Crops

It is very interesting to look at transition of mankind over a period of time. In the very beginning, man was nothing short of a a hunter travelling from place to place, and hunt for food. The food was essentially, plants and animals which man got from forest. In those days, human beings consumed plant parts and animals without cooking. When these early humans settled at different places, they started growing plants for food. Slowly, this activity became systematic and began to take place on a large-scale. The practice of growing plants at a place is known as agriculture. When these plants are grown in a large scale, we call them Crops. Crops can be classified into 6 main categories: 1. Cereals-Crop plants, like wheat, maize, paddy, barley, millets,etc. from an important part of the diet and serve as one one of the best sources of Carbohydrates. 2. Pulses-Crops like gram, pea, lentil, etc. provide proteins in our diet.
3. Oilseed crops-Soya bean, Mustard, Olive, Sunflower, etc. are the main sources

of fats in our diet.

4. Vegetables, Pulses and Fruits-Vegetable like Potato, brinjal, mustard, etc. and

Fruits like Mango, Orange, Apple, etc. are good sources of Vitamins and Minerals.
5. Fibres-Crops like Jute, Cotton , Hemp, etc. gives fibers for yawning. 6. Beverages-Crops like Tea and Coffee.(Water is a beverage with fewer calories)

Crops are categorized on the basis of the growing season as follows: Kharif crops They include crops like rice, maize, soyabean, groundnut etc, which are grown in the rainy season (during June-September.) They are dependent on SouthWestern monsoons. The crops that are sown in the rainy season are called kharif crops. The Kharif crop is the autumn harvest (also known as the summer or monsoon crop) in India and Pakistan .In India the kharif season varies by crop and state, with kharif starting at the earliest in May and ending at the latest in January, but is popularly considered to start in June and to end in October. Common kharif crops are Millet Bajra,

Sorghum Jowar, Maize (corn), Mung bean (green gram), Sugarcane, Guar, Arhar or Tur Pigeon pea, Urad (black gram), Peanut (groundnut), Sunflower, Soybean, Rice, Gwara, Paddy,etc. The crops which are sown in winter season and harvested during spring season ( from october to december ) are called rabi crops. Rabi crops They include crops like wheat, gram, pea, mustard etc., which are grown in the winter season (during October-March.) They are not dependent on monsoons. The crops that are sown in the winter season are called rabi crops . The Rabi crop is the spring harvest (also known as the "winter crop") in India and Pakistan. States of north and north eastern part of Pakistan such as Punjab, Sindh and Kashmir are important for the production of wheat and other Rabi crops. Rabi crops are those crops which are sown in winter from october to december and harvested in summer from april to june. Differences between Kharif crop and Rabi crop: Kharif crop Grown between June and September Dependent on Monsoons Ex: Rice, Soya bean, Maize, Ground nut Rabi crop Grown between October and March Not dependent on Monsoons Ex: Wheat, Gram, Peas, Mustard

Have you heard about hybrid seeds? Do you know what they are? Hybrid seeds are the type of seeds which have the characters of two different plants. Hybrid seeds are obtained by the process of hybridization. Hybridization is the process by which two dissimilar plants with desired characteristics are mated or crossed. The resultant plant will have the characteristics of both the parent plants. This is very easy to understand through the given pictorial representation.

Green Revolution: Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s. It forms a part of the 'neo-colonial ' system of agriculture wherein agriculture was viewed more of a commercial sector than a subsistence one. Green Revolution is the term given to the introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds and the increased use of fertilizers and irrigation which provided the increase in production needed to make India self-sufficient in food grains, thus improving agriculture in India.

It was brought to India by the initiative of Indian government. Genetically modified high-yielding wheat was first introduced to India in 1960 by Dr. Norman Borlaug(An American scientist). It is also rightly credited to M. S. Swaminathan and his team who contributed towards the success of green revolution in India. The major components of green revolution are development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, modernization of management techniques, distribution of hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides to farmers.

It is a programme started in the 1960s to increase the agricultural productivity by the use of improved seeds and advanced agricultural technologies. Dr. Norman Borlaug: An American scientist was instrumental in promoting green revolution in India, Mexico and Pakistan.

Dr. M.S.Swaminathan: He is considered to be the pioneer of green revolution in India. He brought different varieties of seeds developed in Mexico and cross-bred them with the local varieties to obtain hybrid variety. This helped transform India from a famine-prone country to an agriculturally self-sufficient country.

True /False 1. Rabi Crops are grown during rainy season 2. Kharif crops depend on Monsoon rains for growth. 3. Rabi Crops are referred to as Spring Crops. 4. Wheat, pea and mustard are Rabi crops. 5. Kharif crops are also known as Autumn crops. 6. Kharif crops are harvested during the month of September and October. 7. Rabi crops are planted during the month of April. 8. Paddy, gram and cotton are Kharif crops.

Agriculture includes cultivation of both plants and animals. Also, agriculture is incomplete without animals as they form a very important part of agricultural practices. The applied branch of biology that deals with cultivation of plants and reearing of animals is called agriculture. Animal husbandry and Crop production both are included in agriculture.So, agriculture deals both with plants and animals. Irrigation in relation to farming, irrigation means to supply the arable land (dry land) with water by means of ditches, pipes, or streams; water artificially. examples of irrigation are - drip irrigation, sprinkler system etc. Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops , maintenance of landscapes , and re-vegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. Additionally, irrigation also has a few other uses in crop production, which include protecting plants against frost, suppressing weed growing in grain fields and helping in preventing soil consolidation. In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed or dry land farming. Irrigation

systems are also used for dust suppression, disposal of sewage , and in mining . Irrigation is often studied together with drainage, which is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area. Drip system is a modern method of irrigation. In this system water falls drop by drop on the position of the roots. This is the best technique to water plants as it prevent wastage of water. Threshing is the process of separating grains from chaff. Threshing can be done by using machines called combine. The science of rearing animals for a commercial purpose is known as animal husbandry. Millets are a group of tiny-seeded species of cereal grains, typically found all over the world. They are used as food by humans as well as animal feed. They are highly nutritious and healthy for us. Plantation is a type of commercial farming where single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton is grown. Crop rotation is the practice of growing two or more varieties of crops in the same region in sequential seasons. A common example of crop rotation is to cultivate maize followed by soyabean. The crops selected, vary in nutrient requirements. This ensures complete and uniform utilization of nutrients thereby preventing crops from pests and diseases, without causing loss to soil fertility.