SCIENCE CLUB

Presented by :

1) Lokamruth K.R

2) Hitesh D.S

3) Bharath Kumar S

Agriculture

The process of any country is greatly

influenced by the progress of agriculture.

Agriculture is the main source of food

requirement of all living organisms.

Agriculture is the process of growing crops by

sowing seeds. Because of agricultural

revolution many modern methods are

employed for growing crops. Let us study

about :

a) The different methods the farmers use for

growing crops

b) Implements used by farmers.

The problem of food production is one of theinnumerable problems the country is facing.Growing more crops play an important role insolving the food problem. The life of every onedepends upon the crops the farmers grow.

Crops can be classified into

three types. They are :-

Farm crops

The food producing crops are called farm crops.

They can be classified into four major groups.

They are cereals, pulses, oil seeds and fodder

crops.

Paddy, wheat, ragi, barley and maize are the

main cereals grown in our country.

Commercial cropsOther than cereals many commercial crops aregrown in our country for monetary benefit.

Ex: Coffee, tea, sugarcane, cotton, silk, cashewnutand arecanut.

Horticultural crops

Vegetables, fruits and flowers are grown in large

proportions in gardens. These are called

horticultural crops.

Unwanted plants growing along with the crops are called

weeds. As they compete with the crop plants for space,

water and nutrients, the yield becomes less.

Weedicides shoud be used to control weeds. Same type of

weedicide should not be used for all weeds.

Post Weedicides – The Weedicides used after the growth

of weeds, these are called Post Weedicides. Ex: 2-4D,

Paraqueet and Propanil.

Pre Weedicides – The Weedicides used before the growth

of weeds, these are Pre Weedicides. Ex: Diauran,

Simagen, Machute.

ORGANIC FARMING

The method of growing crops using organicmanure is called ‘Organic Farming’.

Importance of Organic farming : As no chemicalfertilizers are pesticides are used in this type offarming, the produce is relatively lesscontaminated.

Organic manure

Organic manure is obtained by the decompositionof plant and animal wastes. Organic manure issuitable for growing food crops, fruits andvegetables.

Mixed and Rotation of Crops

It is necessary for the farmers to grow a

variety of crops to get high yield. It helps

to retain certain nutrients in the soil and to

maintain the fertility of the soil.

The two methods are :

1. Mixed cropping: The method of growingdifferent crops simultaneously in thesame field is called Mixed cropping.

Ex: Growing dolicos with ragi, growingSoyabeans and beans with sugarcane.

2. Rotation of crops: The method ofgrowing different crops one after anotherin the same field is called Rotation ofcrops. By this method the nutrients usedby one crop are replenised and usedagain by the other.

Ex: Growing monocots and dicots.

Normally farmers grow two crops in a year.They are Kharif crops and Rabi Crops.

Kharif Crops: Sowing in June and July andgetting the yield is called Kharif Crops.

Ex: Paddy, Jowar, groundnut, pulses andpepper.

Rabi Crops : Rabi crop is the second. Sowingbegins in October and goes up to theDecember. Ex: Wheat, ragi, sesamum andtobacco.

Agriculture ImplementsDue to the revolution in Agricultural Technology

many agricultural implements have beeninvented. By this, agricultural activities havebeen taking place at a great speed.

Some simple tools which help the farmers are Axe,Shovel, Spade and Sickle.

Let us know about some other agricultural implements:

1) Plough

Farmers use the plough before sowing the seeds.Ploughing removes the weeds and turns over the soil.Ploughing helps the manure to enter the soil easily.For the deep sowing of seeds, iron plough is used.

Before sowing, for levelling the soil, to remove the

weeds and to break the crumbs of mud, harrows are

used. By ploughing the soil with a harrow the soil

becomes loose and porous. Through the pores,

water, air and minerals enter the soil easily and

help in growing better crops.

3) Seed DrillSeed drill is the most important of all the implements ofsowing. It consists of a long tube with two to six fingerlike tubes and a funnel at the top. The seeds are fedinto the funnel. The plough makes furrows and thedrill sows the seeds through the tubes.

Power tiller is a modern machine. Some

farmers use this for tilling the field.

Instead of tractor. The Power tiller has

two rubber tyres. Its weight is 350 kg. Its

small teeth make the soil suitable for

Agriculture.

5) Tractor

Tractor plays an important role in helping thefarmers. Iron plough, seed drill, harvester andsprinkler systems can be fixed to the tractor.Sowing in rows, applying manure and cuttingthe grass can be done with the help of thetractor. It also helps in transporting harvestedcrops and manure. Tractors can also be used forlifting water, cutting grass and winnowing.

6) Harvester Combines

To separates grains from the chalf pulp of thecrop, machines called harvester combines areused. To these machines sieves are attachedwhich move forward and backward. The fansin between the sieves blow off the dust andthe cleaned grain comes out of themachine.

Manure

Manure is the substance which has necessarynutrients and increases the fertility of the soil.Manure helps in getting high yield.

Uses : The manures supply the necessary nutrientslike Nitrogen, Phosphorous and potash (NPHmixture) to the crops.

The different types of manure are :

1) Chemical fertilizers

The elements such as iron, magnesium,sulphur and zinc are the nutrients requiredin minute quantities for the growth ofplants. The chemical compounds with thenutrients which help in the growth of plantsare called chemical fertilizers.

Uses: Chemical fertilizers when added to thesoil increase the yield of crops. Supplyminerals to the soil. Increase the level ofphysical, chemical and biological propertiesof the soil.

2) BIO-FERTILIZERS

Some living organisms like bacteria enrich the soil with

nitrogen absorbed from air and act as fertilizers. They

are known as biofertilizers.

Ex: Axatobactor, azospirrilium, nostoc and rhizobium

IrrigationWater is essential for the growth of

plants. Rainfall is the natural sourceof water, but rainfall does not occurthroughout the year. So during leanperiods, stores water from ponds,wells, lakes, rivers and reservoirs issupplied to crops. This method ofsupplying stored water for cultivationof crops is called irrigation.

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