AAA-BRIGHT ACADEMY

AGRICULTURE
PRELIMINARY QUESTION
PAPER AND OTHER
IMPORTANT TOPICS
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LECTURE -3

PUNJAB PATWARI MAINS

AGRICULTURE
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STATUS OF FOOD PROCESSING IN INDIA
• India is the world's second largest producer of fruits &
vegetables after China but hardly 2% of the produce is
processed.
• In spite of a large production base, the level of processing is low
(less than 9.99%). Approximately 2% of fruits and vegetables,
8% marine, 35% milk, 6% poultry are processed. Lack of
adequate processable varieties continues to pose a significant
challenge to this sector.
• India's livestock population is largest in the world with 50% of
the world's buffaloes and 20% of cattle, but only about 1% of
total meat production is converted to value added products.
• More than 75% of the industry is in unorganized sector.
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PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN SAMPADA YOJANA (PMKSY)
PROJECTS UNDER PMKSY
• Mega Food Park
• Cold Chain
• Agro Processing Culture
• Unit Schemes
• Backward and Forward Linkages
• Operation Green

There are total 41 Mega Food Parks and 22 are

Operational
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MEGA FOOD PARKS IN PUNJAB

• International Mega Food Park, Dabwala Kalan village
,Fazilka, Punjab.
• M/s Sukhjit Mega Food Park & Infra Ltd., Village Rehana
Jattan, Tehsil Phagwara,distt Kapurthala, Punjab.
• M/s Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Ltd. (PAIC),
Ladhowal, Ludhiana, Punjab
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SOIL NUTRIENTS
• There are a total of 17 nutritive elements, which are necessary for the growth
of plants.
MACRO AND MICRO-NUTRIENTS
IN SOIL SYSTEM
BASIC NUTRIENTS: The basic nutrients
are — Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and
Oxygen (O). These elements are
obtained from air and water.
Compounds made of these elements are
called Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates
provide strength to cells. Therefore, they
are called sources of energy for plants
and for organisms who consume plants.
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MACRO-NUTRIENTS
This is further divided into:
• Primary nutrients: These consist of Nitrogen, Phosphorus
and Potassium. These nutrients are supplied through fertilisers.
• Secondary nutrients: They include Calcium, Magnesium and
Sulphur.

MICRO-NUTRIENTS
They are also known as minor or trace elements. They include Iron
(Fe), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Chlorine (Cl), Boron
(B) Molybdenum (Mo) and Nickel (Ni).
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PLANT NUTRIENTS
ROLE OF NUTRIENTS IN PLANTS
• Plant nutrients can be classified according to
their function or importance in plant life
development and production. This
classification includes structural nutrients;
accessory nutrients; regulators and carriers;
and catalyst and activators.

STRUCTURAL NUTRIENTS
• These are of vital importance and required in
large quantities and mostly available
naturally. These nutrients include Carbon
(C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O2).
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ACCESSORY STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

• These are also called ‘macro-elements’, which can be
supplied through manures and fertilisers. These are
essential for the growth and production of plants and
formation of proteins. These are nitrogen, phosphorus and
sulphur.

REGULATORS AND CARRIERS

• These elements are potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and
magnesium (Mg), which regulate plant growth and build
resistance against crop pests.
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CATALYSTS AND ACTIVATORS

• Although these are required in very small quantities, they
are equally important. These activate various chemical
changes within the cell. These are iron (Fe), boron (B),
manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn), chlorine
(Cl) and copper (Cu).

MANURES AND FERTILISERS

• Manures
• Manures are decomposed organic matter derived from
plants and animals.
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CLASSIFICATION OF ORGANIC MANURES

Manures can be classified in three groups as manures of
plant origin, animal origin and composite derived from both
plants and animals.

1. MANURES OF PLANT ORIGIN

OIL CAKE: The solid platy residue left after the extraction of
oil from seeds is known as ‘oil cake’.
edible oil cakes: Groundnut cake, linseed cake, rapeseed
cake, sesamum cake, etc.
non-edible oil cakes: Karanj cake, neem cake, castor cake,
etc.
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PLANT RESIDUES: Straw, husks, stalks, saw dust

and wood ash also add nutrients to the soil.
GREEN MANURES: Green manure crop is raised
and turned into the soil for decomposition.
2. MANURES OF ANIMAL ORIGIN
This includes animal’s settled sludge, (dry) dried
blood, night soil and sludge manure, fish manure
bonemeal, cattle dung and urine mixed, sheep dung
and urine mixed, pig manure, poultry manure, etc.
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3. COMPOSITE MANURES
Manures are composed of material from both plant and
animal origin.
Farmyard manure (FYM): It is well-decomposed dung of
cattle, urine along with litter.
Compost: The mass developed after the rotting of organic
matter is called ‘compost’.
4. VERMICOMPOST
Vermicompost is developed using earthworms. Earthworms
consume organic matter and excrete it as cast. This cast is
used as vermicompost.
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FERTILISERS
• The actual production of all fertilisers during the year
2018-19 was 414.85 LMT.
• India dependency on import at present is to the extent of
25% of our requirement of Urea.
• 90% in case of phosphate .
• 100% in case of potash.
• The MRP of Urea is fixed by the Government of India.
• Government of India passed Fertiliser Control Order
under Essential Commodity Act in year 1957 to regulate
Sale, Pricing and Quality of Fertiliser.
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• Government of India decontrolled all Phosphatic and
Potassic Fertilisers in 1992 whereas Urea is the only
controlled Fertiliser.
• Government of India declared Fertiliser as an Essential
Commodity under Essential Commodity Act (1955).
• Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) is the 2nd most
commonly used fertiliser in India after Urea.
• DAP is high in Phophorus that stimulates Root
development.
• All Non-Urea based fertilizers are regulated under
Nutrient based subsidy scheme.
• NPK ratio is 4:2:1.
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FERTILISERS
They are plant nutrients manufactured commercially from
inorganic chemicals.
Chemical fertilisers being the source of a single nutrient is
called a ‘sole fertiliser’. Fertilisers that supply more than one
nutrient are called ‘mix’ or ‘complex fertilisers’.
SOLE FERTILISERS
These are the fertilisers that supply only a single nutrient.
Sometimes it may be accompanied by a minor element. Sole
fertilisers are further grouped according to the nutrients they
supply.
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Nitrogenous fertilisers: These are prepared and applied as
a source of nitrogen to the crop. Commonly available
nitrogenous fertilisers are urea, ammonium sulphate, calcium
ammonium nitrate, etc.
Phosphorus or phosphatic fertilisers: These fertilisers are
the main source of phosphorus only. Some commercially
available phosphatic fertilisers are single superphosphate,
triple super phosphate, dicalcium phosphate.
Potassic fertilisers: These are applied as a source of
potassium. Commonly used potassic fertilisers are muriate of
potash and potassium sulphate.
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Mixed fertilisers (complex fertilisers)
Fertiliser with a source of more than one macro-nutrient for
the plant is known as mixed fertiliser. Commonly used mixed
fertilisers are di-ammonium phosphate (18:46:0), nitro-
phosphate (20:20:0), ammonium phosphate (28:0:0),
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APPLICATION OF MANURES AND FERTILISERS
Types of manure
Bulky manures
FYM or other bulky manures should be broadcasted over the
entire area and mixed well with the soil by harrowing.
Concentrated manures
Oil cakes, fish manure and blood meal are known as
concentrated organic manures. These manures should be
applied well in advance because they are not available
quickly as they have to be broken down by soil microbes and
made available to plants.
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Application of fertilisers in liquid form
• Foliar application
• Fertigation: through irrigation water.
Application of fertilisers in solid form
It includes the following methods:
• Broadcasting
Basal application: Before sowing.
Top dressing : In standing crops.
• Deep placement
• Ring placement
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BIO-FERTILISERS
They are preparations containing microorganisms, such as
bacteria, fungi, and algae in sufficient quantity, helping plant
growth and nutrition.
Different types of bio-fertilisers.
1. Rhizobium
2. Azotobacter
3. Azospirillium
4. Blue-green algae
5. Azolla
6. Phosphate-solubilising microorganism
7. Mycorrhiza