparation of soil – It involves loosening and turning of soil. This has

the following advantages-:
i) Loose soil has a lot of air trapped in it which is used by the roots
to breathe easily.
ii) Loose soil helps the growth of the earthworms and microbes in
the soil. They provide nutrients to the soil and also helps in
further loosening of soil.
iii) Turning and loosening of soil brings nutrients rich soil to the top.
Plants can absorb these nutrients more easily.
The process of loosening and turning of soil is called tilling or
ploughing. It is carried out by using a wooden or iron plough
which is either pulled by animals or tractors.

Sensitivity: LNT Construction Internal Use

 b. Sowing – Putting seeds into the soil is called sowing. While sowing seeds
following points should be kept in mind-:
i) Seeds should be of good quality, healthy and free from diseases.
ii) Seeds should be sown at proper distance in the soil.
iii) Seeds should be sown at proper depth in the soil.
iv) Seeds require water for germination, the soil therefore must have
water in it.
v) Seeds can be sown either manually or with the help of seed drills.

c. Weeding – The unwanted plants in the field along with main crop are
called weeds. Weeds share water , nutrients , light and space along with
crop thus affecting the growth of crops. So it is necessary to remove
seeds. These are controlled by spraying chemicals such as 2, 4-D, that kills
weeds. Removal of weeds can also take place by khurpi or seed drill.

d. Threshing – The process of separation of grains from the chaff is called

threshing. It can be done manually by making oxen and buffaloes trample
over the cut crop or cab be done by a machine called thresher.

5.
Fertilizers
1. A fertilizer is an inorganic salt
2. A fertilizer is prepared in factories.
3. A fertilizer does not provide any
humus to the soil.
4. Fertilizers are very rich in plant
nutrients like nitrogen ,
phosphorous and potassium.
Manures
1. Manure is an organic substance
2.Manure can be prepared in the
fields.
3.Manure provides a lot of humus to
the soil.
4.Manure is relatively less rich in
plant nutrients.

Sensitivity: LNT Construction Internal Use

 6. Supply of water to crops at appropriate intervals of time is called irrigation.
The two methods of irrigation to conserve water are-:

i) Sprinkler System – Useful on uneven land where water is available in

smaller quantity. Perpendicular pipes, having rotating nozzles on the
top are joined to the main pipeline at the regular intervals/ the water
comes out from the sprinkler evenly spread on the crops as if it is
raining. It is useful for the sandy soil.

ii) 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
for watering fruit plants, gardens and trees.

Sensitivity: LNT Construction Internal Use