Improvement in Food Resources.
Improvement in Crop Yields.
Cereals like wheat, rice, and maize
provide energy-rich carbohydrates,
while pulses such as gram and lentils
offer protein. Oilseeds like soybean and
mustard supply essential fats, and
vegetables, spices, and fruits contribute
vitamins, minerals, and small amounts
of other nutrients. Fodder crops, like
berseem and oats, are grown for
livestock.
Crops have varied climatic needs,
depending on sunlight and temperature.
Kharif crops (e.g., paddy, maize) are
grown during the rainy season (June–
October), while rabi crops (e.g.,
wheat, mustard) grow in winter
(November–April). From 1952 to 2010,
India's food grain production
quadrupled with minimal land
expansion due to advancements in
farming practices. These improvements
focus on crop variety improvement,
crop production management, crop
protection management.
1) Crop Variety Improvement
Crop improvement focuses on
developing varieties with desirable
traits for better yield, quality, and
resilience. Key methods include
hybridisation (crossing genetically
different plants) and genetic
modification to introduce specific
traits. Improved varieties must produce
high yields across diverse conditions
and have uniform quality and
germination.
Key factors for crop variety
improvement include:
• Higher Yield: Boosting
productivity per acre.
• Improved Quality: Enhancing
traits like baking quality in
wheat or protein in pulses.
• Biotic and Abiotic Resistance:
Making crops resistant to
diseases, pests, drought, and
salinity.
• Shorter Maturity Duration:
Enabling multiple crops per year
and reducing production costs.
• Wider Adaptability: Ensuring
stable yields across varying
climates.
• Desirable Agronomic Traits:
For example, dwarf cereals for
nutrient efficiency or tall,
branched fodder crops for better
growth.
This approach ensures higher
productivity, quality, and sustainability
in farming.
2) Crop Production Management
In India, farming varies from small to
large-scale operations, with differences
in land, finances, and access to
technology. A farmer's financial
capacity greatly influences their choice
of farming methods and inputs,
affecting crop systems and
productivity. Farming practices can be
classified into three levels based on
costs:
• No-Cost Production: Minimal
or no investment.
• Low-Cost Production:
Affordable inputs for basic yield
improvement.
• High-Cost Production:
Advanced technologies and
resources for maximum output.
Higher financial input generally leads
to higher yields, showcasing the link
between investment and agricultural
productivity.
(i) Nutrient Management
Just as humans need food for growth
and health, plants require nutrients for
development. These nutrients come
from air, water, and soil. Air provides
carbon and oxygen, water supplies
hydrogen, and soil offers 13 other
essential nutrients.
Nutrients are categorized as:
• Macronutrients: Needed in
large amounts.
• Micronutrients: Required in
small quantities.
A lack of these nutrients can disrupt
plant growth, reproduction, and disease
resistance. To boost crop yields, soil
can be enriched with manure and
fertilizers that supply these essential
nutrients.
Manure
Manure is an organic soil enhancer
made from decomposed animal waste
and plant materials. It improves soil
fertility and structure by increasing
organic content, enhancing water
retention in sandy soils, and aiding
drainage in clayey soils. Additionally,
manure minimizes environmental harm
caused by excessive fertilizers and
recycles farm waste effectively.
Manure types include:
1. Compost and Vermi-Compost:
Decomposed farm waste (e.g.,
animal excreta, vegetable waste)
turned into nutrient-rich
compost, with vermi-composting
using earthworms to speed up
the process.
2. Green Manure: Crops like sun
hemp or guar are grown and
ploughed into the soil before
sowing, enriching it with
nitrogen and phosphorus.
Manure is an eco-friendly and
sustainable alternative to chemical
fertilizers.
Fertilizers
Manure vs. Fertilizers:
• Manure improves soil fertility
and structure, promotes
microbial activity, and is eco-
friendly, supporting long-term
soil health.
• Fertilizers provide quick
nutrients for higher yields but
can harm soil microorganisms,
reduce organic matter, and cause
pollution if overused.
Organic Farming:
Organic farming avoids chemicals,
using natural inputs like manure,
biofertilizers, and biopesticides.
Practices like mixed cropping and crop
rotation enhance nutrient recycling and
pest control, ensuring sustainable
agriculture.
(ii) Irrigation
In India, agriculture relies heavily on
rain-fed farming, making crop success
dependent on timely monsoons. Poor
monsoons often lead to crop failures,
emphasizing the need for irrigation to
ensure water availability during critical
growth stages. Various irrigation
systems used include:
• Wells: Dug wells draw water
from shallow strata, while tube
wells tap deeper water, both
using pumps for irrigation.
• Canals: Extensive systems that
divert water from reservoirs or
rivers through branch canals and
distributaries.
• River Lift Systems: Draw water
directly from rivers to
supplement irrigation near
riverbanks, especially where
canal flow is inadequate.
• Tanks: Small reservoirs store
rainwater runoff for irrigation.
Newer methods like rainwater
harvesting and watershed
management involve building check-
dams to boost groundwater levels,
prevent water runoff, and reduce soil
erosion.
3) Crop Protection Management
Ways to Maximize Crop Benefits:
1. Mixed Cropping: Growing two
or more crops together on the
same land (e.g., wheat + gram)
reduces the risk of crop failure
and provides insurance against
losses.
2. Inter-Cropping: Planting crops
in a specific pattern (e.g.,
soybean + maize) ensures
optimal nutrient use and reduces
the spread of pests and diseases,
resulting in better yields.
3. Crop Rotation: Alternating
crops on the same land in a
planned sequence enhances soil
health and moisture use,
allowing two to three harvests
annually.
4. Pest and Disease Control:
a. Pesticides: Use
herbicides, insecticides,
and fungicides to manage
weeds, insects, and
diseases but avoid
excessive use to prevent
environmental harm.
b. Mechanical Removal:
Manual methods to
control weeds.
c. Preventive Measures:
Resistant crop varieties,
timely sowing,
intercropping, crop
rotation, and summer
ploughing help manage
pests and weeds
effectively.
These methods ensure higher
productivity while minimizing risks to
crops and the environment.
Storage of Grains
Storage losses in agricultural produce
can be very high. Factors responsible
for such losses are biotic— insects,
rodents, fungi, mites and bacteria, and
abiotic— inappropriate moisture and
temperatures in the place of storage.
These factors cause degradation in
quality, loss in weight, poor
germinability, discolouration of
produce, all leading to poor
marketability. These factors can be
controlled by proper treatment and by
systematic management of warehouses.
Preventive and control measures are
used before grains are stored for future
use. They include strict cleaning of the
produce before storage, proper drying
of the produce first in sunlight and then
in shade, and fumigation using
chemicals that can kill pests.
