Crop Droduction

We all need food to get energy for carrying out all our
You will learn daily activities. How do we get our food? You know
Crop Plants that we obtain our food from plants and animals.
Have you ever thought how do we get food from
Agricultural Practices plants and animals? The practice of growing plants
• Nitrogen Cycle and rearing animals for food, clothing and other
. Food from Animals products is referred to as agriculture. Humans
started agriculture around thousands of years ago
before which they were the wanderers to gather raw
food. Agriculture can be described as farming. Farmers produce, process, market
and use food,
fibres and their byproducts by raising plants and animals. This is how we get our foods and dairy
products. In fact, we can say that agriculture is everywhere! We use agricultural products when we
sleep on cotton bed sheets, when we get dressed with clothes, when we take a bath with soap,
when we eat food, when we use paper and when we smell the flowers.
Fact File
Agriculture is farming, food, fabric, forestry and floriculture (the growing of flowers as a crop). These
words bring to mind lots of images, the things that we use every day. Thus, one of the best ways to
remember what agriculture means is to remember the 5 Fs.

SActivity-1
Make a list of the agricultural products that you have touched, eaten or used.

In India agriculture is a major industry and it creates a plenty

of employment opportunities. Indian agriculture has a broad
background. At present, the country holds the second position
all over the world in terms of agricultural production.
Crop Plants
What are crops? Plants of the same kind grown in large
quantities at a place for food, fabric etc. are called the crops
or crop plants. In our daily meals the foods such as rice.
wheat, maize, barley ete. that we consume are grown as crops
in the fields of the farmers. They were the first cultivated crop
plants. Cereals include rice, wheat, maize, ragi etc. Grains (cereal)
They form the staple food
of people in most part of the
world. Staple foods differ
from region to region. For
example, wheat is the staple
food of North India, whereas
rice is the staple food of
South India. Somne commonly
grown crop plants in India
are listed in Table 1.
Wheat Rice

Table 1: Some commonly grown crop plants in India

Crop Plants Examples

Cereals Rice, wheat, maize, ragi, barley

Pulses Peas, gram, beans

Oilseeds Mustard, groundnut, sunflower

Sugar crops Sugarcane, beetroot

Fibre crops Jute, cotton, flax

Plantation crops Tea, coffee, rubber

Root crops Sweet potato, Asparagus

Tuber crops Potato, tapioca

Major Crops of India

On the basis of the growing season, the crops in
India can be classified into two types-khar
crops and rabi crops.

Kharif crops: The crops which are sown in June or July and harvested
known as crops. in September or October ae
kharif Kharif means 'autumn'. Rice, millets, sugarcane etc. are some
kharif crops.
Rabicrops: The crops which are sown in October or November
are known as rabi crops. Kab1 season and harvested in March or Apri
begins in autumn. The chief rabi crops are wheat, bariey
gram, inseed and mustard. In Arabic
language, rabi means 'spring".
 Activity 2 j
Find out the staple food of different regions
of India.

Test Yeur Knewlcdgc

1
Define agriculture.
2 What are crop plants?
3 Give two examples each of cereals, pulses and oil seed crops.
4. What do you understand by kharif crop? Give two examples.

Agricultural Practices
Producing crops is not an easy job. It involves various agricultural tasks that need special skills
and different implements. Farmers perform these tasks in a particular sequence, over a period of
time. These tasks are called agricultural practices and they are as follows:
Let us know about the practices involved in crop production:
1. Preparation of soil 2. Sowing of seeds 3. Adding manure and fertilizers
4. Irrigation 5. Weeding 6. Protecting crops from pests and microorganismns
7. Harvesting 8. Storage
Preparation of Soil
The first step before growing a crop is the
preparation of soil. Soil is very important for
plants as it fixes the roots and provides nutrients
and water to them. Plants need soil that contains
a mixture of clay, gravel, water and humus. Soil is
prepared for growing crop by ploughing and
levelling.

Ploughing or tilling: One of the most important

tasks in crop production is to turn and loosen the
soil. This process has the following advantages.
1. It allows the roots of the plants to go deep into

the soil. Ploughing of field

2. It brings nutrient rich deeper soil on the top so
that plants can use the nutrients present in that
soil. This process of loosening and turning the soil is known as
tilling or ploughing.
3. It helps in trapping a lot of air in the soil
which allows the roots tobreathe easily.
4. The loosened soil helps in the growth of earthworms
and microorganisms present in the soll.
These organisms provide nutrients to the soil and help
in further loosening of soil.
5. It helps the soil to mix uniformly with
the fertilizers.

7
 is pulled
Ploughing is done by using plough which
a

Ploughs are
by aninmals such as bullocks and horses.
can also be carried
made of wood or iron. Ploughing
saves both
out by a tractor-driven cultivator. Its use wu g
may need
time and labour. If the soil is very dry, it
water beforeploughing.
Levelling: The ploughed field may contain big pieces
of soil called crumbs. It is necessary to break these
crumbs with a plank. This process of breaking down
field is Tractor driven cultivator
of big pieces of soil is known as levelling. The
levelled for sowing as well as for irrigation purposes.
The levelling of soil is done with the help of a wooden
or an iron plank called leveller. A leveller is drawn
by animals or by a tractor. Levelling prevents soil
erosion caused by wind or water.

Sowing of Seeds
The process of placing seeds in the soil is called
sowing. Sowing is another important task in crop
production. Good quality, healthy and disease free
seeds should be selected for sowing. Seeds which give Levelling of paddy field
high yield are preferred. As a precaution, sometimes,
chemicals such as fungicides and insecticides are also
sprayed over the seeds. The two important things
that should be kept in mind at the time of sowing
seeds are:
Seeds should be sown at a proper depth which
will allow enough air and sunlight to enter, so
that germination is not affected. If they are sown
deep in the soil, then the seeds will not respire
and the shoots will struggle to push through the
soil. If seeds are placed on the surface of the field
they will be eaten by birds. Broadcasting
eo. Seeds should be sown at a proper distance from each other. This will allow the young plants to have
enough space, water, nutrients and light to grow. If they are sown too far, there will be wastageof

space. If they are sown too close, they will struggle to get sunlight,water and nutrients.

Right amount of water is needed for seeds to germinate. There are two methods for sowing
seeds--broadcasting and seed drill. Seeds can be sown manually by sprinkling them all over
the field by hands. This method is called broadcasting. This method is not considered an
efficient method as it does not ensure uniform spacing between the seeds and their right depth
in the soil.

8
A better method of sowing seeds is usinga seed drill. A sced
seed bowl which opens into two or three long drill consists of a funnel shaped
tubcs, These tubes are attached to a plough. This
method sows the sceds uniformly at proper
distances
and depths. This method ensures
covered by the soil after sowing.
that sceds are
This prevents birds to
damage the seeds. A seed drill used for sowing
seeds
also saves time and labour.
Seeds of some plants, such as tomatoes,
chillies, rice and
onions are first grown in a nursery. A nursery is a
small
piece of land known as a seed-bed. When
the seeds develop
into seedlings, the farmer selects the healthiest ones for
'transplanting', iie., to plant in the field. This method is
not applicable for seeds of wheat and millet, which are
directly sown in the fields. Sowing seeds using a seed drill

Adding Manure and Fertilizers

Enrichment of soil is important to get a better yield.
Plants are grown in the soil year after year due to which
the soil loses its fertility as the nutrientS present in it are
used up by the plants. Thus, it is important to maintain
the fertility of soil. This can be possible either by adding
manures and fertilizers in the soil or by natural methods.
Let us study about these methods.
Manures are organic substances obtained from the
decomposition of plant and animal wastes. Plant and animal
wastes are dumped in pits at open places and allowed to
decompose by the action of some microorganisms. The High quality organic manure
decomposed matter is called compost which is used as organic manure. Compost is rich in organic
nutrients but it lacks some important nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus which are
required by the plants for their growth. These are provided by fertilisers.
There are two types of manures: green manre which mainly consists of green plants that are
ploughed into the soil for its enrichment and compost which is made by the decomposition of
plant and animal wastes by the action of microorganisms.

Aciivity- 3

To make compost by household waste

Collect all the leftovers such as fruit and vegetable peels, tea leaves, egg
shells, etc from the kitchen. Put them in a container with some dry leaves of
plants. Cover it with a layer of soil and add a little water. Close the container
loosely with a lid and leave it undisturbed for a few weeks. Make sure that it
is maintained moist. What do you
notice after 5-6 weeks? The whole waste
material inside the container has turned into good manure
which is rich in
nutrients and can be used for flowerpots and kitchen gardens. Compost pit
Fertilizers are the chemical substances made by humans to enrich the soil. They contain
which are necessary for plant growth. The three nutrients which are mainly required hv.
nutrients
all the three essential
the soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The fertilizer containing
as a compound fertilizer in
nutrients is called NPK fertilizer. Fertilizers are either available
eg: NPK fertilizer or as a fertilizer which
which nutrients are present in different proportions,
are used in combination with manures
has only one nutrient, e.g., ammonium sulphate. Fertilizers
because some essential nutrients lacking in manures can be provided by fertilizers. Fertilizers
increase the crop yields as they are soluble in water and provide minerals directly to the soil. Thev
can be stored and transported easily. There are some disadvantages of using fertilizers as well.
Overuse of fertilizers is harmful for the soil as they make it porous. They are nutrient specific if
they are not selected properly, fertilizers can change the soil chemistry and cause harm to the soil.
For example, the use of ammonium sulphate increases the acidity of soil. Excess fertilizers get
easily washed into water bodies and become the cause of water pollution.

Table 2: Differences between fertilizers and manures

Manures Fertilizers
Natural substances made by the decomposition
Human-made substances,consist of chemical salts
of plant and animal wastes

Voluminous and difficult to store Compact and easy to store

Cannot be transported easily Can be transported easily

Can be added for growth of any plant Are nutrient specific

Made of organic substances Made of inorganic substances

Provides humus to the soil Does not provide humus to the soil

Prepared in fields Prepared in factories

Test yer Khewlcdge

1. What are the two steps in the preparation of soil?
2 What is a green manure? How is it different from compost?
3 Which method of sowing of seeds is better? Explain why?

Natural Methods of Enrichment of Soil

Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is one of the oldest and effective methods of enrichment of soil, is
It the practice of
growing different crops on the same land by rotation. In this method, crops are grown
in planned
order in such a way that the succeeding crop is different from the previous one.
The planned
rotation may vary from Zor years or sometimes more. Each crop has different reguirement ot
nutrients. By changing the crops, Une risk of depleting the soil of specific nutrients can be avoided.

10
Some crops naturally add essential elements to
the soil. By using crop rotation, the soil can be
maintained over the years. For example, crops like rice and wheat
take up a large amount of
nitrogen from the soil, growing leguminous plants pea, soyabean near these crops naturally
like
replenish the soil with nitrogen. Rhizobium bacteria present in
the root nodules of the
leguminous plants fix the atmospheric nitrogen. Crop rotation has
the following advantages :
* It prevents soil depletion.
It maintains soil fertility.
It reduces soil erosion.
e It controls diseases in plants.

Field Fallow
Field fallow is the method of regenerating the lost nutrients in the soil by leaving it free (or fallow)
for one or more season. Nowadays, due to the increasing demand of food grains, this method is not
followed for the enrichment of soil.

Mixed Cropping
When two or more crops are grown simultaneously in the same
field, it is called intercropping or mixed cropping. The crops
are selected in such a manner that the nutrients required by
one crop are provided by the other crop. Leguminous crop and
cereal crop can be grown together in mixed cropping.
Leguminous crop contributes in increasing the soil fertility.
Natural methods alone are not sufficient to maintain the
fertility of soil so the farmers have to add manures and
fertilizers in the soil from time to time.
Mixed cropping
Irrigation
Irrigation is necessary for
agriculture. Irrigation is a
method by which water is
supplied to plants from
outside. It is the artificial
supply of water to the
places where natural
rainfall is short or where
rainfall is high but water
does not get supplied when
crops need it. In India, Irrigation by human labour and
cattle
rainfall is caused by the influence of the summer monsoon;
it is seasonal and unpredictable. Orten
it is unreliable. But agriculture needs a regular
supply of water which is provided by
The timne and frequency of irrigation varies from crop to crop,
soilto soil and season to setso
 wator
example, rice plants are planted in standing water as they need continuous supply of
Irrigated ields should have adequate drainage otherwise water logging can occur. Water
logging inereases the amount of salt in the soil which is not good for the crop growing in that
soil. It also stops the growth of the plants by reducing the supply of air to the roots.

The mainsources of irrigation are rivers, ponds, lakes,wells, streams, tubewells etc. Let us study
about some sources.
Canal irrigation: anals lead water from
rivers or storage reservoirs to the field. The
canals are fed by water stored behind a large
dam or barrage. Modern multipurpose river
valley projects, with build up dams not only
provide water for irrigation but also help to
control floods and generate hydroelectric
power.

Wells and tubewells irrigation: Well and

tubewell are the popular sources of irrigation
all over the country. This type is widespread
in plains where groundwater is available.
Irrigation through wells and tubewells are Canal irrigation
generally practiced in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and
Maharashtra.

Tank irrigation: Irrigation through tank is

common in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh because in these regions
rainwater is collected in the tanks or
reservoirs and is used for irrigation. In these
regions, wells and tubewells cannot be dug
out due to rocky ground and absence of
groundwater.

Methods of Irrigation Tube well irrigation

Methods of irrigation can be divided into two categories- Traditional or old methods of irrigation
and modern methods of irrigation.
Traditional or old methods of irrigation: The water available in wells or lakes is lifted up by
different methods for taking it tothe fields for irrigation. Cattle or human labour is used in these
methods. Thus, these methods are cheaper but less efficient. These methods lead to wastage of
water. The various traditional methods of irrigation are puley system (moat), chain pump, lever
system (dhekli) and water wheels moved by cattles (rahat). Pumps are usually used to lift up
water. These pumps can be run by iesel, biogas, electricity and solarono
12
Modern Methods of Irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation: This method is more useful
on the uneven land
where sufficient water is not
available. The sprinkler consists of perpendicular
pipes, having rotating nozzles on top, which are
joined to the main pipeline at regular intervals.
Water
is allowed to flow through the main
pipe under
pressure with the help of a pump.
This water escapes
from the rotating nozzles and get sprinkled on
the
crop. It appears as if it is raining. Sprinkler irrigation

Drip irrigation: In this method, the water falls drop

by drop from a pipe just at the position of the roots of
plants. Therefore it is called drip irrigation. It is the
best method for watering fruit plants, gardens and
trees. This is the most expensive method of irrigation
but minimizes wastage of water. It is useful in those
place where there is shortage of water.

irrigation
Drip
Weeding
The undesirable plants that grow naturally along with the crop plants are called weeds. Some
weeds are edible whereas some are non-edible. Some edible weeds are Chenopodium or bathua,
Amaranthus or chaulai, convolvulus or khuri. Wild oat and grass are two non-edible weeds.
It is important to remove the weeds because they compete with the main crop plants and share the
nutrients, water, space and sunlight. Thus, the main crop plants remain devoid of the essential
nutrients required for their growth. This in turn, reduces the crop yield. The process of removing
weeds is called weeding. There are several methods to remove weeds.

Chenopodium Amaranthus Convolvulus

Farmers may remove the weeds manually by hands or with the
help of trowel (khurpi)or harrow. Weeds also get removed
during
tilling before sowing of seeds. Another method of removing
weeds
is spraying certain chemicals called weedicides or harrow
herbicides.
This method is quite effective as it kills trowel
the weeds but does not
Tools used for weeding

13
harm the crops. Dalapon,
metachlor and siniazine are some
commonly used weedicides.
Weedicides should be handled
carefully as they are poisonous.
Since weedicides are poisonous,
farmers should be advised to
cover their mouth and nose with
cloth while spraying them.
Grains and other crops must be
Spraying weedicide
washed thoroughly before Manual weeding
consumning.

Activity-4
Find out three edible and non-edible weeds.

Harvesting
The cutting and gathering of fully
grown crops from field is called
harvesting. It is a very important
task in the agricultural practice.
It can be done manually or by
using a machine. Harvesting of
mature crops is done manually
with a sickle. It can also be
done by using a machine called Sickle

combine which is a harvester Manual harvesting Harvesting with a combine

a
combined with thresher. Winnowing (separation of grains from chaf) is either done manually or
using a winnowing machine.

Fact File
Harvesting is marked by celebration all over the world as it is the final step of crop production. In
different regions of India, special festivals mark the occasion with a special name to rejoice. For
example, it is calledbaisakhi in Punjab, pongal in Tamil Nadu, Gudi Padwain Maharashtra.

Storage
mhe last task of agriculture is the storage of products. After harvesting, the food gnains need to be
konnd egrefully before they are made available for consumption. To prevent
the food grains trom
lo bth the storage area and the food grains should be free from moisture, insects, rats and
microorganisms. The freshly harvested grains have moisture
therefore they are stored after drying
14
 them in the sun (this removes moisture). Once
free from moisture, they may not get spoilt or
attacked by the insects and microorganisms. The
grains are harvested once a year therefore, they
need to be stored in such a way that they last
between two harvesting seasons. After sun
drying, the grains are packed in gunny bags. The
grains are stored in bulk in silos and granaries.
The silos or granaries are made free from insects,
rats, microorganisms by spraying pesticides
before storing food grains in them. Dried neem
leaves and turmeric are used to store food grains.
They keep the insects away from the food grains.
A regular inspection need to be carried out to Silos for grain storage
check the presence of any insects, microorganisms or rats. Proper and safe storage to ensure an
extra stock called buffer stock to remain for future use. So, in case of shortfall of grains for
example, due to monsoon failure there should not be any problem.
Following are some ways that can help in increasing crop yield.
Increasing Crop Yield
Proper use of fertilizers and manure.
Use of natural methods of replenishing nutrients in the soil.
o Providing better methods of protection from weeds, pests and diseases.
Providing better irrigation facilities.

Protection of Crops from Pests and Diseases

Protection of crops may be defined as all measures taken to protect cultivated crops against
diseases and pests. As the plants grow, many kinds of pests can harm them. Pests are any kind of
organisms that damage crops. Pests include rodents such as rats, insects such as weevils or
termites. The rats feed only on grains but the insects damage both the crops and the grains. Crop
plants are also damaged by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. They reduce the
yield by causing various diseases in plants. For example, fungi cause a disease called blight
in
potatoes, and in wheat they cause two diseases rust and smut.
The poisonous chemicals called pesticides are used to control
the pests. The pesticides do not
damage the plants but kill the insects along with their eggs
and larvae. Pesticides include
insecticides and rodenticides. Insecticides are used to
kill the insects. Insecticides are sprayed by
hand operated machines but if the crop fields are large
they are spraved by low flying airerafts.
The spraying should be done at the proper time and with
will become resistant to the chemicals. So
the optimum dose, otherwise the insects
commonly used insecticides are gammaxine
malathion and disyston. Rodenticides are used to (BHC,
kill the rodents. Fugicides are used to kill
fungi. the

15
 Test yeur Knewledgc
1 How is crop rotationdifferent from mixed cropping?
2. Define irrigation?
3 What are weeds? Name two edible weeds.
4 What is harvesting?

Nitrogen Cycle
Now, it must be clear to youthat growing
nitrogen in the
crops is not an easy job. It requires a lot of atmosphere
hard work and efficiency to get a better
result. You know that agriculture is our
major industry as plants are the ultimate nitrogen in animal proteins
sources of food for us. Plants provide
certain essential nutrients that help us in
growth and development. What happens

IL
to the nutrients when these plants die and nitrogen in
plant proteins
decay? Do these nutrients finish off? No,
they do not. When plants die or decay, nitrogen in decayn matter and waste
they are decomposed naturally by the
action of microorganisms and the bacteria fixes nitrogen for use by plants
nutrients present in the remains of plants Nitrogen cycle
return to air, water or in soil. These are again absorbed by the living organisms and used for growth
and development. These natural cycles repeat itself in the nature. Thus, the flow of nutrients
between the living organisms and the non-living environment takes place endlessly. These cycles are
called biogeochemical cycles. Let us study about nitrogen cycle occurring in nature.
Atmosphere consists of 78% of nitrogen approximately. This is the most abundant element present
on the earth's atmosphere. But nitrogen in its gaseous state is in unusable form. Thus, it has to be
first converted into usable form before it is used to carry out functions of life. The conversion of
free nitrogen gas of the atmosphere intonitrogenous compounds is known as nitrogen fixation.
In nature, nitrogen fixation is done by the nitrogen-fixing bacteria called Rhizobium present in
leguminous plants and in soil.
Nitrogen taken by plants is converted into proteins. You know that plants are eaten by animals. This
way plant protein is converted into animal protein. The protein present in plants and animals are
broken down into nitrogenous compounds such as urea, uric acid, ammonia and amino acids. When
plants and animals die, bacteria and fungi (decomposers) act upon them and convert the proteins
into ammonia. This process is called ammonification. Nitrifying bacteria present in soil act upon
ammonia and convert it into nitrates and the process is known as nitrification. Lastly, the
nitrates present in the dead remainsof the plants andanimals are converted into free nitrogen gas
hy the denitrifying bacterla. The nitrogen gas goes back into the atmosphere and this process l§
called denitrification.

16
Thus nitrogen cyle is a natural cyclic process
of nitrogen being fixed in soil, and used by
lants and animals before returning back to the
the atmosphere.
The following steps are involved in
the process of nitrogen cycle:

ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN
NITROGEN FIXATION

DENITRIFICATION NITRIFICATION AMMONIFICATION

Animals as Food
We get food from plants as well as from animals. You know that since olden time man has
depended on animals for different things. We get nutritious food from animals. Food from animals
is considered good because it is rich in proteins. Animals are domesticated for food and other
products. The rearing, breeding and feeding of domestic animals for food and other products is
called animal husbandry. Different kinds of animals provide different kinds of food. Some
animals such as goat, fish, sheep, pig and poultry animals provide us meat. Poultry animals such
as chicken, duck, turkey etc. give us eggs also.

Fact File
The rearing of fish in large scale, to get food, is called pisciculture.

Some animals such as cow, buffalo, goat and camel provide us milk which is then used to prepare
milk products like curd, cheese, cottage cheese (paneer), ghee.
Animals provide us many other things like honey which comes from honeybees. Honey is
considered good for health. Honeybees are reared on large scale to obtain honey and the process is
called apiculture.

Let Us Recapitulete
The practice of producing crop and rearing animals is referred to as agriculture.
Many plants of the same kind grown on large scale in one season are called crops.
There are various types of crop plants such as cereals, pulses, oil seeds, etc.
The crops sown in June or July and harvested in September or October are known as kharif crops.
The crops sown in October or November and harvested in March or April are known as rabi crops.
The loosening and turning of the soil is called tilling or ploughing.
The levelling of soil is done by a leveller.
Sowing of seeds at right depth and at right distances is the next task in crop production.
Sowing of seeds by sprinkling them all over the field by hand is called broadcasting.
A better method of sowing seeds is to use a seed drill which consists
of a funnel shaped seed bowl that
opens into two or three long tubes which are attached to a plough.
Adding manure and fertilizers to the soil is the next task in crop production.
 The next task is irrigating the crops i.e. providing right quantity of water at right time.
or
Protecting thecrops from weeds which can lbe carried out manually using weedicides.
Harvesting the mature crop and then threshing.
Storage of food grains for future use.
The cyclic process in which atmospheric nitrogen get fixed in soil and gets used by plants and animals
before returning back to the atmosphere is called nitrogen cycle.
The rearing, feeding and breeding of domestic animals for food and other products is called animal
husbandry.
Key Words
Staple food :
Crop grown in large scale in a region.
Broadcasting :
Sprinkling seeds by hand on the crop field.
Green manure : Manure consisting of green plants only.
:
Compost Manure made by the decomposition of plant and animal wastes.
Buffer stock :
Extra stock of grains for future use.
Animal husbandry : Rearing, breeding and feeding of domestic animals for food and other products.

Exercises
A. Fill in the blanks.
1. At present, the country holds the .(d position all over the world in agricultural production.
2.
..heot. is the staple food of North India while
..kice.
3. The fertilizer containing all three essential nutrients is called
is the staple food of South India.
Pk exhlize
4. Growing two or more crops simultaneously in the same field is called .AMied.SsORRing
5. The rearing of fishon large scale to get food is called .Cni.n.a..sandoy
6. The field
is.......eNed... for sowing as well as for irrigation purposes.
7. The undesirable plants that grow naturally along with erop
plants are called ....ed.
8. A machine called ...SQNm.ine....... is used for both the
harvesting and threshing.
9. Proper and safestorage is done to ensure an extra stock called..autieX... stock.
10PescOeshe
B. Mention true' or
poisonous chemicals are used to control
the pests.
false'.
1. The chief
rabi crops are wheat, barley, gram, pulses, linseed and mustard.
2. Agriculture in India is a small scale industry.
Fale
3. Wild oat and grass are the two edible weeds.
4. The grains are stored after drying themn in sun.
5. The conversion of free nitrogen of
the atmosphere into nitrogenous compounds
known as ammonification,. isa
6. When plants die or decay, they are decomposed naturally by
the action of microorganisms.
7
The crops sown in during October and harvested in March are
known as Rabi crops.
8
The rearing of fish on large scale, to get food, is called apiculture.
9 In drip irrigation, the water lallS arop by drop
.n Motuural substances made by decompoSition of
just at the position of the roots, vue
plant and animal wastes are called manures. falge
18
C. Choose the correct answer.
1. Which of the following a
is cereal?
Mango b. Banana
Wheat d. Groundnut
2. Which of the following is not a
pulse?
a. Peas b. Gram
C. Beans d. Rice
3. Wbich of these is not an oilseed?
Maize b. Groundnut
Mustard d. Sunflower
4. Nurients which are replenished by the legumes is
à. Nitrogen b. Iron
C Potassium d. Phosphorous
5. Which of these terms is used for loosening
of soil?
a.
Levelling b. Tilling
C. Broadcasting d. Weeding
6. Which of the following is used for bulk storage of grains?
Granaries b. Huge plastic bags
C. Gunny bags d
Bins
7. Thmethod used for maintenance of soil fertility is
a Crop rotation b Mixed cropping
C. Field fallow d. Allof these
8. Which of these is used for harvesting and threshing?
Harrowv b. Combine
C. Thresher d. Sickle
9. BHC and malathion are
a
Fungicides b. Insecticides
C. Rodenticides d. Herbicides
10. Which of the following crop plants is not planted directly in the crop field.
a
Rice b. Chilly
C. Tomato d. Allof these
D. Answer the following questions in one word.
1. What is the term used for 'the extra stock of food grains' kept for future?
2. Which type of crops are harvested in autumn?
3. Give the names of two traditional methods of irrigation.
4. Give the term used for 'growing of two crops alternately in
the same field'.
5. Name the process of removing weeds from the field.
6. What is conversion of nitrates into free nitrogen called?
7. What is the term used for the
turning and loosening of soil?
8. Name the agricultural equipment used for
sowing seeds.
9. What is the process of transferring of seedlings
called?
10. Name the process of rearing of honeybees to
obtain honey.
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 one or two sentences.
E. Answer the following questions in
differences between Kharif and Rabi crops?
1. What are the
manures and fertilizers?
2. What are the differences between
sow the seeds at the right depth?
3. Why is it important to

4. What is nitrification?
5. How are weeds removed from the field?

6. Name any six food items obtained from animals.

7. Why the grains should be dried before storage?

8. What is field fallow?

9. What are weedicides? Name two commonly used weedicides.
10. Why should the spraying of insecticides be done at an appropriate time?

E Answer the following questions in detail.

1. How the preparation of soil is done? Explain.
2. What is irrigation? Describe two modern methods of irrigation?
3. Write short notes on (i) mixed cropping (ii) crop rotation.
4. List the agricultural practices in the correct sequence. What precautions must be taken for storage
of seeds?
5. Explain nitrogen cycle in detail.
6. What is harvesting? Why is it marked with celebrations?
7. Explain the method of making compost.
8. What is transplantation? How is it advantageous for the farmers?
9. Explain the process of nitrogen fixation?

10. What are pests? How can pests be controlled?

G. Think and answer.

1. What will happen if distance and depth is not maintained
at the time of sowing of seeds?
2. How crop rotation enriches the soil?
3. Why is it important to remove the weeds?
4. If you grow a few wheat or maize plants
in your garden, will they be called crop plants? State
the
reason.

CLASS ACTIVITIES
1. Find out about the contributions
of agicultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan
PowerPoint presentation. and prepare a
2. Why Norman Borlaug was called
'Father of green revolution? Prepare a
contributions. report about ns
9. Collect many types of seeds
and separate them in their respective
different packets and display in your category. Put them n
class bulletin board.
A
Prepare a herbarium
ie. Stick as many types of crop plants as you can
collect. Write
short description ab0ut each one of them.

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