JUNIOR HIGH SHOOL DEPARTMENT

Socially Responsible Leaders Making a Difference

Agriculture and Phases of Agricultural Crops Production
Rice is a primary food crop produced in the country, which is also a staple food in Filipino households.
Agriculture includes forestry, crop production, livestock farming and aquaculture cultivation.
Crops are essential in the demand for domestic food consumption and the commercial export industry.
Forestry – includes everything in the operations of tree farms, forest nurseries, and activities such as reforestation
and gathering of forest products. Forestry is the science or skill of growing and taking care of trees in forests,
especially in order to obtain wood.
Crop production – includes all establishments such as farms, orchards, greenhouses, and nurseries in the
production of crops, plants, vines, and trees as well as production of mushrooms, flowers, vegetables seeds, and
hydroponics.
Livestock farming – includes everything engaged in raising or production of livestock animals.
Aquaculture cultivation- includes everything engaged in fish production including shellfish in a controlled space.
Land preparation - Covers everything from clearing operations to tillage operations, conducting field layout and
digging holes before the actual seeding and transplanting input.
Care and Maintenance - Care and maintenance of crops cover everything from applying pest control measures,
applying fertilizers, and watering crops.
Harvesting - Harvesting operations will cover both manual and mechanical methods for vegetables, fruit crops, and
field crops.
Nursery Operation - Nursery operations include everything in performing nursery operations such as establishing
the nursery shed, preparation of planting materials and growing media, as well as handling nursery tools and
equipment.
Fruit Crops – are edible crops produced from trees and shrubs usually cultivated in orchards such as Banana,
Calamansi, Mango, Pineapple, Lanzones, Grapes, Orange, and Durian.
Plantation Crops – are crops that are produced on large-scale farms, usually producing cash crops such as
Coconut, Coffee, and Cocoa.
Vegetable Crops – include a wide variety of plants which are edible such as Mung Bean, Cabbage, Eggplant,
Tomato, Ampalaya, Bermuda onion, Potato, Native Onion, Sweet Potato, and Cassava.
Herbs and Spices – are primarily used for cooking and commonly marketed to groceries and restaurants such as
Ginger, Turmeric, Lemongrass, Bay Leaf, Celery, Parsley, Garlic, Star Anise, Sesame Seeds, and Pepper.
Medicinal crops - are used to treat various illness such as garlic, akapulko, mint, lagundi, guava and etc.
HAND TOOLS- farm tools used manually by hand without the use of machines and animals.

Grafting Knife/ Budding Knife-used in cutting stems/leaves for plant propagation.

Shovel- used for digging soil or transferring plants.
Garden Rake- used in cleaning the ground and leveling the topsoil.

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Bolo- used in cutting tall weeds and large branches during clearing operations.
Light Hoe-used in breaking soil clods especially in making garden beds or plots.
Wheelbarrow- an open container with a single wheel at the front and two handles at the back used to transport
things.
Hand trowel- used in cultivating the soil and applying fertilizer.
Sickle- used to harvest or reap crops.
Knapsack Sprayer – used to apply fertilizer or pesticides
Water pump – used to supply water in field or nursery through irrigation.

PROPER CLEANING, MAINTENANCE AND STORING FARM TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

 Before Storing Tools
-remove soil and debris
-remove small soil particles
-remove rust spots with sand paper or steel wool.
-check the condition of farm tools
 After Cleaning
-apply protection to avoid rust
-sharpen the edges of farm tools
-store the farm tools

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT:

The first step is to remove caked on soil from hoes, shovels and spades.
It may be necessary to use a forceful spray of water, and soapy water.

Sharpen the edges of garden tools, such as hoes, shovels, and spades,
using a sharpening stone or a flat mill bastard file.

Wooden handles on tools also need attention to prevent them from drying
out and cracking.

Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids and countless organisms. From a general perspective, “soil”
is a very broad term and refers to the loose layer of earth that covers the surface of the planet.
Types of Soil
 Sandy Soil - It consists of small particles of weathered rock. Sandy soils are one of the poorest types of soil for
growing plants because it has very low nutrients and poor water holding capacity, which makes it hard for the
plant’s roots to absorb water. This type of soil is very good for the drainage system.
 Silt Soil - Silt is easily transported by moving currents and it is mainly found near the river, lakes and other water bodies.
 Clay Soil - The particles in this soil are tightly packed together with each other with very little or no airspace. This soil has
very good water storage qualities and makes it hard for moisture and air to penetrate into it. It is very sticky to the touch
when wet but smooth when dried.
 Loam Soil - It is a combination of sand, silt and clay such that the beneficial properties of each are included.

To get a soil sample, follow the procedure below:

1.Clear unnecessary objects in the plot. This may be stones, trash, rubbish or grass.

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2. Remove any plant and grasses in the area where you will get the soil sample.
3. Get a 1.5 to 2.5 kg composite soil sample to represent the unit area
4. Pour the soil into the laid plastic or sack and remove stones, grasses or any trashes.
5. Then crush the clods until it turns into a fine-grained soil. Make sure that there is no large compacted soil.
6. Transfer the soil into the pail. Then, pour and spread it out to a new container.
7. Perform air drying for 1 week. Place the soil in a shaded area. Protect the samples from any contamination, dirt or foreign
matters like cigarette ash.

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