Chapter-1
CROP PRODUCTION AND
MANAGEMENT
Why Food is Important?
• All living organisms require food.
• The energy from food is utilised by an organism for carrying out its
various life processes such as digestion, respiration and excretion.
• Plants can make their food themselves but animals including humans
cannot.
• We get our food from plants or animals, or both.
• Crop : When plants of same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale ,It is called a crop
• India is a vast country. The climatic conditions like temperature, humidity and rainfall vary from
one region to another. So we have a rich variety of crops here
According to the season in which the crops are grown, we can classify the crops as
o Kharif Crops
o Rabi Crops
o Zaid Crops
Kharif Crops: The crops which are grown in the rainy season (i.e., from June to September) are called
Kharif crops. Paddy, maize, soybean, groundnut, and cotton are Kharif crops.
Rabi Crops: The crops are grown in the winter season (i.e., from October to March) are called rabi crops.
Examples of rabi crops are wheat, gram, pea, mustard, and linseed.
Zaid Crops (or Summer Crops): The crops grown in the summer season are ( called zaid crops. Moong,
muskmelon, watermelon, cucumber, gourd and bitter gourd are examples of zaid crops
Basic Practices of Crop
Production
• Soil Preparation: It involves loosening and tilling of the soil (i.e., ploughing and watering).
• Sowing: Sowing is the process of putting seeds in the soil.
• Adding Manure and Fertilisers: The substances, which are added to the soil in the form of nutrients to
improve the production of the crops and fertility of the soil are called manure and fertilisers.
• Irrigation: Supply of water to crops at appropriate intervals is called irrigation.
• Protection from Weeds: Weeds are the unwanted plants that grow along with the crops. Its removal is a
must for the better growth of the crops. These can be controlled by spraying certain chemicals, called
weedicides, like 2, 4-D.
• Harvesting: The cutting of the crop after it is mature is called harvesting.
• Storage: If the crop grains are to be kept for a longer time, they should be safe from moisture, insects and
rats.
Preparation of Soil
first step before growing a crop
Most important Step of agriculture is to turn and loosen the soil
By turning the root of the soil, It enables the root to penetrate Deeply into the ground ,It would even
allow it to breathe easily even the roots are deep into the ground
Another Important factor of Turning the soil is to helps in the growth of earthworms and microbes
present in the soil . These Organisims add humus to the ground making soil more nutritious and
more fertile.
The process of loosening and turning of the soil is called tilling or ploughing.
Agricultural Implements
Main tools for breaking the soil crumps is plough, hoe and cultivator.
