AAA-BRIGHT ACADEMY

AGRICULTURE
PRELIMINARY QUESTION
PAPER AND OTHER
IMPORTANT TOPICS
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LECTURE -2

PUNJAB PATWARI MAINS

AGRICULTURE
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CLASSIFICATION OF CROPS ON THE BASIS OF SEASONS
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CLASSIFICATION OF CROPS
•On the basis of area
•Tropical crops: The crops grown in warm and hot climate.
Eg. Rice, sugarcane, jawar etc
•Temperate crops: The crops grown in a cool climate. Eg.
Wheat, oats, gram, potato etc
•On the Basis of Life Cycle of Plants
•Annuals: :Life cycle finished within year .Eg. Wheat,
soyabean, barley
•Biennials: In first year vegetative growth and in 2nd year
seed production. Eg. Sugar beet
•Perennial: More than two years are called Perennial. Eg.
Lucerne.
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On the Basis of Soil Suitability
•Light soil crops: can growth sufficiently in light soil like
bajra, moong, cucumber, peanut
•Solid soil crops: cotton, rice etc
•Middle soil crops: mostly vegetables grow in middle soil
 Types of Farming
On the basis of main source of moisture for crops, the
farming can be classified as irrigated and rainfed.
On the basis of adequacy of soil moisture during
cropping season, rainfed farming is further classified
as dryland and wetland farming.
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TYPES OF CROPS
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AGRONOMY:
Pietro de crescenzi is the father of agronomy.
•The term agronomy is derived from Greek words Agro means ‘field’ and Nomos
means ‘to manage’ .Literally, agronomy means the art of managing field.
•Definition: Agronomy is a branch of agricultural science, which deals with
principles and practices of field crop production and management of soil for
higher productivity.
Major Principles of Agronomy
•Agro meteorology: several climatic factors influenced the agriculture.
•Soils and Tillage: Selection of soil and preparation of land by ploughing etc
•Soil and water Conservation: Optimum uses of soil and water in crop
production
•Dry Land Agriculture : It is an agricultural technique for cultivating land in low
rainfall.
•Manure and Fertilisers: It is necessary to growth and yield of crop plants
•Irrigation and water Management: Optimum use of water by crop plants.
•Weed management: Management of unwanted field plants.
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Organic Farming:
•Organic agriculture can be defined as "an integrated farming system that
strives for sustainability, the enhancement of soil fertility and biological
diversity while, with rare exceptions, prohibiting synthetic pesticides,
antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers.
•Genetic Engineering (GM Crops)
•Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the
DNA of living organisms. The scientist have been able ot select the genes of
their choice and insert them into the DNA of other living organisms. Generic
engineers believe that they can improve the foods we eat by doing this.
•The Indian farmers are using Bt cotton seed these days. It is resistant to bollworm
and has helped them reap rich harvests. Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis. Bt
cotton is the only transgenic crop approved for use in India till date.
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FARMING SYSTEM IN INDIA
SUBSISTENCE FARMING:
• Majority of farmers in the country practices subsistence
farming.
• It is characterized by small and scattered land holdings and
use of primitive tools.
• As the farmers are poor, they do not use fertilizers and high
yielding variety of seeds in their fields to the extent they
should do.
• Facilities like electricity and irrigation are generally not
available to them.
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SHIFTING CULTIVATION
• In this type of agriculture, first of all a piece of forest land is cleared by
felling trees and burning of trunks and branches.
• After the land is cleared, crops are grown for two to three years and then
the land is abandoned as the fertility of the soil decreases.
• The farmers then move to new areas and the process is repeated.
• Dry paddy, maize, millets and vegetables are the crops commonly grown in
this type of farming.
• This practice is known by different name in different regions of India like:
• Jhum in Assam,Ponam in Kerala,Podu in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha
and Bewar masha penda and Bera in various parts of Madhya
Pradesh.
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INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
• In areas where irrigation has been possible, the
farmers use fertilizers and pesticides on large
scale.
• They have also brought their land under high
yielding variety of seeds.
• They have mechanized agriculture by introducing
machines in various processes of farming.
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MIXED FARMING, INTER AND MIXED CROPPING

Mixed farming
is referred to
cultivation of
crops and
raising of
animals
simultaneously.
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TERRACE CULTIVATION
• The hill and mountain slopes are cut to form
terraces and the land is used in the same way as
in permanent agriculture.
• Since the availability of flat land is limited terraces
are made to provide small patch of level land.
• Soil erosion is also checked due to terrace
formation on hill slopes.
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FOOD PROCESSING
What is Food Processing
Food Processing includes process under which
any raw product of agriculture, dairy, animal
husbandry, meat, poultry or fishing is transformed
through a process (involving employees, power,
machines or money) in such a way that its original
physical properties undergo a change and the
transformed product has commercial value and is
suitable for human and animal consumption.
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Classes of Foods Based on Perishability
• Perishable foods are foods that spoil quickly
within one or two days e.g., milk, curds, fish and
meat.
• Semi perishable foods can last for 1-2 weeks.
Examples are fruits and vegetables. Root crops
like onions and potatoes last for 2-4 weeks.
• Non-perishable are those foods that generally
last for one year e.g., grains like rice, wheat,
pulses and dals, oilseeds.
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• Bacteria prefer protein rich foods e.g. meat, fish,
poultry, eggs, and dairy products. These are
known as High Risk Foods.
• Bacteria grow at any temperature between 5 –
60C. This temperature range is known as the
Danger Zone.
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CLASSIFICATION OF PROCESSING
1. Minimally processed foods: These are processed as
little as possible in order to retain the quality of fresh foods.
Generally the processes used are cleaning, trimming,
shelling, cutting, slicing and storage at low i.e., refrigeration
temperatures.
2. Preserved foods: The methods of preservation used do
not change the character of the product substantially e.g.,
frozen peas and frozen vegetables, dehydrated peas,
dehydrated vegetables, canned fruits and vegetables.
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3. Manufactured foods: In such products, the original
characteristics of the raw products are lost and some basic
methods of preservation are used, often using various
ingredients such as salt, sugar, oil or even chemical
preservatives. Examples are pickles, jams, marmalades,
squashes, papads, wadis.
4. Formulated foods: These are products prepared by
mixing and processing of individual ingredients to result in
relatively shelf stable food products such as bread, biscuits,
ice cream, cakes, kulfi.
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5. Food derivatives: In industry, components of foods may
be obtained from the raw product through purification, e.g.,
sugar from sugarcane or oil from oil seeds. In some cases,
the derivative or the component may be processed further,
e.g., conversion of oil to vanaspati (the process is called
hydrogenation).
6. Functional foods: These are foods that can have a
beneficial effect on human health, e.g., probiotics,
lycopene.
7. Medical foods: These are used in dietary management of
diseases, for example, low sodium salt, lactose–free milk
for persons with lactose intolerance.