1 - Crop Production & Management - Done - PMD

CHAPTER
1 CROP PRODUCTION &

MANAGEMENT
INTRODUCTION
Food is one of the basic requirements for all the living beings to survive. Earlier about 10,000 BC
man had been a hunter of wild animals and collector of fruits — nuts, succulents, etc., as food
resource. Later he learnt how to grow seeds into plants for food production. This laid the idea of
‘Agriculture’ (Latin ager means field, cultura means cultivation). To meet our food requirements, we
produce about 360 million tonnes of plant products annually. Our major sources of food are plants
and animal.
Food for Man

Early man was primarily a hunter and a flesh eater. He hunted and brought food everyday for
himself and his family. Besides flesh, his food was fruits and seeds growing in nature. Early man
did not cultivate food. He was basically a food gatherer. He and his family had to go without food.
This made to domesticating cattle and growing of plants.
 All organisms require food for their growth and survival.
 Food is the combination of various organic and inorganic substances which are capable of
providing energy for the various metabolic activities.
 In all cases the food for animals comes directly or indirectly from plants.
Sources of Food
(i) Cereals : These are rich in carbohydrate and thus provide energy. eg. – Rice, wheat, maize,
sorghum, barley, millets.
(ii) Pulses : These are rich in protein and thus helpful for body building. eg. – Gram, moong,
pea, lentil, urd, pigeon pea.
(iii) Oil seed crops : These are rich in oil and fatty acids. eg. – Groundnut, sunflower, soyabean,
mustard, sesame.
(iv) Vegetable crops : These provide vitamins, minerals along with small quantities of carbohy-
drate protein and oils.
 Leaves : Cabbage, spinach, trigonella, lettuce
 Roots : Carrot, radish, turnip, sweet potato
 Stems : Potato, corms, rhizomes (ginger)
 Bulbs : Onion, garlicFruits : Tomato, brinjal, gourd, cucumber
 Flowers : Cauliflower, bauhinia, banana
IIT ASHRAM UG–1 & 2, Concorde Complex, Above PNB. R.C. Dutt Rd., Alkapuri, Baroda.
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BIOLOGY Crop Production & management
(v) Fodder crops : These provide green fodder to the cattle. eg. – Berseem, sorghum, maize, oat,
sudan grass, alfalfa.
AGRICULTURE AND FRAMING

Agriculture, thus, is the cultivation of field or land. In a broader sense, it is the science of
growing plants and raising animals useful to humans.
 Crop Plants : The plants which are grown by man in large numbers to get useful
products are knowns as crops or crop plants. Some common crop plants grown and
consumed in India
 Crop Seasons : In India there are two main crop seasons for cultivating crops. These
are known as rabi season and kharif season.
 The practice or the business of agriculture is usually called ‘farming’ and the place
where the work is done called a farm.
Seasonal Crops and Plantations
Types of Crops
Kharif Crops Rabi Crops Zayed crops
1. Kharif Crops : These crops are sown at the begining of the monsoon seasons between June
and July and harvested by September or October. These crops depend on monsoon rains for
growth.
Examples : rice, maize, millet, groundnut, cotton.
2. Rabi Crops : These crops are sown in the beginnig of winter i.e. between October and November
and harvested by March or April. These crops do not depend on monosoon rains
Examples : wheat, barley, gram, potato, mustard
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3. ZAYED or the Summer Crops : These crops are sown in March/April and harvested before rainy
season. Most plants are vegetables and fruits like cucurbits (cucurbita, Lagenaria (sweet ghia), Gourd
bitter gourd (Karela), water melons and moong (pulse). Zayed crops do not include any grain crop.
Similarly, farmers grow summer vegetables and summer flowers, and winter vegetables and winter
flowers.
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 Horticulture : (Hortus-garden, cultura-cultivation) is a branch of agriculture,
and is the science of growing vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants.
 Floriculture is the science of growing decorative plants, specially of flowers.
FOOD PRODUCTION AND FARM MANAGEMENT

Activities which are carried out by the farmer to ensure good crop yield in particular sequence till
the crop mature at harvest are known as agriculture practices.
(1) Soil preparation : (a) Ploughing (b) Levelling (c) Manuring
(2) Sowing (3) Irrigation
(4) Weeding (5) Harvesting
(6) Threshing (7) Winnowing
(8) Storage.
Ploughing
Soil preparation Levelling
Manuring
Selection of seeds
for sowing
Application of
Manure
Agricultural
practices (tasks) Irrigation
Weeding and crop

protection
Harvesting
Storage Transportation Grain market
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(1) Preparation of Soil

Soil is prepared well before planting a crop, is called tilling the soil. Compost (manure prepared
from decayed animal and plant wastes) is placed in small heaps along the field, which is then
ploughed. Ploughing helps in loosening and turning the top soil upside down and also in mixing the
compost with the soil. This makes the soil fertile, airy and increases its water retaining capacity. It
also helps in uprooting the weeds and exposing seeds, worms, insects and pests in the fields. Large
lumps of soil , if left are broken with the help of a harrow. The soil is then levelled or made into
ridges and furrows, as required. Levelling ensures uniform distribution of water in the field.
Plough is a sharp pointed wedge that cuts into the soil and also turns it over bringing lower mineral
rich soil to top. Today, farmers use tractors to draw and drag a multipronged plough.
Table
Coomon Agricultural implements and Their Uses
Name of implement Uses Name of implement Uses
Khurpa For weeding Seed drill For sowing
Spade For digging and Harrow For weeding
bunds formation Sickle For harvesting
Wooden plough For tillage Combines For harvesting and
Iron plough For tillage threshing
Soil plank For breaking crumbs Sprayers For Spraying
Leveller For leveling and insecticides
pressing the soil
SEEDS, Selection and breeding

Good quality seeds are important for better yield. Good quality of seeds are:
 clean, not mixed with the seeds from weeds;
 dry, solid and healthy;
 free from fungal spores, pests or insects; and
 of better breed (hybrid seeds or Gm seeds)
Most farmers make use of hybrid seeds or Gm (genetically modified) seeds prepared in Agriculture
Research Centres.
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(2) Sowing of seeds

Sowing is the process of putting seeds in the soil. Method
of sowing depends upon the type of crop. Before sowing,
good and healthy seeds are selected and then these seeds
are treated with pesticide like ‘agrosan’. Treatment of seeds
with pesticide protects the seeds from being eaten away
by birds and from fungal or bacterial growth upon them
before sprouting.
Method of sowing seeds is different for different crops.
These methods are:-
(i) Broadcasting : Seeds are sown by hand or manually.
(ii) Traditional tool : The tool used traditionally for sowing seeds has shape like a funnel. The
seeds are filled into the funnel, passed down through two or three pipes having sharp ends.
These ends pierce into the soil and place seeds there.
(1) Broadcasting the seeds: Seeds of crops like Barseem, and coriander are spread or sprinkled
in the field directly without taking care of the spacing between them and the depth to
which they should be placed in the soil.
(2) Dribbling the seed: In this method seed is placed in a small hole in the soil and then the
hole is covered with the soil.
(3) Drill sowing: The seeds are sown with the help of a ‘seed drill’. Seeds of wheat, maize,
barley and millets are sown in the soil in rows and in furrows at a particular depth along
the field with the help of a seed drill. Seed drill is a funnel with a long and hollow stem.
Farmer pours the seeds into the funnel and the seeds go down the stem, one by one, to get
into the soil.
Precautions during sowing seeds

(i) Use good quality, healthy and disease free seeds.
(ii) The seeds should be sown at a particular depth under the soil. Seeds left on the surface of the
soil may be carried or destroyed by the insects and the birds. Seeds placed deep into the soil
may either fail to germinate or may fail to come out into the air on germination.
(iii) Distasnce should be proper to avoid overcrowding.
(iv) Enough water should be there in the soil.
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(4) Preparing nursery of plants and then transplanting the saplings: In the case of paddy
specially and most of the seasonal vegetables and flowering plants, initially the seeds are grown in
a nursery to obtain saplings. Saplings are then transplanted into the fields, placing them at a proper
distance from one another.
Transplanting helps in planting only healthy plants and at a proper distance from one another.
Rearing seeds in a nursery helps in eliminating the weak saplings.
 Agriculture implements : The tools required for carrying out the activities involved in the
cultivation of plants are known as agriculture implements.
Plough : It contains triangular iron strip called ploughshare and main part of the plough is
a long log of wood called ploughshaft. One end of the shaft is handle and other end is
attached to a beam which is placed on the bulls necks.
One pair of bulls and a man can easily operate the plough.
 Hoe : This is used for removing weeds and for loosening

the soil. It has a long rod of wood or iron. A strong, broad
and bent plate of iron is fixed to one of its ends which works
like a blade. It is pulled by animals.
 Cultivator : Ploughing can also be done by tractor driven cultivator. The use of cultivator
saves labour and time.
Cultivator driven by a tractor

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FLY IN BIOLOGY
Why does the soil need to be turned and loosened?
Explanation : Since only a few centimetres of the top layer of soil supports
plant growth, turning and loosening of soil brings the nutrient rich soil to the
top so that plant can use these nutrients. Thus turning and loosening of soil is
very important for cultivation of crops
(3) MAKING SOIL FERTILE, manuring and rotation of crop

Top soil supports life. Herbs (crops) grow in top soil and derive their mineral nutrition from it. Once
a crop is harvested, the top soil in which the crop has been growing gets poor in minerals. This soil
needs enrichment with minerals before another crop is planted on it. Enrichment of the soil is done
by:
(A) Ploughing : Ploughing turns the soil and brings the leached minerals up from the soil below.
(B) Manuring the soil: Manure or compost is the decomposed plant and animal wastes such as
cattle droppings, offal or the left overs of the butchered animals, dead animal and insect
bodies, waste foods, uprooted weeds, dead and dried leaves and straw. All the farm waste
goes into the making of compost. Compost is added to the soil.
(C) Adding green manure to the soil: Green manure comes from green plants. In between the
two major crops, instead of leaving the fields uncovered, fast growing green leafy legumi-
nous fodder crops such as Trifolium (barseem), alfalfa or sasbania are sown. These legumi-
nous crops not only provide green fodder for the cattle but also enrich the soil in a natural
way with the help of root nodules on their roots (learn about it in the next paragraph).
Then, at the approach of planting season for the next crop the field is ploughed along with
the green crop, The green plants along with the roots and root nodules decompose to form
organic manure (compost). This is green manure.
Planting a crop in between two major crops in a field such as planting Trifolium after kharif
and before rabi is called intercropping.
(D) Natural way of enriching soil with NITROGEN: Body of the living organisms is made of
proteins. Proteins are the compounds of nitrogen, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. We have
learnt that 78% of air is nitrogen. Air nitrogen is fixed into compounds of nitrogen (Nitro-
gen oxides soluble in water) by certain microorganisms. Microorganisms such as Rhizo-
bium (Bacillus) bacterium is present in the root nodules of Leguminous plants. Bacterium
Rhizobium radicicola is capable of fixing air nitrogen. Fixation of nitrogen enriches soil in
a natural way. We need not add fertilizers to such crops which bear root nodules having
nitrogen fixing bacterium in them.
(i) Nitrogen fixation is the process of combining oxygen with nitrogen to form nitrogen
compounds such as nitrites (NO2) and nitrates (NO3).
(ii) Nitrogen fixation is also helped by electrical discharge (lightning) in the clouds and by
blue green algae.
(iii) Blue green algae are common along drains, wet places and flooded paddy fields.
Anabena, Oscillatoria, Example : Nostoc and Gleocapsa
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(E) Biofertilizers : Organisms which enrich the soil nutrients due to their biological activities
are called biofertilizers. e.g. Rhizobium bacteria, Nostoc and Anabaena (BGA).
 Body of the living organisms is made of proteins. Proteins are the compounds of nitrogen,
carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Air nitrogen is fixed into compounds of nitrogen (Nitrogen
oxides solution in water) by certain microorganisms. Microorganisms such as Rhizobium (=
Bacillus) bacterium is present in the root nodules of Leguminous plants Bacterium Rhizo-
bium radicicola is capable of fixing air nitrogen. Fixation of nitrogen enriches soil in a natu-
ral way.
 Nitrogen fixation is the process of combining oxygen with nitrogen to form nitrogen com-
pounds such as nitrites (NO2) and nitrates (NO3).
 Blue green algae are common along drains, wet places and flooded paddy fields. Anabena,
Oscillatoria, Nostoc and Gleocapsa are common examples of blue green algae.
 Rotation of crops : Growing of a leguminous crop in between two cereal or vegetable crops
is called rotation of crops. Leguminious crop helps enrichment of soil with nitrogenous
nutrition.
Now a days, mixed or multiple cropping is being practiced. In multiple cropping two or
more crops are sown simultaneously in the same field. One of these crops is a leguminous
crop. These crops which are sown together grow and mature at the same time. For example,
corn (maize) and soyabean (leguminous plant) or any other pulse are cultivated together as
Kharif or summer crop.
Mixed farming is different from mixed cropping. Mixed farming involves both, cultivation
of crops and rearing of livestock (cattle and farm animals).
(G) Adding fertilizers to the soil
as soil test indicates
P & K needed only
Once the soil is levelled, our farmer friend checks the soil for fertility.
 Soil fertility is a measure of a land’s capacity to sufficiently provide the nutrients that are
needed to grow crops.
A fertile land is rich in the nutrients that are required for plant production. When seeds are
sown in a field, they absorb minerals and nutrients from the soil. Repeated cultivation of
crops in the same field depletes the soil of the vital minerals and nutrients required for plant
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growth. If the lost nutrients are not replenished, the soil may eventually turn infertile.
Farmers, therefore, need to artificially improve soil fertility by adding fertilizers.
Fertilizers are natural or chemical substances which contain one or more nutrients essential
for plant growth.
When added to the soil, fertilizers provide plant nutrients that are naturally lacking or that
have been removed by processes such as harvesting, leaching, or erosion.
 Natural fertilizers: An example of natural fertilizer is manure. Manure refers to the solid
or liquid organic matter derived from animal wastes and plant residues.
Bone meal (a mixture of crushed and coarsely ground bones), neem ki khal (bark of neem),
and compost are some commonly used natural fertilizers. Compost is obtained by the
microbial decomposition of organic matter derived from dead plants and animals. Compost
is generally poor in nitrogen content and minerals such as phosphorus and potassium.
 Chemical fertilizers: Chemical fertilizers are manufactured in factories. They are usually
specific in their mineral content. The most commonly used inorganic fertilizers are the NPK
fertilizers, which are rich in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Chemical
fertilizers are popular with farmers because most of them are soluble in water and can be
readily absorbed by plants. They are also easy to store and handle.
Fertilizers are usually applied either by spraying (using a sprayer) or through irrigation
canals.
Some common fertilizers
1. Urea 2. A mmonium phosphate
3. Super phosphate 4. Potassium phosphate
5. Potassium sulphate 6. Calcium ammoniumnitrate
 Harmful effects of fertilizers : Can you guess what would happen if inorganic chemical
fertilizers are used in excess? You may be surprised to know that fertilizers sprayed in excess
on agricultural land can find their way into water bodies and this may adversely affect
aquatic animals. This happens by a process called eutrophication.
Manures Fertilizers
These are organic substances obtained by the These are artificial inorganic salts.
decomposition of plant and animal wastes.
They are rich in organic nutrients, not rich in They are rich in Nitrogen, Phosphorous and
(NPK) Potassium (NPK)
They are not nutrient specific. They are nutrient specific
They are not soluble in water so absorbed slowly They are soluble in water and absorbed
by plants. quickly
They are not harmful to the environment They are harmful to the environment
They have nutrients in small quantity so needed They have higher amount of nutrients so
in large quantity. required in very small quantity.
They are propared in field They are prepared in factories
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Compost is prepared by the farmers on their farms. A deep pit is made in a
corner of the field which is filled with farm waste, strew and dead leaves
from time to time. This is convered with a layer of soil and is moistoned by
spinkling water over it from time to time. Worms, insercts and microbes grow
on it and help the decay of the organic matter turning in into humus. Humus is
rich in minerals, microbes and decayed organic matter.
 Organic Farming and Vermiculature : Farmers are being

encouraged to use more organic manure instead of fertilizers
and are being educated to produce their own manure from farm
wastes. In addition they are encouraged to practice
vermiculture (cultivating worms and earthworms) in organic
manure. Vermi-compost is the best nutrient for a crop. Major
advantage to farmers with organic farming is that:
Earthworm - a farmer’s friend
(1) farmers are able to produce crops with less cost
(2) farmers get premium price for organically produced crop.
(3) It maintains soil health.
(4) It does not pollute groundwater.
Worms, specially the earthworms, are a great friend of farmers. They flourish well in moist
soil rich in decaying organic matter. Worms eat into the soil to burrow themselves, leaving
behind the casts and canals making the soil airy, soft and fertile.
Government of India has established National Institute of Organic Farming with its Head
Quarters at Ghaziabad and six regional offices, each at Bangalooru, Hissar, Jabalpur, Nagpur,
Bhubhaneswar, and Imphal and a centre at Ludhiana.
4. Weeding, removing unwanted plants

Weeds are plants, other than the crop plants,
growing along the crop. Weeds grow vigorously
and draw more nutrition from the soil than the
crop plants. This makes the soil poor in minerals
and deprives the crop of its mineral needs. They
also block full sunlight and air from the crop plants.
Weeds are the unwanted plants in the crop fields
and should be removed (weeded out) as early as
possible but certainly well before they flower and
bear seeds so that they are not able to multiply.
They compete with crop plants for water nutrient
and space.
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Weeding (removal of weeds) is done by:

(a) hands : pulling out weeds is the most common method.
(b) use of herbicides (weedicides): These are chemicals which
are poisonous for weeds but do not affect crop plants.
eq., 2-4D, Atrazine
(c) biological control: some worms and insects have a special
liking for certain weeds on which they flourish well, eating
and killing them, without harming the crop plants. These
organisms are cultured on weeds.
Some common weeds growing along the crop plants in India are Chenopodium (bethua),
Amaranthus (chulai), convolvulus, Argemone (piladatura), Dhatura, alfalfa, wild pea, wild oat
and dandelion (common weed).
5. Irrigation :
The process of artificial supplying of water to the crop at different intervals is called irrigation. The
time and frequency of irrigation varies from crop to crop, soil to soil and season to season.
Sources of irrigation : Well, tube well, ponds, lakes, river, canal and dams.
Methods of irrigation
(a) Traditional methods of irrigation
Surface irrigation : In this type of irrigation water is lifted from lake, well and canal by using
following traditional ways like moat (pulley system), chain pump, dhekli, rahat (lever system).
Puumps are commonly used for lifting water. Diesel, biogas, solar energy and electricity is
used to run these pumps. The lifted water is allowed to run over the field. These methods are
cheaper.
Fig. Traditional methods of irrigation

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Disadvantages of traditional ways of irrigation

(i) They require more human labour and human efforts.
(ii) They are less efficient so water is wasted in large quantity.
(iii) They are not useful for poor water regions.
(b) Modern methods of irrigation

The following modern ways of irrigation are used which help to conserve water.
 Sprinkler system
(i) In this system, the perpendicular pipes having rotating nozzles on top are joined to main
pipe line at regular intervals. When water is allowed to flow through main pipeline under
pressure with the help of a pump, it escapes from the rotating nozzle.
(ii) It speads water uniformly over crop plants and field.
(iii) This method is useful for sandy soil and uneven land, where sufficient water is not available.
(iv) It is an efficient system in the canal irrigated area of Haryana and Rajasthan.
 Drip system or trickle irrigation

(i) It involves the use of pipes fitted with small tubes called emitters. The pipes are laid over or
under the soil and emitters release water drop by drop around the roots of the plants.
(ii) In this method water is not wasted at all.
(iii) This method is a boon in poor water regions.
(iv) This is the best irrigation techinique for fruit crops, garden and trees.
 Advantages of irrigation
Plants contain 90% water. It is important for proper growth and development of flowers,
fruits and seeds of plants.
(i) It maintains the moisture of soil.
(ii) It helps in germination of seeds.
(iii) It helps in supply of essential nutrients.
(iv) Nutrients dissolved in water get transported to each part of plant.
(v) Water also protects the crop from both frost and hot air currents.
 Other irrigation systems in India

(i) Canal system : Canals receive water from the rivers. The main canals are divided into
branches which are further divided into distrbutaries to cover maximum areas for irrigation.
(ii) Tanks : Tanks are water storage reservoirs which store the run off water of small catchment
area.
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Dug well - Water is lifted up by bullock.

(iii) Wells
Tube well - Water is pumped up by using diesel or electric run pumps.
(iv) River valley system : Due to heavy rainfall, many river valley are found in the Western
Ghats and Karnataka. This results in higher run off and discharge flows in the rivers. To
prevent this coffee, rubber and coconut are cultivated on the slopes of these valleys and
single rice crop is grown at the bottom.
(v) River lift system : Water is directly drawn from the river using pumps.
6. Crop protection
Crops need protection from grazing animals, wild animals, birds, worms, insects and germs.
(A) Protection from Intruders, such as
(i) grazing animals: Fence made from barbed wire or spiny
(thorny) hedge plants is provided around the field to restrict
the entry of intruders.
(ii) birds and wild animals: Farmers put up a scarecrow or

make use of beating of drums to keep them away. Learn
that the birds are useful for the crop before flowering and
fruiting since they eat away the insects, larvae, and worms
which feed themselves upon the leaves, thus destroying the
crop Birds are harmful only when the crop starts bearing
fruit and seeds, Fruits and seeds are eaten away by the birds:
(iii) Rats and moles: are killed with the use of poison (Rodenticides) in a feed.
(iv) Locusts and grasshoppers: Locusts and grasshoppers are
voracious eater of leaves, buds and even stems. Locusts are
small, brown or deep yellow in colour and Grasshoppers are
big and green. Locusts were a great menace at one time.
Swarms of locust from desert used to visit crop and
eat away almost every thing. Today, locusts have almost been
eliminated. Whatever small number of these animals appear
on a crop are either eaten away by birds, frogs and lizards or
Locust
they are killed with a spray of insecticide.
(B) Protection from Germs : Germs are parasites on crops and

may also cause diseases in the plants. Germs may be insects,
virus, bacteria and fungi. Germs harm the crops right from
the germination of seeds upto the maturation of crops. Spray
of poisonous chemicals, called pesticides or germicides
provide protection from germs. The pesticides may be : Spraying plants with pesticides
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(i) Insecticides like Baygon, Mortein, Malathion, DDT, BHC, Methyl parathion and others are
used for killing insects.
(ii) Fungicides like Bordeaux mixture, Disyston, dilute solution of copper sulphate (blue vitriol)
and other are used against bacterial and fungal infections
(C) Biological control is making use of an organism which kills the pests and the weeds and
protects the crop plants.
(i) Pesticides are poison which remain on the surface of the fruits and vegetables which come
from farms into the market. Fruits and Vegetables should, therefore, be thoroughly washed
before use.
(ii) Pesticides sprayed on plants are washed down with rain and they leach into the soil with
the percolating rainwater. This results in the poisoning of the groundwater.
(iii) Disease causing germs (pests) are also called pathogen.
FLY IN BIOLOGY
1. Locusts are best eliminated by destroying their eggs. Each locust lays 6 to 8
eggs packed in a case in sandy soil. If and when locusts are found visiting a
field in large number, the field is ploughed to bring out the eggs which are
killed by placing them in boiling water.
2. In India DDT (Dichloro Diphenyl trichloro ethane) power developed as

insecticied which as widely used but now its use in limited, almost banned
2-4D stands for Dichlorophenoyx (2- 4) acetic acid
3. Grasshoppers and Locousts are pests for cropsbut food for birds.
7. HARVESTING
Gathering the produce (grains, seeds or fruits) on maturity
of a crop is called harvesting. Matured crop plants are cut
close to the ground by different means. Two of the methods
used for harvesting a crop are :-
(A) Manual Harvesting: is done with hands with
the help of a hand-sickle. This has been a
practice for long and still small marginal
farmers make use of this method. Dry matured
crop plants are cut at the ground level and are
stacked in bundles for threshing. Manual Harvesting
Threshing: is the separation of grains from the
chaff. Threshing is also done in different ways:
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(a) At a time small bundle of crop plants is threshed upon a stone slab, or
(b) Bullocks are made to tread upon the ‘ears’ full of grain as in
Winnowing
Thresher
(B) Mechanised harvesting: is practiced with the help of machines called ‘harvester combine’.
Combine harvests the crop, does threshing and separates husk from the grains simultaneously.
Clean grains come out from the machine which are stacked in gunny bags.
Mechanised harvesting is a convenient and fast process and it helps in harvesting crop well
before the produce is affected by rain. This helps a farmer in storing or transporting the produce
to the market immediately.
8 Storage of farm produce

Storage of Grains : Grains are
 dried well before storage ;
 stored at a dry place away from moisture;
 stored in metallic bins or in silos made from mortar (cement-concrete).
 stored in big godowns called granaries as a big reserve stock meant for Public Distribution
System (PDS) for poor people or as a buffer stock” to meet emergency requirements. Nitrogen
is blown into the granaries to push the oxygen out. Insects and germs do not harm the
grains in the absence of oxygen.
 Moisture in grains or the store rooms promotes the growth of fungus and beetles (specially
weevil) and hence the seeds are drived well before storage, and aresprayed with dry poweder
pesticide.
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CROP IMPROVEMENT
Crop improvement is the selection and development of new varieties of crops which help in increasing
the yield. This is achieved by obtaining crop plants which are;
1. dwarf (short in size) but strong enough to withstand strong winds and lashing rain and may
not fall (lay) down easily;
2. early maturing to reduce cropping duration;
3. resistant to draught so that they may withstand dry period for some good time;
4. resistance to diseases and pests;
5. (a) bearing more seeds per ear (grain bearing spike), and (b) bearing heavy seeds full of food.
Earlier farmers used to select healthy and good quality seeds available in stock and sow them to
raise a crop. From the crop so raised, again better seeds were selected and stored for sowing in the
coming years. This continued from year to year. There was no scientific approach towards crop
improvement.
It was in 1960s that Crop Improvement Programmes were undertaken at National and State levels
with the establishment of Agricultural Research Centres, Agricultural Colleges and Universities.
Till then only the Pusa Institute in Bihar, New Delhi and Haldwani were pursuing basic research in
different fields of agriculture. Then, regular transfer of Scientific Knowledge from the laboratories
to the farmers started. Even today demonstration projects for farmers are being undertaken. As
stated earlier there is a daily programme on Doordarshan (TV) for “Kisaan bhaiyon ke Liye” which
educates Indian farmers with the new scientific approaches.
Ears from wheat and barley
Green Revolution
Though India has been an agricultural country still it has always been short of food because of poor
agricultural practices and poor food and man management. In 1947, when India attained freedom,
our country had to import grains from other countries. It was towards 1963 that the then Prime
Minister of India, Sri Lai Bahadur Shashtri came out with a slogan ‘JAI Jawan Jai Kisan’ and ex-
horted people to cultivate every available piece of land to overcome food shortage. At the same time,
Dr. M.S. Swaminathan introduced Improved Farming Practices and termed it as “Green Revolu-
tion” Dr. N.E. Borlaug, an American scientist and Nobel Peace prize winner (1970) while working
as research scientist at the Rockfeller Foundation Programme (1944-60) in Mexico Developed dwarf,
draught and disease resistant breed of wheat seed which tripled the Mexico’s wheat yield. This
helped India and Pakistan also. Grow More Food is the slogan for green revolution.
Page # 16
Food From Vegetables and Fruits

Production of food is not limited to the cereals and pulses. Vegetables and fruits are a good part of
our food. Salad is a mixture of fruit and vegetables.
 Growing Vegetables
The process of growing vegetables is different from cultivating cereal or pulse crops. Vegetables are
mostly soft, seasonal and herbaceous plants. Their storage life (shelf life) is too short and they need
immediate transportation to market for sale. Only tubers (potato), corms (ol or zamikand), rhizomes
(ginger, turmeric) and bulbs (onion, garlic) can be stored, that too for sometime.
Growth of vegetables is better in compost rich soil, which is moist, airy and porous. Use of fertilizers
for vegetables should be limited. Irrigation of vegetables crops is better done through spray or drip.
Excessive watering may harm and destroy the crop.
Some Seasonal Vegetables
 Growing Fruits
Place where fruit plants are grown is called on ORCHARD. Most fruit plants are trees or shrubs
and they are plantations. Fruits borne on herbs or creepers are mostly vegetables like tomato, brinjal,
luffa, cucurbita, gourd, ladyfinger and others. Fruits on climbers are khira, watermelon, melon, strawberry
or raspberry are eaten as raw fruits.
Each variety of fruit plant is planted and looked after in a different way. Planting of banana and
papaya is different from planting of apple, mango, guava or orange. Seedless varieties of guava and
grapes or superior varieties of apple and mango are grafted plants. Graft is prepared on a rooted cut
shoot (stock) from a wild but sturdy variety on which a cut shoot (scion) from a superior quality
fruit bearing plant is attached.
 Care of the Fruit Plants

Special care is taken of the fruit plants for better growth, flowering and fruit bearing capacity. Fruit
plants are pruned during non-fruiting season. They are sprayed with pesticides for protection against
diseases. They are also sprayed with hormones for better flowering and fruit setting. Then honey
bees are reared in orchards to help pollination for early and fast setting of fruits.
Page # 17
 Management and Marketing of Fruits

Fruit management is systematic and important. It is time bound since fruits mature and perish soon
after plucking. Fruits are packed individually and in cartons and marketed immediately thereafter.
 Storage of Fruits
Fruits are plucked when fully grown but are yet to mature. Unripe fruits are wrapped individually
in old newspaper pieces and then put into crates or they are packed into cartons. These crates and
cartons are then transported to cold storages, located near fruit wholesale markets (mandi) or they
are put on for sale.
 Storage of Vegetables
Tubers (potato), corms (zamikand or alocasia), rhizomes (ginger, turmeric) are put for sale directly
or they are stacked in gunny bags in cold storages.
1. Bulbs such as onion and garlic are not stored in cold storage. They are stocked in airy chambers made from
bamboo.
2. Fruits and tubers, corms or rhizomes are taken out from cold storages from time to time in small lots and
are put on for sale.
3. Green and other fresh vegetables are not stored. They are directly marketed for sale.
FRESH VEGETABLES are stored only for a day or two in domestic refrigerators for immediate
consumption thereafter.
 Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and Vegetables are available only in the season in which they grow. For use during the rest of
the time of the year fresh fruits and vegetables are preserved in different ways. Some of the methods
of preservation are:-
· Dehydration : Most fruits and vegetables are dried and stored for use from time to time.
Some common examples are : Dehydrated (a) peas, (b) peeled unripe mango, (c) apricots,
(d) fig, (e) raisin or currant (kismis), (f) pomegranate and others.
· Pickling : Pickles made from fruits and vegetables are preserved in salt base. It may be
added with oil or citrus juice or acetic acid (vinegar) or fermented rye in addition to spices.
· Jam or jelly: Mostly fruits are preserved in sugary syrup. Mango and Aamla (Emblica) is
commonly preserved as murabba which is sweet and sour in taste. Guava jelly is a common
preserve. Marmalade is whole fruit preserve made from citrus fruits like orange. In
marmalades the outer skin of the fruit is also preserved along with the inner fruit contents
Pickles, Jams and jellies are canned in airtight cans for longer shelf life. Plant Breeding: Breeding is
an exercise for cross pollinating two plants of the same species (type) but with different useful
characteristics on them. Efforts are made through breeding to obtain seeds which may grow into
plants with all the useful and good characters of a crop combined in one.
Page # 18
ANIMAL HUSBANDARY
Cattle Farming
In our country, milk producing animals are cows, buffaloes, goats and camels. The milk of buffalo
contains more fat than cow’s milk. Buffalo and cow are both excellent dairy animals as well as their
males or he-buffaloes and oxen are used for various draught purposes (bullock labour) in agriculture.
Indian cattle belongs to different species Bos indicus i.e., the ox and Bos bubalis i.e., buffalo.
Breeds of cor and buffalo

Breeds of Cow : There are thirty popular breeds of cow in our country. These breeds can be divided
into three categories :
(a) Milch Breeds. Cows of these breeds are high milk yielders and the bullocks are poor for
draught purposes. Some of the good milk giving indigenous breeds are –
(b) Draught Breeds.: These breeds are strong and sturdy. They are the beast of burden used for
ploughing land and transporting material from one place to another. They give less milk.
Some indigenous draught breeds are Nageri, Malvi and Hallikar.
(c) General Utility Breeds (Dual Purpose Breeds). In these breeds, the cows are good milk
yielders and bullocks are good for draught work. Some indigenous breeds used for this
purpose are Haryana, Tharparkar and on gole.
In India, farmers domesticate mainly dual purpose breeds.
The selected excise breeds are :
• Holsiein-frit-Man. From Holland.
• Brown Swiws. From Switzerland, it is a dual purpose breed.
• Jersey. From Jersey (USA).
Breeds of Buffaloes
Buffalo is potentially the most prouctive economic animal. It has a long productive life of above 20
years.
There are about ten breeds of buffaloes in our country. They are the major source of milk in our
country. Some of the high milk yielding buffaloes are :
Page # 19
1. Poultry
The rearing and caring of birds for obtaining eggs and meat for the commercial purpose is
known as poulutry framing.
(i) It includes chickens (owls), ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea-fowls, peafowls, pigeons and quails.
(ii) The egg laying poultry birds are called egger or layer, while the one reared for obtaining
meat is called chicken or broller.
 Poultry Breeds : The indigenous (or desi) hens are Aseel, Kadaknath, Chattisgarh and
Busra. The most popular breed is Aseel. The Peela (golden red), Yakub (black and red),
Nuries (white), Kajal (black) are the most popular varieties of this breed. They possess the
advantage of being hardy (strong) and possess natural immunity against common diseases.
The disadvantages of desi hens are :
• They are smaller in size and slow growing.
• They lay small-sized eggs and less number of eggs (60 eggs per year).
 Aseel (Indian game) provides high quality of meat but it is not a good egg layer. The average
weight of hens varies from 3 to 4 kg and cocks from 4 to 5 kg.
• They are smaller in size and slow growing.
• They lay small-sized eggs and less number of eggs (60 eggs per year).
The high egg yielding exotic breeds of poultry birds which have been successfully acclimatised in
India are- White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Plymouth and Black Minorca. The White Leghorn is
the most popular egg breed all over the world, because it has small sized body and therefore, it
requires less feed for its maintenance. Rhode Island Red (It was developed on the farm of Rhode
Island in U.S.A) is also good egg layer and broiler (meat yielding).
 Variety Improvement
It involves cross breeding the indigenous varieties with exotic breeds. The improved varieties
are developed for the following desirable traits :
(i) To improve the quality and quantity of chicks.
(ii) To develop dwarf broiler parent for commercial chick production for tolerance to high
temperature (summer adaptation capacity).
Page # 20
(iii) To develop breeds which have low maintenance requirements.

(iv) To develop varieties which utilize more cheap fibrous diet formulated by using agricultural
products.
 Eggs Production
Egg production is the most important economic aspect of poultry. Hen (female fowl) raised
for egg production are called layers. Young birds are vaccinated. They are debeaked twice
for reducing the chances of injury, when birds fight amongst themselves. They start laying
eggs at the age of 20 weeks. The egg production period in commercial layers is 500 days.
When egg production becomes uneconomical, the layers are sold for slaughtering.
 Broiler Production
Broilers are quick growing table birds which are raised for about 7-8 weeks of age when
they attain a weight of 700 gm-1-5 kg. They are generally males but can also be females.
They are sold in fresh or frozen form after dressing (removal of feathers, head and feet).
Broilers are fed with vitamin rich supplementary feed for good growth rate and better feed
efficiency. Some broilers convert 4 kg of feed into 1.5 - 2.0 kg of body weight. Special xare is
also taken to avoid mortality and maintain feathering and carcass quality.
 Poultry Care
To produce good quality birds, good management practices are required which are different
for broilers and layers. These include poultry feed, hygienic conditions in housings^
maintenance of temperature, prevention and control of diseases as well as pests.
 Housing, Shelter and Feed
(a) Growers. The young growing birds before the attainment of sexual maturity are called
growers. This is the first phase in the life cycle. During this period they should be given
proper feed (but in restricted and calculated manner) and enough space to move about.
Overcrowding retards their growth.
(b) Layers. The period from sexual maturity till the end of egg laying is known as saying period
and the birds are called layers- They also require enough space and good light. The light
intensity and its duration has positive effect on yield (egg laying). The feed should be rich in
vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. It influences hatchability of eggs.
Page # 21
Various diseases of poultry and their causative organism.

Disease Causative organism
Cholera Bacteria
Diarrhoea of Chick Bacteria
Tuberculosis Bacteria
Aspergillosis Fungus
Ranikhet Virus
Bird Flu Virus
 Prevention of Poultry Diseases

Many of the poultry diseases can be prevented by using following measures :
• The poultry birds should be kept in good spacious, airy and ventilated shelter.
• The shelter should be cleaned properly and regularly. Quick and hygienic disposal of excreta
should be ensured.
• External parasites should be controlled, preferably by applying dilute insecticide solution.
Disinfectant should be sprayed to kill mosquitoes and other external parasites.
• Every animal should be vaccinated at regular interval to immunise it against common
infections and diseases
2. Fisheries
The rearing of fish on a large scale is called pisciculture.
(i) The fish eggs are introduced into small ponds called hatcheries.
(ii) Fish is a rich source of proteins and oils. These are a good source of vitamin A and vitamin D.
(iii) Fresh water fishes : Catla, Rohu and Mrigal.
(iv) Marine fishes : Tuna, Cod and Pomfret.
In hatcheries, fries hatch out of eggs which are transferred to a larger culture pond where they
get proper food, light and oxygen. The fishes are harvested when they attain the required size.
Fisheries are of two types, capture and culture.
(i) Capture Fishery : The fish is caught from natural waters, both marine and inland. Modern
technology is used in capturing offish and its storage before marketing. Electronic equipment is
used for locating fish in sea. Mechanised fishing boats and deep sea trawlers have been
introduced.
(ii) Culture Fishery : It is cultivating, rearing and harvesting of fish. Culture fishery is also called
fish farming or pisciculture. The growing of various types of aquatic organisms in water bodies
is called aquaculture
On the basis of type of water, Fisheries two types
 Marine Fisberies : They are fish catching areas found in sea. Marine fisheries are of three
types - coastal, offshore and deep sea. Culture of marine fishes, prawns and sea food is called
mariculture.
Page # 22
 Inland Fisheries : Inland fisheries deal with the fishery aspects of fresh and brackish water
(sea water flows in and get mixed with fresh water. Inland fishery provides about 50% of total
fish production in the country. Inland fisheries may be divided into culture fisheries called
pisciculture and capture fishereisi (it is simple operation that involves only harvesting or catching
without sowing.
3. Apiculture
Be keeping or anculture (Lapis — bee, culturare—cultivate) is the rearing, care and management
of honey bees for obtaining honey, wax and other substances.
Honey is a viscous, sweet, aromatic syrup formed from the nectar of flowers, collected modified
chemically and concentrated by the worker bees. It contains 20-40% sugar, 60-80% moisture,
0.22-0.3% minerals, 0.2 - 0.5% vitamins, propolis, enzymes and pollen grains.
The sugars in honey are glucose, fructose, sucrose and dextrin. The uses of honey are :
1. It has medicinal value for correcting disorders related to digestion, dysentery, vomiting, stomach
and liver ailments.
2. It helps in growth due to presence of iron and calcium.
3. It is used as a sweetner in confectionary tems.
4. Honey is a tonic and immediate source of energy.
5. It helps in building up haemoglobin.
Besides honey, other products of bee keeping are bees wax, propolis, bee venom and royal jelly.
Bee wax is used in cosmetics, creams and ointments. Propolis (resin from plants) is antiseptic
and antibiotic. Bee venom is used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
 Common Species of Honey Bees. There are three common species of honey bees in our country
which are used for commercial production of honey. These are
1. Apis indica – India Bee
2. Apis dorsata – Rock Bee
3. Apis florae — Little Bee
An exotic variety from Italy has been domesticated in India to increase yield of honey. This
variety is Apis mellifera which is commonly known as Italian or European Bee.
 Colony of Honey Bee : Honey bees are social, polymorphic insects which live in colonies in
nests or hives. Different tasks are done by different groups of bees in the same colony. In a
colony of Italian honey bee, there are 200 - 300 drones, 40,000 - 1,00,000 workers and one
queen. The colony of honey bees has, therefore,
three types of castes.
 Queen : She is the supreme bee in a colony

because all the activities in the hive revolve
around her. She is the “mother of the colony”.
She normally lives for 2-5 years. Queen does
nothing except laying eggs. She depends for food
Page # 23
on worker bees. She lays about 2000 eggs in a day. The eggs are both fertilized and unfertilized.
Drones emerge out from unfertilized eggs whereas both queen and workers emerge out from
fertilized eggs.
 Drones. These are smaller but stouter than the queen. They are males of the colony. They also
depend for food on worker bees. Their sole function is to fertilize the young queen. During
breeding season, they are well fed by workers but after breeding season, they are neglected and
eventually driven out of the hive to die of hunger and heat.
 Workers. They are the most active members of the colony. They are female by instinct but
cannot reproduce. Workers live for 3-12 months. The function of workers changes with age.
During the first half of their life workers are engaged in indoor duties as scavengers, nurse bees,
fanner bees and guard bees. During the second half they perform outside duties as scout bees
and forager bees.
FLY IN BIOLOGY
(i) Parthenocarpy : The formation of fruit without fertilization is called as
parthenocarpy ex = banana.
(ii) The development of organisms without fertilization is called as
parthenogenesis
Ex = male hoenybees called as drones, Drones develops from the
unfertilized egg (n) without fertilization i.e. parthenogenesis ,
Queen and workers develops from fertilized egg.
The worker bees of a hive fall under three major age groups. These are :
(a) Scavenger Bees. For the first three days, each worker bee acts as a scavenger, cleaning the
walls and floor of empty cells of the colony for reuse.
(b) Nurse Bees. From the fourth day onwards, each worker bee feeds the earlier brood, like a
foster mother, with a mixture of honey and pollen. By seventh day it starts producing royal
jelly, which is fed to queen and future queen bees. Nurse bees also perform guard duties. They
defend the colony from intruders. They kill the intruder by stinging but also get killed with the
loss of sting.
(c) Foraging or Field Bees, They explore new sources of nectar (as scout bees). Forager bees collect
nectar, pollen and propolis. Nectar is changed into honey in their crops.
Management of High Yield of Honey

To produce honey at commercial level, the Italian variety of honey bee (Apis mellifera) is
commonly used. This variety is domesticated in our country. It is preferred because
(a) It is gentle in nature
(b) It has good honey collection capacity
(c) It has the ability to protect itself from enemies and
(d) Prolific queen with less swarming.
Page # 24
To obtain good quality and high yield of honey, the following points should be considered
(a) Bee-hive. It is a box raised over a stand. The box has a wire gauze covered brood chamber for
egg laying and a multiframe honey chamber for honey collection as honey reserve.
(b) Pasturage/Crop/Flora. Quality and quantity of honey depend upon the flora or pasturage
available for nectar and pollen collection. Pasturage is different in different geographical regions
and locations, plains and mountains. Honey bees collect nectar from these crops/flora.
(c) Apiary Location. The place where bees are raised and bred to get honey is called apiary. Apiary
has a number of behives. It should be set at such a place where there is abundance of flora/
pasturage available within 1– 2 km radius for honey collection.
(d) Honey Flow and Season. To obtain large amount of honey, apiaries should be established, at a
location where there is abundance of flowers for longer duration. This will help bees to collect
nectar and pollens in larger amount which is ultimately converted into honey. The total time
period during which honey bees collect nectar and pollen, is called honey flow period.
(e) Swarming. Swarming is part of the reproductive cycle in honey bees. As a young bee is ready to
take over the function of queen, the old queen alongwith a sizable population of workers, leave
the hive to build a new colony. This process is called swarming. Frequent transfers result in low
yield of honey. The maintenance cost of hives is also increased.
(f) Selection of Variety. As swarming increases cost of honey production as welFas lesser yield,
the variety selected for bee keeping should have less swarming. A. mellifera is a less swarming
species.
(g) Site for Bee Keeping. A good site for apiary is the one which has good pasturage and long
honey flow period.
Disease Causal organism Organisms affected

Foot and mouth disease Virus Cattle
Anthrax Bacteria Cattle, Humans
Ranikhet Virus Poultry birds
Fowl cholera and fowl Bacteria Poultry birds
typhoid
FLY IN BIOLOGY
White revolution : This is related to increased milk production. Father of
white revolution is Dr. V. Kurien.
Silver revolution : This is related to incresed egg production.
Blue revolution : This is related to increased fish production
Page # 25
NCERT QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS
1. Give two example of each

(a) Kharif crop (b) Rabi crop
Ans. Kharif crop (Rice, maize), rabi cro (wheat, gram)
2. 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: Preparation of the soil involves loosening and turning the soil. This pro-
cess is known as ploughing, is done by using a wooden or iron plough which pulls the soil.
The pulled soil is then levelled by using a wooden or iron leveller.
(b) Sowing: Seeds are sown after preparation of the soil. Seeds can be sown manually or by seed
drills by the process called broadcasting. Seeds should be sown at the correct depth and
at correct distance.
(c) Weeding: The process of removing weeds from a field is called weeding. Weeding can be done
manually by pulling the weeds out by hand or by using a harrow to uproot them. Weeding
can also be done by spraying special chemicals called weedicides.
(d) Threshing: The process of separating the grains from the cut crop, known as threshing. Thresh-
ing can be done manually by making oxen or buffaloes trample over the cut crop or by using
a machine called thresher.
3. If wheat is sown in the Kharif season, what would happen? Discuss.

Ans. The farmer will not get a good crop because wheat should be sown in winter season.
4. Explain how soil gets affected by the continuous plantation of crops in a field.
Ans. When the crops are planted continuously in a field, the soil becomes deficient in nutrients.
5. What is irrigation? Describe two methods of irrigation which conserve water.

Ans. Supply of water to crops at appropriate intervals is called Irrigation.
Two methods of irrigation are:
(i) Sprinkler system - Where it sprinkles on the crops as if it is raining.
(ii) Drip system - In this system, the water falls drop by drop just at the position of the roots.
6. Arrange the following boxes in proper order to make a flow chart of sugar cane crop production:
Page # 26
Ans. 1. Preparation of soil 2. Ploughing the field

3. Sowing 4. Irrigation
5. Manuring 6. Harvesting
7. Sending are different from manure
7. How fertilizers are different from manure?

Ans. S.No. Sources Nutrients Types
1 Air Carbon, Oxygen. Macro nutrientds
2 Water Hydrogen. Macro nutrients. Macro nutrients.
3 Soil Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Micro nutrients.
Potassium, Sulphur,
Calcium, Magnesium
8. What are weeds? How can we control them?

Ans. They are unwanted plants which grow along with a cultivated crop in a field. There are
several methods to control weeds like:
(a) Mechanical methods
(b) Chemical methods
(c) Biological methods
Page # 27
HOME WORK ASSIGNMENT
Very short answer type questions

1. What are crops and on what basis they are classified?
2. What are khant crops? Define with examples.
3. What are summer crops? Name them.
4. What are rabi crops? Name them.
5. Why paddy cannot be grown in the summer season?
6. What is mean by agricultural practices?
7. What name is given to loosening and tuming of soil?
8. Name the tool used for tilling of soil.
9. What are crumbs? How are they broken?
10. What is organic farming?
11. What is meant by crop rotation?
12. What is meant by sowing?
13. Why should weeds be removed?
14. What are weeds? Define weedicides.
15. What are pesticides?
16. Name the farm machine used for both harvesting and threshing.
17. What is threshing?
18. What is meant by winnowing?
19. Why should grains be dried before storage?
20. What is meant by animal husbandry?
Short answer type questions

1. What are the three steps involved in the preparation of soil?
2 Give two advantages of ploughing the field before sowing.
3. Name three natural methods of replenishing the nutirents of the soil. Are these natural methods sufficient
to maintain the fertility of the soil?
4. What is meant by “field fallow”? A farmer never leaves his field fallow. Will he get a good crop?
5. (a) What is broadcasting in agricultural practices?
(b) Enumerate two methods by which harvesting of crops can be done.
6. How is transplantation useful to the farmer?
7. What is a seed drill?
Page # 28
8. Why are earthworms known as nature’s ploughmen?

9. What are the advantages of sprinkler system of irrigation?
Long answer type questions

1. What are the difference between rabi and kharif crops? Give one example each from rabi and kharif
crops?
2. Why does farmer rotate crops in the field?
3. Give the advantages and disadvantages of using manure.
4. What will happen if the field is not ploughed before sowing the seeds? Give any two disadvantages.
5. Define irrigation. Discuss its importance and the various ways in which water is supplied to the
fields.
6. Write a paragraph in your own words on each of the following:
(a) Hoe (b) Crumbs (c) Manure (d) Harvesting
7. (a) How are crops protected from pests?
(b) What precautions should be observed while spraying pesticides in the field?
8. Why proper storage of food grains is important? How is it done?
9. What do you mean by pisciculture? Explain with examples the types of fishes found.
10. What is apiculture? How many types of honey bees are there?
True or false
1. Fertilizers are nutrient specific.
2. Rice is a leguminous plant.
3. Sowing of seeds by sprinkling them by hand is called broadcasting.
4. Earthworms are a big menace to farmers.
5. Excessive use of fertilizers may lead to eutrophication.
6. Cattle do not suffer from bacterial diseases.
7. Milch animals require roughage in their diet.
8. Feed of poultry includes proteinaceous diet.
9. In India, many festivals are associated with harvesting season.
10. Rearing of fish on large scale is called pisciculture.
Page # 29
Fill in the blanks

1. The practice of growing fruits, vegetable, flowers and ornamental plants is called_____________
2. _____________crops require lot of water.
3. _____________crops are harvested in March-April.
4. _____________is a process to loosen soil.
5. _____________prevents the loose soil from being eroded by water or air.
6. The process of scattering the seeds in the soil is called_____________
7. Shifting of tiny saplings from the nursery to a field is called_____________
8. _____________are chemical substances rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
9. A combine machine can _____________ and _____________ at the same time.
10. Grains are separated from the chaft and hay by a method called _____________
11. Cattle may suffer from a viral disease called _____________
12. Hen, _____________ and _____________ are reared in poultry farms.
13. Rearing, breeding and management of fish on a large scale is called _____________
14. _____________ is a marine fish, while _____________ is a fresh water fish.
15. In a beehive, only _____________ lays eggs.
Match the column

1.
Column-I Column-II
(1) Rice (a) Broadcasting
(2) Wheat (b) Fertilizers
(3) Sowing seeds (c) Rabi crop
(4) NPK (d) Kharif crop
2.
Column-I Column-II
(1) Plough (a) Sowing of seeds
(2) Hoe (b) An irrigation system
(3) Cultivator (c) Manual harvesting
(4) Seed drill (d) Loosening and tuming of soil
(5) Moat (e) Used for spraying weedicide
(6) Sickle (f) Removing weeds
(7) Sprayer (g) Combined harvester and thresher
(8) Combine (h) Tractor driven tilling device
Page # 30
3.
Column-I Column-II
(1) Green plants (a) Ploughing
(2) Sowing of seeds (b) Seed drill
(3) Enhances water (c) Silos
holding capacity
(4) NPK (d) Eutrophication
(5) Excessive use of (e) Autotrophs
fertilizers
ANSWERS
True or false
1. True 2. False 3. True 4. False 5. True
6. False 7. True 8. True 9. True 10. True
Fill in the blanks

1. horticulture 2. Kharif 3. Rabi 4. Ploughing/Tilling
5. Levelling 6. broadcasting 7. transplantation
8. Fertilizers 9. harvest, thresh 10. winnowing
11. Foot and mouth disease 12. ducks, turkey
13. pisciculture 14. Tuna, Catla 15. Queen bee
Match the column

1. (1)  d (2)  c (3)  a (4)  b
2. (1)  d (2)  f (3)  h (4)  a (5)  b
(6)  c (7)  e (8)  g
3. (1)  e (2)  b (3)  a (4)  c (5)  d
Page # 31
MCQ EXERICSE
1. The science of improving crop varieties is called (a) fertiliser (b) fungicide
(a) Plant breeding (b) Hybridization (c) herbicide (d) manure
(c) Selection (d) Introduction 10. Plants get their nitrogen from the soil as
2. Horticulture deals with (a) nitrates (b) nitrogen dioxide
(a) production of crops (c) nitrogen oxide (d) nitric acid
(b) breeding of animals 11. Vermicompositing involves
(c) study of soil (a) cockroach (b) earthworm
(d) production of fruits and vegetables (c) leech (d) roundworm
3. Which of the following is a rabi crop? 12. Chemical substances rich in specific nutrients
(a) Paddy (b) Cotton are called
(c) Mustard (d) Maize (a) manures (b) fertilisers
4. Paddy can be grown in (c) pesticides (d) weedicides
(a) summer (b) autumn 13. Which one of the following is not a method to
(c) rainy season (d) winter maintain the fertility of soil?
5. Wheat can be grown in (a) Crop rotation
(a) winter (b) rainy season (b) Biofertilizers
(c) spring (d) summer (c) Field fallow method
6. Loosening and turning of the soil is known as (d) Successive cropping
(a) tilling (b) broadcasting 14. Leaving the agricultural land uncultivated for
one or more seasons is known as
(c) transplantation (d) manuring
(a) field fallow (b) crop rotation
7. Which one of the following is not true about
ploughing? (c) manuring (d) threshing
(a) Loosens the soil 15. Sowing the seeds manually is known as
(b) Aerates the soil (a) ploughing (b) broadcasting
(c) Makes the soil hard (c) tilling (d) transplantation
(d) Allows easy penetration of roots into the 16. The method of transfering seedings from
soil nursery to field is known as
8. The big pieces of soil in the ploughed field are (a) broadcasting (b) transplantation
called (c) crop rotation (d) harvesting
(a) crumbs (b) flakes 17. The unwanted wild plants growing along with
(c) lumps (d) all of these the crop plants are called
9. Organic substances obtained from the (a) seedlings (b) weeds

decomposition of dead plants and animals (c) minor crops (d) grasses
wastes are called
Page # 32
18. Chemicals which kill weeds are known as (a) winnowing (b) hybridisation
(a) fertilisers (b) pesticides (c) threshing (d) harvesting
(c) weedicides (d) none of these 24. Which one of the following cause(s) plant
19. Which preventive measure(s) avoid use of disease?
pesticides? (a) Viruses (b) Bacteria
(a) Crop rotation (c) Fungi (d) All of these
(b) Use of pest resistant varieties of crop plant 25. Cattle feed should contain
(c) Summer ploughing (a) roughage (b) concentrate
(d) All of these (c) both (a) and (b) (d) none of these
20. Chemical substances which are used to kill 26. Broilers are maintained for getting
insects are called (a) milk (b) egg
(a) fungicide (b) insecticide (c) meat (d) leather
(c) weedicide (d) all of these 27. Rearing and breeding of fish in pond and tank
21. The process of cutting of crop after its is called
maturation is (a) aquaculture (b) fishing
(a) threshing (b) harvesting (c) pisciculture (d) apiculture
(c) winnowing (d) none of these 28. Males of honey bee colony are called
22. Which of the following machines would you (a) Drone (b) Workers
use to harvest a crop as well as to beat out the
(c) Soldiers (d) All of these
grains from the chaff?
29. Ranikhet is a disease that affects
(a) Mechanical harvester
(a) firsh (b) poultry
(b) Combine
(c) cattle (d) sheep
(c) Thresher
30. The techniques of fish breeding, hatching and
(d) Harrow
growing resulted in ________ revolution.
23. Separating the grain from chaff by wind is
(a) green (b) silver
called
(c) blue (d) white
ANSWER KEY
1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (a)
6. (a) 7. (c) 8. (a) 9. (d) 10. (c)
11. (b) 12. (b) 13. (d) 14. (a) 15. (b)
16. (b) 17. (b) 18. (c) 19. (d) 20. (b)
21. (b) 22. (b) 23. (a) 24. (d) 25. (c)
26. (c) 27. (c) 28. (a) 29. (b) 30. (c)
Page # 33
KEY POINTS FOR OLYMPIAD
 Man obtains his food from plants as well as animals.
 Plants are grown on a large scale in vast fields because the food grains produced by them are
consumed in large amounts. Wheat and rice.
 The animals such as cow and buffalo are reared to obtain milk whereas goat, fish and hen are used
Meat and eggs.
 Based on the seasons (in which they grow well), all the crops are categorised into two main groups:
Kharif crops, and Rabi crops.
 The crops which are sown in the rainy season are called kharif crops.
 Kharif crops are : Paddy, Maize, Millet, Soyabean, Groundnut and Cotton. Also called ‘summer
crops’
 The crops grown in the winter season are called rabi crops. Wheat, Gram (Chana), Peas, Mustard,
and Linseed.
 The growing of plants (or crops) in the fields for obtaining food (like wheat, rice, etc). is called
agriculture.
 The various tasks performed by a farmer to produce a good crop are called agricultural practices.
1. Preparation of soil 2. Sowing
3. Adding manure and fertilisers, 4. Irrigation.
5. Removal of weeds, 6. harvesting, and
7. Storage of food grains.
 The soil is prepared for sowing the seeds of the crop by (i) ploughing, (ii) levelling, and (iii) mansuring.
 The process of loosening and turning the soil is called ploughing (or tilling).
the ploughed soil is levelled. by pressing it with a wooden leveller (or an iron leveller) so that the
top soil is not blown away by wind or drained off by water (and soil erosion is prevented).
 The levelling of ploughed soil is benefical because of the following reasons:

‘Manuring’ means ‘adding manure to the soil’.
 Manuring is done to increase the fertility of the soil before seeds are sown into it.
 The process of cattering seeds (or putting seeds) in the ground soil for grwoing the crop plants is
called sowing.
 Good quality seeds are clean and healthy seeds free from infection and diseases.
 The sowing of seeds by hand (or manually) is called broadcasting.
 The implement used for sowing is a seed drill.
Page # 34
 A seed drill is along iron tube having a funnel at the top. The seed drill is tied to back of the plough
and seeds are put into the funnel of the seed drill.
 The process of tranferring the seedlings from the nursery to the main field by hand is called
transplantastion or transplating. repeated grwoing of crops in the same field removes a lot of
precious mineral elements, organic matter and other materials from the soil.
 The deficiency of plant nutrients and organic matter in the soil is made up by adding manures and
fertilisers to the soil.
 A manure is a natural substance obtained by the decompostion of animal wastes like cow-dung,
human wastes, and plant residues, which supplies essential elements and humus to the soil and
makes it more fertile.
 Manures provide a lot of organic matter like humus to the soil. and the humus imporves the physi-
cal and chemical properties of the soil. A manure improves the soil texture for better retention of
water and aeration.
 A chemical fertiliser is a salt or an organic compound containing the necessary plant nutrients like
nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium, to make the soil more fertile of fertilisers are : Urea, Ammo-
nium sulphate, Superphosphate, Potash and NPK (N = Nitrogen ; P = Phosphorus ; K = Potassium)
 The chemical fertilisers have plant nutrients in a concentrated form, So, they provde quick
replenishement of plant nutrients in the soil and restore its fertility.
 The excessive use of fertilisers is harmful Chemical nature of soil and makes the soil less fertilie.
 The excessive use of fertilisers causes water pollution in pounds,
 The practice in which different types of crops (leguminous rops and non-leguminous crops) are
grown alternatiely in the same field or soil is called crop rotation.
 The process of supplying water to crop plants in the fields is called irrigation.
 Paddy crop (rice crop) is tranplanted in standing water and requires continuous irrigation whereas
other crops like wheat, gram (chana) and cotton, etc., do not require so much water.
 Crops grown is sandy soil need irrigation more frequently whereas the frequency of irrigation for
the crops grown in a clayey soil is comparatively less.
 Due to the poor water retaining capacity of the sandy soil, the crops cultivated in sandy soil need
more frequent irrigation.
Due to better water retaining capacity of the clayey soil, the crops cultivated in clayey soil , the
crops cultivated in clayey soil need irrigation less frequently. the frequency of irrigation (or water-
ing) of the crops is higher in summer season.
 Crops are supplied water for irrigation from different sources like: Rivers, Canals, Wells, Tube -
wells, Dams (Reservoirs), Ponds and Lakes.
 The unwanted plants (or wild plants) which grow alongwith a cultivated crop are called weeds.
 The process of removing weeds (unwanted plants) from a crop field is called weeding.
 The best time for the removal of weeds is before they produce flowers and seeds.
 The poisonous chemicals which are used to kill weeds (unwanted plants) in the fields are called
weedicides. 2, 4 - D, MCPA and Butachlor.
Page # 35
 The cutting and gathering of the matured food crop is called harvesting.
 The process of beating out the grains from the harvested crop plants is called threshing.
 The process of separating grain from chaff and hay with the help of wind is called winnowing.
 A combine is a huge machine which cuts the standing cereal crop (like wheat) in the fields, threshes
it and separates the chaff from grain in one operation. the food grains (like wheat) obtained by
harvesting the crops dried in the sunshine before storing, to reduce their moisture.
 The food provided by animals consists of Milk, Eggs, and Meat.
 The examples of milk yielding animals for milch animals ) are : Cow, Buffain and Goat.
Meat and egg yielding animals are : Goat, Sheep, Fish, and Poultry (Chicken, Hen and Duck),
Poultry gives us meat as well as eggs.
 The branch of agriculture which deals with the feeding, shelter, health and breeding of domestic
animals is called animal husbandry.
 Fish is rich in proteins. It is a highly nutritious easily digestible food. Fish liver oil is rich in vitamin
A and vitamin D. For example, Cod liver oil. (or Cod fish liver oil) is rich in vitamin A and vitamin
D. We are now in a position to answer.
Page # 36
OLYMPIAD DRILL 8. The science of improving crop varieties is

1. Which of the following should come in the called–
box 'X' in the given sequence ? (a) Plant breedling (b) Hybridization
Ploughing ? Levelling ? manuring ? Sowing (c) Selection (d) Introduction
seeds ? X
9. Grain stocked for emergencies is called :-
(a) Broadcasting (b) Transplanting
(a) surplus stock (b) storage
(c) Irrigation (d) Drilling
(c) buffer stock (d) regular
2. Which of the following crops would enrich
the soil with nitrogen ? 10. The crop that requires more irrigation is :-
(a) Apple (b) Pea (a) wheat (b) rice
(c) Paddy (d) Potato (c) maize (d) jowar
3. Eutrophication means : 11. Operation flood is otherwise called :-
(a) toxication of water by fertilisers (a) green revolution (b) white revolution
(b) decrease the growth of algae (c) black revolution (d) yellow revolution
(c) increase in the fertility of the soil 12. Match the following with correct answers :-
a. Kharif crops I. Wheat
(d) all of the above
b. Rabi crops II. Ploughing
4. Besides carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, the
synthesis of proteins by plants require :- c. Tilling III. Harvesting
I. Magnesium II. Nitrogen d. Combine IV. Paddy
III. Potassium (a) a - I, b - II, c - III, d - IV
(a) I only (b) III only (b) a - IV, b - I, c - II, d - III
(c) II only (d) II and III only (c) a - IV, b - III, c - II, d - I
5. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria can be found in :- (d) a - III, b - IV, c - I, d - II
I. the soil II. root nodules 13. To prevent seed-borne diseases the seeds
must be :-
III. leaves
(a) sown at right depth
(a) I only (b) I and II only
(b) spaced at right depth
(c) II and III only (d) I, II and III
(c) sown in highly wet soil
6. Which of the following crops seedlings need
to be transplanted? (d) treated with fungicide solutions
(a) Wheat (b) Potato 14. Horticulture deals with –
(c) Mustard (d) Rice (a) Production of crops
7. Identify the correct sequence in farming :- (b) Breeding of animals
(a) Sowing  tilling  irrigation  manur- (c) Study of soil

ing (d) Production of fruits and vegetables.
(b) Sowing  tilling  manuring  irriga- 15. Which one of the following is not true about
tion ploughing –
(c) Tilling  sowing  irrigation  manur- (a) Loosens the soil
ing (b) Aerates the soil
(d) Tilling  sowing  manuring  irriga- (c) Makes the soil hard
tion
(d) Allows easy penetration of roots into the
soil
Page # 37
16. Rearing and breeding of fish in pond and tank 22. Denitrifying bacteria givea out –
is called – (a) Carbon (b) Nitrogen
(a) Aquaculture (b) Fishing (c) Oxygen (d) Hydrogen
(c) Pisciculture (d) Apiculture 23. Plants get their nitrogen from the soil as –
17. Organic substances obtaine d from the de- (a) Nitrates (b) Nitrogen dioxide
composition of dead plants and animals (c) Nitrogen oxide (d) Nitric acid
wastes are called–
24. First cultivated crop plants were –
(a) Fertiliser (b) NPK
(a) Cereal crop (b) Pulses
(c) Herbicide (d) Manure
(c) Fodder crop (d) Fibre crop
18. Biological methods of pest control involve –
25. Transplantation is –
(a) Spraying chemicals to kill plants
(a) Process of scattering the seed.
(b) Killing pests by using other organisms
(b) Process of loosening and turning of soil
(c) Spraying DDT
(c) Process of shifting of tiny saplings from
(d) Weeding the nursery to a field
19. Which one of the following is not a method (d) None of these
to maintain the fertility of soil.
26. Which preventive measure(s) avoid use of
(a) Crop rotation pesticides–
(b) Multiple cropping (a) Crop rotation
(c) Fallow method (b) Use of pest resistant varieties of crop plant
(d) Ploughing (c) Summer ploughing
20. Which one of the following can be used to (d) All of these
prevent the disease called rust in wheat?
27. Chemical substances which are used to kill
(a) An insecticide (b) A rodenticide insects–
(c) A fungicide (d) A herbicide (a) Fungicide (b) Insecticide
21. Which of the following is not a method of (c) Weedicide (d) All of these
irrigation?
28. Process of cutting of crop after its maturation–
(a) Drip irrigation (b) Sprinkler (a) Threshing (b) Harvesting
(c) Nursery (d) Canals (c) Winnowing (d) None of these
ANSWER KEY
1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. (c) 5. (b)
6. (d) 7. (d) 8. (a) 9. (c) 10. (b)
11. (b) 12. (b) 13. (d) 14. (d) 15. (c)
16. (c) 17. (d) 18. (b) 19. (d) 20. (c)
21. (c) 22. (b) 23. (a) 24. (a) 25. (c)
26. (d) 27. (b) 28. (b)
Page # 38

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CHAPTER

1 CROP PRODUCTION &

Food for Man

AGRICULTURE AND FRAMING

Seasonal Crops and Plantations

Kharif Crops Rabi Crops Zayed crops

FOOD PRODUCTION AND FARM MANAGEMENT

Weeding and crop

Storage Transportation Grain market

(1) Preparation of Soil

SEEDS, Selection and breeding

(2) Sowing of seeds

Precautions during sowing seeds

 Hoe : This is used for removing weeds and for loosening

Cultivator driven by a tractor

(3) MAKING SOIL FERTILE, manuring and rotation of crop

 Organic Farming and Vermiculature : Farmers are being

4. Weeding, removing unwanted plants

Weeding (removal of weeds) is done by:

Fig. Traditional methods of irrigation

Disadvantages of traditional ways of irrigation

(b) Modern methods of irrigation

 Drip system or trickle irrigation

 Other irrigation systems in India

Dug well - Water is lifted up by bullock.

(ii) birds and wild animals: Farmers put up a scarecrow or

(B) Protection from Germs : Germs are parasites on crops and

2. In India DDT (Dichloro Diphenyl trichloro ethane) power developed as

8 Storage of farm produce

Ears from wheat and barley

Food From Vegetables and Fruits

 Care of the Fruit Plants

 Management and Marketing of Fruits

 Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables

Breeds of cor and buffalo

(iii) To develop breeds which have low maintenance requirements.

Various diseases of poultry and their causative organism.

 Prevention of Poultry Diseases

 Queen : She is the supreme bee in a colony

Management of High Yield of Honey

Disease Causal organism Organisms affected

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS

1. Give two example of each

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

3. If wheat is sown in the Kharif season, what would happen? Discuss.

5. What is irrigation? Describe two methods of irrigation which conserve water.

Ans. 1. Preparation of soil 2. Ploughing the field

7. How fertilizers are different from manure?

8. What are weeds? How can we control them?

HOME WORK ASSIGNMENT

Very short answer type questions

Short answer type questions

8. Why are earthworms known as nature’s ploughmen?

Long answer type questions

Fill in the blanks

Match the column

Fill in the blanks

Match the column

5. Wheat can be grown in (a) Crop rotation

(a) winter (b) rainy season (b) Biofertilizers

(c) spring (d) summer (c) Field fallow method

6. Loosening and turning of the soil is known as (d) Successive cropping