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Class 9, Science, Chapter-12, Lecture-1, Crops (Notes)

Necessity of improvement in food production:

The demand for food increases with the increase in population. But the area under cultivation cannot be increased beyond a certain limit.
To fulfill the increased demand for food products, production efficiency must be increased.

Previous efforts in improvement in food production:

  1. Green Revolution - for the increase in food grain production.
  2. White Revolution - for the increase in milk production.
  3. Golden Revolution - for the increase in pulse production.
  4. Blue Revolution - for the increase in fish production.
  5. Yellow Revolution - for the increase in oil production.
  6. Silver Revolution - for the increase in egg production.

Sustainable agriculture:

The technique of farming to maximize crop yield by using bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides so as to maintain the balance of nature is called sustainable agriculture.

Need for sustainable agriculture:

The efforts to increase food production leads to intensive use of increased land area. This may damage the chemical nature of the soil, air and water due to more use of chemicals and more disposal of wastes.
Hence, a technique of farming is required which maximizes yield by using bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides so as to maintain the balance of nature.

Steps for increasing Agricultural income:

  1. Mixed farming.
  2. Intercropping.
  3. Integrated farming (Combination of agriculture and animal husbandry)

AGRICULTURE:

The science and practice of farming which involves rearing of livestock, cultivating land, rising crops, reaping and marketing the produce is called agriculture.

CROP:

The plants of the same kind that are grown and cultivated at one place on a large scale by humans for food, fodder and other materials are called crops.

Classification of Crops on the basis of produce:

  1. Food Crops:
    The plants cultivated by humans for food are called food crops.
    Examples – Cereals, Pulses, Vegetable, Fruits, Oil Seeds (except Castor)
    (i) Energy Crops – Wheat, Rice, Maize, Millets, Sorghum
    (ii) Protein Crops – Gram, Black gram (Urad), Green gram (Moong), Pea, Pigeon pea (Arhar), Lentil (Masoor).
    (iii) Oil Crops – Soyabean, Ground nut, Sesame, Mustard, Linseed, Sunflower
    (iv) Vitamin/Mineral Crops – Vegetables, Fruits, Spices
  2. Fodder Crops:
    The plants cultivated by humans for fodder are called fodder crops.
    Examples – Berseem, Oat, Sudan grass.
  3. Cash Crops:
    The plants cultivated by humans for earning profit are called cash crops.
    Examples – Cotton, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Tea, Spices

Classification of Crops on the basis of Season:

  1. Rabi Crops:
    The crops which are grown during the month of November to April in India are called rabi crops.
    Examples – Wheat, Gram, Peas, Mustard, Linseed.
  2. Kharif Crops:
    The crops which are grown during the month of June to October in India are called kharif crops.
    Examples – Paddy, Soyabean, Pigeon pea, Maize, Cotton, Green gram, Black gram.
  3. Zaid Crops:
    The crops which are grown during the month of April to June in India are called Zaid crops.
    Examples – Watermelon, Pumpkin, Gourd, Groundnut.

Differences between:

Kharif Crop

Rabi Crop

These are monsoon or rainy-season crops

These are winter crops

These crops grow in hot and wet conditions

These crops grow in cold and dry condition

These are sown at the beginning of the rainy season

These are sown after the end of the rainy season

These crops are harvested at the end of the monsoon

These crops are harvested before the advent of summer.

Factors affecting the growth of crops:

  1. Climatic conditions
  2. Temperature
  3. Photoperiod