CBSE
Class 10
Class 12
Crop Season: Different crops require different conditions (temperature, moisture, etc.), different photo-periods (duration of sunlight) for their growth and completing the life cycle.
The two types of crops seasons are :
Kharif Season: These crops grow during the rainy season (June to October). E.g. of Kharif crops are black gram, green gram, pigeon pea, rice, paddy, soybean.
Rabi Season: These crops are grown during November to April. Rabi crops are known as winter crops. E.g., wheat, gram, peas, mustard, linseed etc.
Approaches which enhance the crop yield are as following :
This approach depends on finding a crop variety that can give a good yield. Varieties or strains of crops can be selected by breeding for various useful characteristics such as disease resistance, response to fertilisers, product quality and high yields.
Factors for which variety improvement in crops is done
This approach depends on finding a crop variety that can give a good yield. Varieties or strains of crops can be selected by breeding for various useful characteristics such as disease resistance, response to fertilisers, product quality and high yields.
Factors for which variety improvement in crops is done
Crop Production Improvement: It involves different practices carried out by farmers to achieve higher standards of crop production.
They are, nutrient management, Irrigation, cropping patterns.
The higher yields of crops mainly depend upon input applications like improved seeds, fertilizers and modern techniques of sowing and harvesting. Plants require a number of nutrients for their growth and development.
Plants get nutrients from air, water and soil. Nearly 16 elements are essential for plant growth and reproduction. On the basis of the requirement by the plants, they are further classified into Macro Nutrients and Micro Nutrients.
Macro Nutrients
Elements which are needed in large quantities for the growth of the plants are called Macro Nutrients. They are Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Sulphur, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and Iron.
Micro Nutrients
Elements which are needed by the plants in very small quantities are called Micro Nutrients. They are Manganese, Copper, Molybdenum, Zinc, Boron and Chlorine.
Irrigation is necessary for crops to get water during their growing season.
Source of irrigation:
Wells: There are two types of wells, namely dug wells and tube wells. In a dug well, water is collected from water-bearing strata. Tube wells can tap water from the deeper strata. From these wells, water is lifted by pumps for irrigation.
Canals: This is usually an elaborate and extensive irrigation system. In this system, canals receive water from one or more reservoirs or from rivers. The main canal is divided into branch canals having further distributaries to irrigate fields.
River Lift Systems: In areas where canal flow is insufficient or irregular due to inadequate reservoir release, the lift system is more rational. Water is directly drawn from the rivers for supplementing irrigation in areas close to rivers.
Tanks: These are small storage reservoirs, which intercept and store the run-off of smaller catchment areas.Rainwater harvesting
Watershed management: the building of small check dams which helps in increasing groundwater level and helps in reducing soil erosion.
Crop Patterns: Different patterns are used to maximize the production from crop field. They are :
Mixed cropping: Growing two or more than two crops together on the same piece of land is called mixed cropping. E.g., wheat and gram, wheat and mustard, groundnut and sunflower.
Inter cropping: Two or more crops are grown on the same field in a definite pattern. Few rows of one followed by few rows of the other. E.g., Soybean + maize, Finger nullet (Bajra) + Cow pea (lobia)
Crop rotation: Crop rotation is the policy of growing different crops one after another on the same field.
If some crop is grown again and again on the same field, same nutrients are extracted from soil again and again. So we should choose different crops so that all nutrients of soil are used.
Advantages :
To protect crops against diseases caused organisms and other harming factors is called crop protection. Following methods are used to control these problems :
Pest control during growth: Pest is any destructive organism which can destroy or harm crops or products obtained from them. Pests are of many types :
Storage of grains: For getting seasonal foods throughout the year, they are stored in the safe storage. But during storage of grains, they can be destroyed and wasted by various means.