1.

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Definition and Importance of Field Crops

 Agriculture is defined as the art, the science and the business of
producing crops and the livestock for economic purposes
The earliest man probably lived about 2 million years ago, but
there were no agriculture communities until about 11,000 year ago.

The human dwellings suggest that early man was a hunter of small
animals and birds and a gatherer of plants.

With the ability to produce plants where desired, primitive farming

replaced wandering in pursuit of game, live stock domestication
also became possible with the availability of feed.
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 INTRODUCTION Cont …

 The art of crop production is older than civilization.

 In those olden days of farming, crop production consisted of

seven basic steps,

 And these essential features of farming have almost remained

unchanged
o gathering and preserving/storing seeds for planting
o destroying undesirable vegetation growing on the land
o stirring the soil to prepare seed beds for planting
o planting seeds at appropriate time of the year

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 INTRODUCTION Cont …

o protecting crops from/weeds or various predators and

o processing, and storing crops
 These same steps are the basic steps in crop production today.
Science and technology have made each of the steps easier, but
have not entirely eliminated any of them.
1.4. Constraints of Field Crops Production in Ethiopia
 Major constraints to agricultural productivity in Ethiopia include

 low availability of improved variety/hybrid seed,

 poor soil fertility and erratic rains.

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 INTRODUCTION Cont …

 Uncertain climatic conditions

 low use of farm technologies and best farming techniques…
1.4. Population Growth and Food Production
 At present world population is growing at 1.7% each year.

 In 1994 the world population stood at 5.5 billion and it is

estimated to be 8 billion by the year 2020,

 with an increase of nearly 100 million each year, of which 95

million is from developing world

 Thus, 95% of this growth will take place in the developing

countries.
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 Introduction Cont…

Growth rate of population

Region /country Population growth rate
------------------------------------------
1990 - 95 2015 – 2020
World 1.68 1.13
Developed countries 0.54 1.30
Developing countries 2.01 6.30
Africa 2.93 2.33
Ethiopia 3.00 n-a

This clearly indicates that the future trends are that much of
the world population will be living in developing countries.

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 Introduction Cont…

Whatever the sizes of the population, the basic questions are:

Will all mouths be fed in the coming years?

Will all be able to get cloth and shelter?

Will the different regions of the globe have the ability to

sustain the population in terms of food, shelter and basic
health care?

These are some of the questions that need to be raised to come up

with effective strategies that help us in disaster prevention.
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 Introduction Cont…
1.5. Food Self-Sufficiency and Food Security
 In its broadest terms, food self-sufficiency refers to a country's
capacity to meet its own food needs from domestic production.
 It can be popularly defined as the ability of nations to meet its
entire staple food needs through local production and/or storage
except during periods of extreme drought or natural disaster

when commercial food imports and or food aid is required.

 Food security: is defined as “access by all people at all times to

enough food for an active healthy life

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 Introduction Cont…
 Two essential elements of food security are
I. there must be adequate food availability:
 it can be local production and/or imports and
II. this food must be accessible to all people at all times
 Poverty is the major cause of hunger and food insecurity because
it prevents people from producing/ purchasing a calorie-adequate
diet
 lack of income to purchase adequate food on a timely
basis

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 Introduction Cont…
1.6. Measures of Improving Field Crop Production in Ethiopia
 Managing the population Growth
Practicing and implementing family planning programs
 Improve health care to reduce infant and child mortality.
 Developing Agriculture
 to alleviate poverty through employment creation and income
generation in rural areas;

 to meet growing food needs driven by rapid population growth

and urbanization

 to stimulate overall economic growth, given that agriculture is

the most viable lead sector for growth and development in many
low income countries 9
 INTRODUCTION (CONT…)
By trial and error, he identified those plants of greatest
value to him and found that the seed of such plants could
be saved and planted to produce more plants, thereby
ensuring a continuous food supply.
With the ability to produce plants where desired, primitive
farming replaced wandering in pursuit of game, live stock
domestication also became possible with the availability
of feed

In those olden days of farming, crop production consisted

of seven basic steps and these essential features of
farming have almost remained unchanged:
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 INTRODUCTION (CONT…)
1. Gathering and preserving seeds for planting
2. Destroying undesirable vegetation growing on the land
3. Stirring the soil to prepare seed beds for planting
4. Planting seeds at appropriate time of the year
5. Destroying weeds
6. Protecting crops from various predators and
7. Gathering, processing, and storing crops

These same steps are the basic steps in crop production today.

Science and technology have made each of the steps easier, but
have not entirely eliminated any of them. Observations and
ingenuity of farmers were the only means of acquiring of new
knowledge until 19th century.
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 INTRODUCTION (CONT…)

• The art of crop production became science gradually with the

following developments:
• Plant pathologists and entomologists have found ways to
control plant diseases and insect pests more effectively;
• Chemists and agronomists have found inorganic fertilizers to
supplement for the manure and ashes formerly used as
fertilizers;
• Many new crop varieties and hybrids developed by plant
breeders and agronomist; and
• Herbicides were invented to control weeds
 2. CROP PRODUCTION AS AN ART, SCIENCE AND BUSINESS
2.1. Crop Production /agriculture as an art
Crop production/agriculture is defined as the art, the science and the
business of producing crops and the livestock for economic purposes

As an art, it embraces knowledge of the way to perform the operations

of the farm in a skillful manner.
 The skill is categorized as:

 Physical skill: It involves the ability and capacity to carry out the
operation in an efficient way

e.g., handling of farm implements, animals, sowing of seeds, fertilizer

and pesticides application etc.
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 Crop Production As an Art, Science ...
 Mental skill: The farmer is able to take a decision based on
experience, such as:
 Time and method of ploughing
 Selection of crop and cropping system to suit soil and
climate
 Adopting improved farm practices etc
 As a science: It utilizes all modern technologies developed on
scientific principles such as .
crop improvement/breeding, crop production, crop protection,
economics etc., to maximize the yield and profit
For example, new crops and varieties developed by hybridization,
transgenic crop varieties resistant to pests and diseases, high
fertilizer responsive varieties, herbicides to control weeds, use of
bio-control agents to combat pest and diseases etc.
 Crop Production As an Art, Science ...
 As the business: aims at maximum net return through the
management of land, labour, water and capital, employing the
knowledge of various sciences for production of food, feed, fibere
and fuel

In recent years, agriculture is commercialized to run as a business

through mechanization

Because, People depend on a wide range of agricultural products in

almost all aspects of life, e.g., food, clothes, housing, fuel etc.
 Plant science is the study of the structure, functions, growth, and
protection of plants.
 Agronomy is a specialized area of plant science that deals with field
crops
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 3. ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS

All cultivated crop plants were domesticated from their wild

species
Centers of origin are characterized as having climatic conditions
that favor the survival of the widest array of forms and types of
crop plants

Today, centers of origin are important to plant breeders because of

the diversity of plant types that may possess variable traits to be
used in plant breeding.

Most of the domesticated crops were introduced into new areas

from their center of origin by migrating human beings.

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 Origin of Cultivated Plants…
Vavilov- a Russian Scientist was a pioneer in locating the center
of origin of each crop plants by traveling across the world
And accordingly he proposed primary and secondary center of
diversity.
3.1. Primary Center

It is center of origin or center of dominant gene. It is the place

where the crop is evolved from wild ancestors.

3.2. Secondary Center

It is centers of recessive gene.

When a crop is taken out of the primary center then another

center of diversity may be developed due to favorable conditions
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 Origin of Cultivated Plants…
 e.g. barley is evolved in Middle East but Ethiopia is its center of
diversity.
 Vavilov (1926) reported the following centers of origins

1. Chinese center: China is one of the richest regions

contributing to many important crops such as Glycine
max, and secondary center for Zea mays

2. Indian center: Important crops from this region are Oryza

sativa, Phaseolus spp, etc.
3. Central Asian Center: Allium cepa, A. sativum , Vicia faba etc.
are important crops from this center.

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 Origin of Cultivated Plants…

4. Near Eastern Center: this is the center for Hordeum vulgare,

Triticum spp etc.
5. Mediterranean Center: Many crops have been domesticated in
this region: Avena spp., Beta vulgaris, Brassica oleracea etc.
6. Ethiopian Center: The crops originated in this center are Coffee
spp, Sorghum bicolor, Sesamum indicum, durum wheat, barley,
chickpea, lentil, teff, finger millet.
7. South Mexican & Central American Centre: Plants native to
this region are extremely varied, and include maize, bean, squash,
sweet potato etc.
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 Origin of Cultivated Plants…
8. South America: This region is believed to be the native of
potato, tomato, egg plant etc.
 Criteria for defining center of origin
 Wild form of the species must exist in the area,
 Wider genetic variability should be found in the area.
 Significance of knowing the center of origin of a given crop
 to know the center of great genetic diversities which are
helpful for breeding purpose
 for pest control using bioagents
3.3. Dispersal of Domesticated Crops

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 2.3 Dispersal of Domesticated Crops
The dispersal of crop plants from their center of origin to other
parts of the world was either natural or through the agency of man
The dispersal of crops by man has several phases :-
i. First was associated with the expansion and migration of
primitive agricultural communities
ii. Second and more important phase was associated with
early trade, invasion and widespread human migrations
iii. Third phase was began with attempts by Europeans
to find a sea route to India; and
iv. Forth the recent phase have been associated with the
expansion of agriculture research with international
cooperation.
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 CHAPTER 4. CLASSIFICATION OF CROP PLANTS

 Crops are classified in several ways:

4.1 Botanical/Binomial/Scientific/ Classification
 Scientific nomenclature of plant was first classified by Carolus
Linnaeus (1753).

 He developed binomial (two name) systems in which plants

identified by both genus and species

 This system of nomenclature, which is universally, accepted in the

scientific community forms the basis for the science of plant
classification known as plant taxonomy.
 Plants are classified according to seven categories
 Kingdom->Division->Class->Order->family->Genus->Species
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 Classification of Crop Plants…

The scientific system of plant classification is based on

the identification of ancestral plant forms.
The binomial system of plant nomenclature is
universally accepted among scientists because it is accurate
and minimizes the possibility of giving multiple names for
same plant.
Common names are easy for most of us to remember
because we have used them from childhood, but they are
often inconsistent and confusing.
Another disadvantage of common names is that they
frequently fail to indicate relationships among plants and
often imply false relationships. 23
 Classification of Crop Plants …

Based on binomial classification field crops belong to

sub division of plant kingdom spermatophyte (plants which
reproduce by seeds). Within spermatophyte:
The two main families to which field crops belong are:
 Gramineae/Poaceae: grass family
 Leguminosae/Fabaceae: legume family
Other crop family’s
a) Solanaceae (tomato, potato )
b) Compositeae (Asteraceae) (sunflower)
c) Malvaceae (cotton)

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 Classification of Crop Plants …

 What is the advantage of knowing plant relationship?

 It is useful to get fertile varieties or hybrids ( in breeding).

 It is very important to apply herbicides (in weed control).

 For example, 2-4-D does not control most grasses but is very
effective in controlling broadleaved weeds.
4.2. Economic Importance /Agronomic Classification
Agronomic classification of plants depends on their agricultural
use or based upon the usage of crops.

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 Classification of Crop Plants…

A) Cereal crops/grain

Cereal are a group plants belong to the grass family and

grown for its edible seeds or grains rich in carbohydrate.
E.g. wheat, rice, sorghum, barley, oats and maize).
B) Pulses/Grain legumes:

These belong to the family Leguminosae (Fabaceae) and are grown

for their edible seeds.

They include cowpeas, soybeans, groundnuts, field peas, faba bean,

haricot beans, lentils, pigeon peas.
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 Classification of Crop Plants…

Some of the description leguminosae family includes:-

 annuals, biennials or perennials.
 leaves are alternate on the stem
 have tap root systems
 the grain/ seed is rich in high quality proteins

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 Classification of Crop Plants…
C) Fiber crops: crops grown for their fiber including cotton, jute,
kenaf, hemp, and sisal.

D) Oil crops: the crops grown for edible oil include groundnuts,
soybeans, sesame, sunflowers, safflower, rapeseed, mustard and
linseed. Castor beans are also grown for non-edible oil.

E) Sugar crops: These are sugar cane (60% of sugar) and, sugar beet
(40% of sugar form this plant).

F) Drug crops: are smoked or chewed for their stimulating effect

include tobacco and ‘bhang’ (Cannabis sativa), chat or khat.

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 Classification of Crop Plants…

G) Beverage crops: these crops are also source of stimulants. They

include coffee, tea and cocoa.

H) Forage crops: these crops are grown as feed for ruminants. They
are fed to the animals either fresh or in dried form, such as hay
and silage.

I) Root and tuber crops: crops grown for their enlarged roots or
tubers such as cassava, sweet potatoes, potatoes, yam ,etc.

4.3. Special Purpose Classification

As the name indicates this classification is associated with the
purpose for which the crop is used. Some of the special - purpose
groups are:

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 Classification of Crop Plants…

i) Cover crops: those crops, which are planted, to provide ground

cover or protect the soil.
ii)Green - manure crops: those crop which are grown to be plowed
under or to be disked into the soil to increase its productivity.
The criteria to be a green manure crops are:-
Leguminous and high % age of plant nutrient in the leaf
Fast growing crops
High biomass production
Production of deep and/ shallow root systems
e.g. cow peas, vetches, clovers, sesbania, korch, soybeans, etc.

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 Special Purpose Classification…

iii) Catch or Emergency Crops

Crops used as substitutes for staple crops that have failed on
account of unfavorable conditions.
They are quick-growing and short duration crops, such as millet
and beans. In eastern Ethiopia, wheat and bean can be used as an
emergency crop if maize fails.
iv) Trap crops
Are those crop plants grown to trap soil borne harmful parasitic
weeds. For e.g., orabanche and striga are trapped by solanaceous
and sorghum crops respectively.

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 Special Purpose Classification…

4.4. Classification Based on Life Cycle

This classification attempts to classify plants based on life cycle.

1. Annuals: are plants that complete their growth and maturity in one
year or season, such as maize, wheat and soybeans.

2. Biennials: are plants that persist for two seasons, such as sugar
beets, carrot and sweet clover.

3. Perennials: are types of plants persist for more than two years and
continue to grow indefinitely from year to year, e.g. Alfalfa, fruit
crops, etc.

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