Read this article 8 Step to learn about the eight main steps involved in agriculture. The steps are 1. Plowing 2. Sowing 3 Management 4. Irrigation 5. Culture 6. Crop protection 7. Harvesting 8. Preservation.
Step # 1. Tillage(Plowing):
The field is raised with a country plow, tractor, or earth turning machine. In plowing, the soil of the field is turned, that is, the soil below comes up. Large lumps of soil come up from plowing. Plowing is the first step for a higher yield of crops.
Herring:
After plowing, a machine called HERO is used to break up large lumps of the field and crop residues. Its main function is to make the soil friable.
Leveling:
After making the soil friable, it is leveled with a device called Patella. Moisture can be retained in the soil by leveling.
Seed selection:
The selection of healthy seeds is essential to get a good yield. Seed is a fertilized ovule that completely envelops the embryo. Food is stored in the seed. Generally, dust, weeds, seeds of other crops, seeds battered by diseases, etc. are found in the seeds. Good seeds are healthy weight shiny.
The germination capacity of the seeds should also be 70-90 percent, i.e., 70-90 seeds should germinate after sowing 100 seeds. The vitality of different crops is different. The seeds should be similar in shape, size, and shape.
Step # 2. Sowing:
After the preparation of the field (soil) and the selection of seeds, the planting of seeds in the soil is called sowing. For sowing, machines called dufan and seed drill is used. Proper depth should be taken care of in sowing.
Seeds sown at high depths do not germinate due to lack of moisture and air and seeds sown at low depths are eaten by birds and destroyed. The distance between the plant and the rows is also important. If planted close together, the crop will become dense and the plants will not get enough space, light, and food, on the other hand, if the distance between the plant and the row becomes more, then there is an effect on the yield.
Sowing of seeds is done by two methods:
- 1. Direct sowing in the field.
- 2. By plantation from the nursery.
The main methods of sowing seeds directly in the field are as follows:
(a) Sixty-one method:
In this method, the seeds are sown in the field by scattering them. This method saves time, labor, and money. Sowing of crops like jowar, bajra, maize, berseem, etc. is done by sprinkling method. No equipment is required in this method. This is not the scientific method.
(b) By seed borer (dibbler):
In this method, a seed borer is used. By this, the seeds are sown in a row. This is the scientific method of sowing. Due to getting the proper place in this method, the growth of plants is fine. Nowadays all crops are sown by this method.
Seed borers are helpful in sowing the seeds at a certain depth in the soil. Due to this there is no possibility of damage to the seeds by birds. There is a long tube in a simple seed borer On whose upper end there is a funnel. Tie it behind the plow. The seeds are put into the funnel. Through the tube, the seeds go into the pits made in the field.
(c) By planting saplings:
In this method, the crops are sown directly in the nursery instead of directly in the field and are transferred to the fields at a fixed stage. Tomato, brinjal, chili, and paddy, etc. are grown by transplanting method. A major advantage of this method is that early-stage diseases are diagnosed in the nursery and only healthy plants are planted in the field.
Step # 3. Manuring:
Crops get mineral nutrients from the soil. These nutrients are essential for the growth of the crop. Growing crops multiple times in the field reduces the nutrients of the soil. Fertilizer is applied to the fields to replenish the nutrients in the soil.
Manure is a mixture of organic matter. Organic matter obtained from plant and animal wastes such as dung, waste vegetables, plant leaves, and other organic residues is called manure. These waste materials are collected in a pit and covered with soil and microorganisms decompose the waste material into organic matter. The compost prepared in this way is called compost.
Apart from manure, some chemicals are also used which are called fertilizers such as urea, ammonium sulfate, superphosphate, and potassium sulfate. They provide specific nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the soil.
Fertilizers are soluble in water and are easily absorbed by the roots of plants. Fertilizers are used to increase the yield of crops. Crops grown using manure, especially fruits and vegetables, are considered safer than those grown by chemical fertilizers.
Step # 4. Irrigation:
Plants need water to survive. Water is essential for crop production. The nutrients needed by the plants get dissolved in the water and reach the different parts of the plants through the roots. Water is also an important component in the photosynthesis process.
Water is needed to compensate for the loss of water caused by transpiration or evaporation and for the transfer of food items. Soil temperature is also controlled by water. Irrigation is the artificial watering of crops for good crop production or good yield. The fields are irrigated before sowing, which makes plowing easier.
For example, more irrigation is required in paddy and sugarcane and less irrigation is required in mustard, gram, linseed, etc. Similarly, the rate of irrigation also depends on the type of soil. For example, due to the lowest water holding capacity of sandy soil, more irrigation will be required. On the contrary, due to the high water holding capacity of clay soil, less irrigation will be required.
Irrigation Methods:
The method of irrigation is selected on the basis of soil condition, crop-specific, irrigation source, and climate. The most suitable method of irrigation is that in which water loss is less and water can be controlled. To avoid damage to the crop, it is necessary to drain the excess water from the fields.
Irrigation Sources:
Wells, rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, etc. are the main sources of irrigation.
Irrigation Means:
Rahat, Dhekli, Charas, etc. are old means of irrigation. Tube wells, sprinklers are the main modern means of irrigation.
Step # 5. Interculture:
Along with the crop plants, some undesirable plants also grow in the fields, which affect the crop by sharing food space and water with the main crop. These undesirable plants are called weeds.
To prevent them, removing these plants from the scabbard is called nindai. Even if the quantity of seeds in the field is high, the plants are uprooted so that the right yield can be obtained. The crust of the soil hardened by weeding breaks down, due to which the circulation of water and air in the soil becomes good.
Weeds can also be controlled by certain chemicals. Such chemicals are called weed killers. They are sprayed in the fields (Fig. 14.10). These chemicals are effective in destroying weeds. They do not cause any harm to the crop.
These weed killers are sprayed by making a solution in water. Weedicides are sprayed before the weeds start flowering and seed formation. Weed killers can be harmful to other organisms including humans.
Step # 6. Plant Protection:
Crop protection means to destroy or reduce diseases, pests, and other harmful organisms and weeds that harm various crops, fruits, and stored grains.
Various factors causing damage to crops and their diagnosis can be done as follows:
- 1. Birds, grasshoppers, and other insects also damage the crop. They devour a large part of the standing crop in the fields. To make the birds fly, the Kak Bhagoda (effigy) is erected and the drum is played.
- 2. Pests cause maximum damage to the crop. Insects, rats, and bird porters are some of the common pests.
Chemicals are sprayed to protect them. These chemicals are called pesticides. Pesticide is sprayed on the crop. Spraying should be done in the proper quantity at the right time.
The use of chemicals for pest control also has many disadvantages such as:
- i. Use of chemicals destroys harmful as well as beneficial insects.
- ii. Pesticides pollute the environment.
- iii. Pesticides also get deposited on leaves and fruits by spraying. Therefore, fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly before eating them.
For plant protection, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides are sprayed by different types of sprayers and dusters. It is the larval stage of the insect that damages the crops, which destroys by eating the root, stem, leaf, fruit, etc.
Step # 7. Harvesting:
The method of cutting the product after the crop is ripe is called harvesting. Harvesting is done on a small scale with sickles while on a large scale it is done by mover, reaper, and combine harvester. Kharif crops like Paddy, Jowar, Bajra, Maize, etc. are harvested in the month of September-October while Rabi crops like Wheat, Gram, Mustard, etc. are harvested in the month of March-April.
In our country, the time of harvesting is celebrated as a festival. After harvesting by the harvester, the lower parts of the plants are left in the field, they should not be burnt because it spreads pollution. Therefore they should be plowed in the field itself. After harvesting, the grain and straw are separated by the threshing method.
Step # 8. Storage:
The storage of grain obtained after harvesting and threshing is an important task. Apart from grain, the straw obtained is used for making animal feed and manure. By storing grains, vegetables, and fruits, their supply can be ensured throughout the year.
The food grains are thoroughly dried in the sun before storing. Cereals contain about 16-18% water. In the condition of moisture, there is an increase in the number of microorganisms that damage the grain.
The grains are stored in jute sacks, large metal vessels, or cells. Improved storages and silos are used to protect the grain from rats and pests. The humidity and temperature in these stores can be controlled to protect them from fungal pests. Food grains are stored by the government in the warehouses of the Food Institute of India (F.C.I.) by the central and state governments.
Measures to improve crops:
Due to the increasing population of the country and the pressure of decreasing cultivation area, it has become necessary to increase crop production. Presently the population of our country is more than one billion and more food grains will be required for this population. Therefore, the importance of crop improvement is more. Under crop improvement, more production can be done in a limited area.
For this the following efforts are necessary:
- i. Seeds of insect resistant, disease resistant, improved varieties should be selected.
- ii. High-yielding varieties should be selected.
- iii. Sowing should be done at the right time, right distance, and at the right depth.
- iv. Seeds should be treated and sown.
- v. Proper use of manures and fertilizers.
- vi. Irrigation should be done according to the requirement of the crop.
- vii. For weed control, weeding should be done on time.
- viii. Insecticides and fungicides should be sprayed at the appropriate time as per requirement.
- ix. Foodgrains should be stored at proper standards.