Education Journalist | Study Abroad Lead
Agriculture can be understood as the ability to cultivate crops and plants for maintaining a livelihood. It can be classified into various types based on weather conditions. The cultivation of crops is not only the main idea behind agriculture but the idea is also to increase the employment rate and hence it plays an important role in the economic development of the country. It is also important to maintain a livelihood and ensure food security. Agriculture is the backbone of our economic system as over 70 percent of our population is involved in agriculture processes. It is not a single step process but requires extensive knowledge of physical and mechanical practice and electronic vehicles.
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Key Takeaways: Agriculture Process, Selection of Seeds, Seeds Sowing, Crop Production, Soil, Irrigation
What is the Agriculture Process?
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Agriculture refers to the processes involved in cultivating plants and livestock. The process involves a series of steps and a great amount of agriculture practice. The knowledge of electronic vehicles used in agriculture such as threshers, tractors, etc. is also needed. The latest technologies and the modern equipments help in making the agriculture process easier.
Agriculture Process
Steps involved in Agriculture Process
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There are various steps that are involved in the process of agriculture and amongst them, the most crucial can be the selection of the seeds that are to be planted. The quality of the seed will result in the good productivity of that crop. There’s a lot of knowledge along with the hard work is required for the agriculture process.
The several steps that are required to be followed in the agricultural process are as follows:
- Soil Preparation: The soil required for the plantation should be fine in texture and the loosening of the soil can be done by using either physical methods or by the help of tractors.
- Seeds Selection: The seeds should be selected of good quality and the seeds should be healthy which will yield a healthy crop.
- Sowing of Seeds: It is an essential part of the production of any crop. The selected seeds should be sowed while maintaining a proper gap between them. Various methods can be used for the sowing of seeds like sowing by hands or by using machines.
- Irrigation: The amount of water provided to the crops should be of the required quantity as too much irrigation can lead to damage to the crop as the roots of the crop will not be able to absorb the minerals or nutrients present in the soil. The sources of irrigation are canals, tube-wells, rivers, ponds, wells, dams, etc. There are various methods of irrigation which includes
- Traditional Methods: Diesel pumps, Human Labour, and cattles are used for irrigation.
- Modern Methods: Sprinklers are used as a modern method of irrigation. These can be used where there is uneven land and sufficient underground water level is not available for irrigation.
- Manure and Fertilization: For the proper growth of plants, manure and fertilizers should be provided from time to time as they are a source of nutrients and minerals which help in yielding a healthy crop. Manure is to be preferred as it is eco-friendly whereas the fertilizers are composed of chemicals that can be harmful to the crop as well as the soil.
- Protection: Weeds are unwanted plants in a cultivated area that can hinder the growth of crops. These unwanted plants compete with the crops for nutrients, minerals, sunlight, water, and food that cause interference resulting in a decrease in the yield. To avoid this a process called weeding can be done in order to remove these unwanted plants.
- Harvesting: The process of gathering the useful part of the plant from the fields is called harvesting. There are 2 types of harvesting processes which include winnowing and threshing.
- Storing of Crops: The crops once harvested should be stored in a safe place like a warehouse to protect the yield from animals, rats, moisture, and microorganisms.
Selection of Seeds
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For yielding a healthy crop, healthy and good-quality seeds are selected. The selected seed should not be infected. It should be intact, viable, pure, free from any kind of mixture of other seeds, and should contain optimum moisture content. If any seed is infected then it can destroy the whole crop and can also be harmful to the soil. Farmers should also check the germination period of the selected seeds, nutrients required for the growth, and other benefits which can result in a good yield.
Seed Selection
Sowing of Seeds
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The process of planting the selected seeds into the soil is referred to as sowing. It is the most crucial part of the production of crops as once the soil is prepared for the sowing process the seeds are planted in it at a significant gap between each other. The seeds should be sowed evenly and carefully as if the seed is sowed too deep into the soil it will not germinate due to the lack of air. The sowing of seeds involves two methods which are traditional and modern methods.
- Traditional Method: In this method, the seeds are scattered by using hands which are known as broadcasting. This method is the most economical method but there will be no uniformity of seeds sowed in the field.
- Modern Method: The seeds are sowed into the soil using the help of machines/devices connected to the tractor which ensures that the seeds are distributed uniformly throughout the field. Seed drills are used to sow the seeds evenly and at a proper depth. This method is more convenient as it can save time and the wastage of seeds.
Sowing of Seeds
Things to Remember
- Agriculture can be understood as the processes involved to enhance the ability to cultivate crops and plants for maintaining a livelihood.
- There are various steps involved in the process of agriculture. Out of them, the most important step is the selection of the seeds that are to be planted.
- The steps involved in agriculture process are soil preparation, seeds selection, sowing of seeds, irrigation, fertilization, protection, harvesting, and storing of crops.
- For producing a healthy crop, good-quality seeds are selected that are not infected.
- Sowing is the process of planting the seeds that are selected into the soil.
- Once we prepare the soil for sowing, we can plant the seeds in it at a significant gap between each other
Sample Questions
Ques: What are the disadvantages of sowing seeds by hand? (2 marks)
Ans: The disadvantages of sowing seeds by hand are:
a.) Uneven distribution of seeds throughout the yield.
b) The seeds if not sowed at the right depth, can be picked up and eaten by the birds.
Ques. How the crops can be stored? (3 marks)
Ans: The harvested crops are stored in closed containers, depending on the amount of yield, to prevent the crops from moisture, insects, and rodents. On a small scale, the crops can be stored in jute bags or metal containers, and on a large scale, the crops can be stored in Silos, granaries, or warehouses.
Ques. How the weeds can be controlled? (3 marks)
Ans: As the weeds can reduce the productivity of the crop, they must be removed. Various methods can be used to remove the weeds like:
- Chemical method,
- Biological method, or
- Manual method.
Ques. What is the name of the chemical that can be used to remove the weeds? (1 marks)
Ans: Weedicides are chemicals that can be used to remove the weeds from the crops without affecting the crop.
Ques. What is the process of turning and loosening the soil is called? (3 marks)
Ans: The process of turning and loosening the soil is called Ploughing The process of ploughing is done before the sowing of the seeds.
- This helps in the even distribution of the nutrient-rich soil and also improves the aeration.
- It can be done either by traditional methods using oxen and horses or by the modern methods which involve tractors.
Ques. What is threshing? (3 marks)
Ans: The separation of the grains from the chaff is called threshing.
- This step is done after harvesting the ripe crop before winnowing.
- During this process, the edible part of the lant loosens but not its fibre part.
- The four forms of threshing principles are available: scraping, scratching, combing, and grinding.
Ques. How grains can be stored at home? (2 marks)
Ans: For storing the grains, dried leaves of neem trees can be put into the container in which the grains are stored. The leaves absorb moisture from the grains and it also repels the insects.
Ques. How is the use of fertilizers harmful for crops? (3 marks)
Ans: The fertilizers provide nutrition to the crops to help them grow faster and bigger in order to produce more food.
- The use of fertilizers can harm the soil as they are composed of chemicals and can affect the soil's organic matter.
- It can also result in groundwater pollution.
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