Class Notes

Crop Production and

Management
Grade 8
 Topics to be
Covered

Agriculture

Types of Crop

Agricultural practices

3.1 Preparation of soil

3.2 Sowing
3.3 Adding manure and fertilisers
3.4 Irrigation
3.5 Protection from weeds
3.6 Harvesting
3.7 Storage

Animal Husbandry
 Mind Map

Cultivation of Rearing of
Crops livestock Rabi Kharif

Agriculture Types of crops

Crop
Production
&
Management

Agricultural Animal
Practices Husbandry

Preparation Adding manures Protection

of Soil and fertilizers from weeds Storage

Irrigation Harvesting
Sowing
 1. Agriculture

The practice of cultivating crops and rearing

livestock on a large scale for the purpose of food
production

Cultivation of crops Rearing of livestock

2. Types of Crop

In India, crops can be broadly categorised into two

types based on seasons - Rabi and Kharif crops.

Rabi Crop- The crops which are sown in the winter season
Example- wheat, mustard, gram, and pea
Kharif Crop- The crops which are sown in the rainy
season is called Kharif crops. Example – maize,
paddy, soyabean and groundnut,

3. Agricultural Practices

The steps involved in agriculture are collectively

termed as agricultural practices.

Agricultural Practices

a. Preparation of soil b. Sowing c. Addition of nutrients

d. Irrigation e. Removal of weeds f. Harvesting

g. Storage
 3.1 Preparation of Soil

The process of loosening and turning the soil is

called tilling or ploughing.
The soil is ploughed before sowing the seeds
because following are the advantages of soil
preparation.

Fe K

N Cu
Zn

Helps in Allows root Mixes the soil

Loosens growth of to breathe nutrients
the soil microbes easily uniformly

Tools required for Tilling/ Ploughing

Traditional Modern

Plough Hoe Cultivator

This is being used since It is a simple tool that Ploughing is done
ancient times for tilling is used for removing by a tractor-driven
the soil, adding weeds and for cultivator. The use of
fertilizers to the crop, loosening the soil. a cultivator saves
removing the weeds, labour and time.
and turning the soil.
 3.2 Sowing

Sowing is the process of planting seeds in the soil.

Sowing requires a proper selection of seeds and tools.

Desirable Qualities of Seeds

Seeds should Seeds should Seeds should

be disease be of high have wider
resistant yield variety adaptability

Seed Test

Damaged
seeds float
on the surface.

Healthy seeds
sink to the
bottom.
 Tools Used for Sowing

Traditional: Funnel Sowing

Funnel • Funnel sowing is a

traditional method of
sowing.
Pipe
• It has three parts:
funnel, pipe-like
structure, and
Digging tool a digging tool.
• Cattle is also used in
this method of sowing..

Modern: Seed Drill

• Seeds are sown

uniformly.
• Seeds are sown at
proper depth.
• Seeds are protected
from birds.
3.3 Addition of Manure and Fertilisers

Composting

It is the process of decomposition of kitchen wastes, animal

wastes, and agricultural wastes. Manure is an organic
substance obtained from the decomposition of plant or
animal wastes. Farmers dump plant and animal waste in
pits in open places and allow it to decompose. The
decomposition is caused by some microorganisms. The
decomposed matter is used as organic manure.

Animal Kitchen Agricultural

waste waste waste

Advantages of Manure
Enhances water
retention and
improves soil texture

Facilitates exchange of
gases

Increases friendly
microbes and adds
humus to the soil
 Limitations of Manure

• Manure has limited soil nutrients

• It has a deficit in essential nutrients like nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)

Fertilisers

These are inorganic salts rich in nutrients. Examples

of fertilisers are urea, potash, NPK, superphosphate,
and ammonium sulfate.

Ca Mg
N P
S

Inorganic Salts Made in factories Rich in nutrients

Advantages of Fertilisers

• Rich in specific nutrients (N, P, K)

• Enhances growth and yield of crops

Disadvantages of Fertilisers

• Reduces soil fertility

• Kills beneficial organisms in the soil
• Causes water pollution
 Differences Between Manure and Fertiliser

Manure Fertiliser

i) Organic substance
i) Inorganic salt made
obtained by decomposition
from synthetic substances.
of animal and plant waste.

ii) Prepared in fields. ii) Prepared in factories.

iii) Rich in nutrients like

iii) Relatively less rich in
nitrogen, phosphorus and
nutrients
potassium.

iv) Provides humus to the iv) Does not provide any

soil. humus to the soil.

Eutrophication

• The excess fertilisers wash away

from the crop fields into the water
bodies.
• Since fertilisers are rich in
nutrients, they promote high algal
growth over the water surface.
• The algal growth takes up most of
the dissolved oxygen in water
thus leading to the death of
aquatic plants and fishes.
 Alternate Methods of Soil Replenishment

Land Fallowing

• Land is left barren for one or more seasons

• Helps in restoring the lost nutrients in the soil

Crop Rotation

• Different crops are grown alternately.

• For example, leguminous crops are grown after growing
wheat.
• Rhizobium in root nodules of leguminous crops fix
atmospheric nitrogen.
 3.4 Irrigation

Supply of water to crops at regular intervals is

called irrigation.

Sources of Irrigation

River Tube Well Well Dam

Traditional Methods of Irrigation

Chain Pump Moat

The farmer rotates a
A bucket is attached to
wheel that allows the
a pulley that is drawn
buckets attached to
by cattle.
a chain to collect water.
 Dhekli Rahat
The farmer immerses an Cattle is connected to a
empty bucket into the wheel.When the cattle
water. The water-filled move, they
bucket is pulled up due rotate the wheel that
to the weight of the has buckets attached to
rock on the other end. it. This helps in drawing
water from the well.

Modern Methods of Irrigation

Drip irrigation Sprinkler method

In this system, water is This system simulates

supplied to crops drop by rainfall and is useful on
drop near the roots. So it uneven land surfaces.
is called drip system.
 3.5 Protection from weeds

In a field, many other undesirable plants may grow

naturally along with the crop. These undesirable
plants are called weeds. The removal of weeds is
called weeding.

Methods of weeding

Manual Method Chemical Method

Removal of weeds can be Removal of weeds can be

done by:
1. Tilling which helps in
uprooting and killing weeds.
2. Manually using a khurpi.
done by:
1. Spraying weedicides like
2,4-D kills weeds.
2. Weedicides do not affect
crops.
 3.6 Harvesting

Harvesting is cutting down crops once they are matured.

Tools of Harvesting

Traditional Method: Modern Method:

Sickle Combine

Harvesting is done Combine is a modern tool

manually with the help of a which is a combination of
sickle which is a traditional harvester and thresher.
tool.
 Post Harvesting

Threshing

Threshing is the process of separating the grains from the

straw to which it is attached.

Winnowing

Winnowing is the process of separating the grains from the

chaff.

Tools Used for Winnowing

Traditional Method Modern Method

Farmers manually separate Winnowing machine can

grains from chaff with the easily separate grains from
help of wind. the chaff.
 3.7 Storage

Storage of agricultural produce is an important task. If the

harvested grains are to be kept for longer time, they should
be safe from moisture, insects, rats and microorganisms

Storage Challenges

Rats, microorganisms,
insects, and moisture are the
major storage challenges
faced by farmers.

Small scale storage

Jute bags Metal bins

Large scale storage

Granaries Silos
 4. Animal Husbandry

It is the practice of rearing and taking care of animals on

a large scale to obtain food products from them.

Cattle provide Poultry provides Fishery provides

milk eggs and meat various nutrients
 Important Questions

Question 1:
If you are given a dry piece of land for cultivation what
will you do before sowing the seeds?
3
Marks

Solution:

•Before sowing the seeds, land should be prepared for

cultivation. (0.5 marks)
•Soil preparation is the first step of agricultural practices
which involves ploughing and levelling the
soil.
(0.5 marks)
•Traditional tools like plough, hoe or modern tools like
cultivator are used for ploughing. (0.5 marks)
•After ploughing bigger soil crumbs are broken down during
levelling using a leveller. (1 mark)
•Once the soil is prepared, seeds are sown. (0.5 marks)

Question 2.
What are the advantages of ploughing?
3
Marks

Solution:

Advantages of ploughing are:

• It loosens the soil and it helps in easier transportation of
air and water through the soil. (1 mark)
• It allows the roots to penetrate deep into the soil and can
respire well as the air enters easily into the soil. (1 mark)
• It allows the growth of friendly microorganisms and
earthworms. (1 mark)
 Important Questions

Question 3:
Name the different types of crops grown based on the
cropping pattern
2
Marks
Solution:
Different crops have different requirements for their
growth, based on that we have cropping pattern. The
different types of crops are as follows:
1.Kharif crops: The crops which are sown in the rainy
season (June to September) are called kharif crops.
E.g. paddy, maize, soyabean
etc. (1 mark)
2. Rabi crops: The crops sown in the winter season
(October to March) are called rabi crops. E.g. wheat,
gram, pea. (1 mark)

Question 4:
(a) Name the tool used with a tractor for sowing seeds
in a field.
(b) What are the advantages of using this tool?
2
Marks
Solution:

(a)The name of the tool is seed drill. Seed drill is a

modern method of sowing seeds in which the
seed drill is attached to a tractor. (1 mark)
(b)The advantages of seed drill are:
• It sows the seeds uniformly to prevent
overcrowding. (0.5 marks)
• It sows seeds deep into the soil which protects
it from the birds. (0.5 marks)
 Important Questions

Question 5:
Explain how soil gets affected by the continuous
plantation of crops in a field.
2
Marks

Solution:
•Plants require nutrients for their growth and
completion of the life cycle. (0.5 Marks)
•Growing the same crop repeatedly in the same place
eventually depletes the soil of various nutrients.(0.5 Marks)
•This results in the loss of soil fertility, thereby reducing
the crop yield. (0.5 Marks)
•Hence various practices like land fallowing, crop
rotation etc., should be followed to recover and
restore the soil nutrients. (0.5 Marks)

Question 6:
What is harvesting? Name the traditional and modern
tools used for harvesting.
2
Marks

Solution:
•Harvesting is cutting of crops after they have
(1 mark)
matured.
•Sickle is the traditional tool used for harvesting
whereas combine harvester is a modern harvesting
equipment. (1 mark)
 Important Questions

Question 7:
What are the precautions to be taken while storing
crops?
2
Marks
Solution:
Before storing the crops, following are the precautions
taken by the framers.
1. The first precaution is sun-drying, where grains are
properly dried in the sun to reduce the moisture in
them to prevent attack by microorganisms.(1 mark)
2. Once sun-drying is done, farmers usually keep some
neem leaves inside the sacks so that pests and
insects cannot hamper the quality of the grains.
(1 mark)

Question 8:
(a) Name the practice followed for large scale rearing of
farm animals.
(b) What facilities are provided to farm animals?
2
Marks
Solution:
(a) Animal husbandry (1 mark)
(b) In animal husbandry, the animals reared at farms
are provided with proper food, shelter and clinical
care. (1 mark)
 Important Questions

Question 9:
Mention the advantages of a Combine machine.
3
Marks

Solution:
•A combine is a modern equipment that consists of two
machines - a harvester and a thresher. (0.5 marks)
•Harvester harvests the crop and thresher separates the
grains from the straws and stores them into a container
moving parallelly with the combine. (0.5 marks)
Advantages of combine are:
1. It saves time and labour.
2. It can perform harvesting on a large scale.
3. It harvests and separates the grains from the straw.
(2 marks)