WGaciiteiitapiements Itis necessary to break soil to the size of grains to get better yield, before sowing, This is undertaken by various tools. Some important tools are plough, ho snd cultivator. ae Plough: This tool is used for tilling the soil, adding fertilizers to the crops, removing weeds, scraping of soil, etc. This implement is made of wood and is drawn by ‘Seannad th Camcanner_ bulls, horses, camels, etc. The main part of the plough is a long log of waod called a plov, one part, it contains a strong triangular iron strip called plough share. tthe other en shaft is a handle. The opposite side of the plough share is attached to a beam which is plac, the bull's neck. This tool can be easily operated by a pair of bulls and one man. Now a days, the ancient wooden \ plough is being replaced by iron ploughs. Aplough Hoe: This tool is used for removing weeds and for loosening the soil. It has a long rod made of wood or iron. To its one end is fixed a strong, broad and bent plate of iron. This works likea blade. Itis pulled by animals. Cultivator: In present times, ploughing is done by a cultivator driven by a tractor. Thi saves labour and time. Sowing: One of the most important part of crop production is sowing of seeds. Only good quality seeds are selected for sowing. Mostly seeds that give a high yield are selected by farmers. [Activity 1 Selection of Seeds Fill a beaker upto half with water and put a handful of wheat seeds. Stir well. Wait and observe for some time. Do you find any seeds floating in water? Are these seeds lighter or heave! than those which sink? Why are these seeds lighter? Floating seeds are lighter because they 2 damaged and become hollow. For this reason, these seeds float o 4 s mn water. By ve metho youcanseparatedamaged seedsfromgoodandhealthyseeds the above m \sibois for Sewing Seeds Traditional tools Accultivator driven by a tractor In the past, seeds were sown by a funnel shaped tool. The seeds were filled into the funnel, This funnel was connected to two or three pipes ing sharp ends, which pierce into the soil ana eds into the soil. ‘Traditional method of sowing seeds ‘Seannad th Camcanner~ rill fow a days, for sowing seeds, a seed drill is used. The seed drill is attached to a tractor. The seedsaresown uniformly at proper distances and depths. This tool also ensures that seeds get /E covered by the soil after sowing. This method also prevents seeds being damaged by birds. It saves time and labour. Precautions taken while sowing seeds areas follows: Aseed drill ¢ Seeds are sown at proper distances because if the seeds are too close, they may not get enough water, sunlight and nutrients. If they are too far apart, there will be wastage of field space. ¢ Seeds are sown at proper depth because if seeds are planted deep in the soil, they cannot respire, and their shoots may not be able to push through the soil. If planted on the surface, the seeds will be eaten by birds or blown away by wind or water. * Seeds also require water for germination. Therefore, the soil should have water in it. Seeds will alsonot germinate properly if there is too much water in the soil. Sometimes seeds of rice, onion, tomato, chilli, brinjal etc, are not directly planted in the fields. They are first planted in seed beds in a nursery. After the seedlings have grown to a certain height, they are transferred or transplanted to the main field. By this method only healthy seedlings are selected and planted properly in the field. This ensures good crop Jsing Man All plants require nutrients for growth. They get the nutrients from the soil. However, when a crop is harvested, some nutrients present in the soil are dey leted. Toreplenish the loss ofthesenutrients, manures and fertilizers are added to the soil. Continuous cultivation of crops also makes the soil poor in certain nutrients. The process of adding manures and fertilizers to the soil is called manuring. Sometimes, improper and insufficient manuring can result in poor crop production. ? ‘Seannad th Camcanner