Date …………/…………/……………..

P
aheli and Boojho went to their
uncle’s house during the summer
vacation. Their uncle is a farmer.
One day they saw some tools like khurpi,
sickle, shovel, plough, etc., in the field.

In order to provide food for a large

population— regular production, proper
management and distribution is
necessary.

1.1 Agricultural Practices

You have learnt that all living
organisms require food. Plants can make
their food themselves. Can you recall
how green plants synthesise their own
food? Animals including humans can
not make their own food. So, where do
animals get their food from?
But, first of all why do we have to eat
food?
You already know that energy from
the food is utilised by organisms for
carrying out their various body When plants of the same kind are
functions, such as digestion, respiration cultivated at one place on a large scale,
and excretion. We get our food from it is called a crop. For example, crop of
plants, or animals, or both. wheat means that all the plants grown
in a field are that of wheat.
You already know that crops are of
different types like cereals, vegetables
and fruits. These can be classified on the
basis of the season in which they grow.
India is a vast country. The climatic
conditions like temperature, humidity
and rainfall vary from one region to
another. Accordingly, there is a rich

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variety of crops grown in different parts to as agricultural practices which are
of the country. Despite this diversity, listed below:
two broad cropping patterns can be
(i) Preparation of soil
identified. These are:
(ii) Sowing
(i) Kharif Crops : The crops which are (iii) Adding manure and fertilisers
sown in the rainy season are called (iv) Irrigation
kharif crops. The rainy season in India (v) Protecting from weeds
is generally from June to September. (vi) Harvesting
Paddy, maize, soyabean, groundnut and
(vii) Storage
cotton are kharif crops.
(ii) Rabi Crops : The crops grown in the
1.3 Preparation of Soil
winter season (October to March) are
called rabi crops. Examples of rabi The preparation of soil is the first step
crops are wheat, gram, pea, mustard before growing a crop. One of the most
and linseed. important tasks in agriculture is to turn
Besides these, pulses and vegetables the soil and loosen it. This allows the
are grown during summer at many roots to penetrate deep into the soil. The
places. loose soil allows the roots to breathe
easily even when they go deep into the
1.2 Basic Practices of Crop soil. Why does the loosening of soil allow
Production the roots to breathe easily?
The loosened soil helps in the growth
of earthworms and microbes present in
the soil. These organisms are friends of
the farmer since they further turn and
loosen the soil and add humus to it.
But why the soil needs to be turned and
loosened?
You have learnt in the previous
classes that soil contains minerals,
water, air and some living organisms.
In addition, dead plants and animals
get decomposed by soil organisms. In
this way, various nutrients in the dead
organisms are released back into the
soil. These nutrients are again absorbed
Cultivation of crops involves several
by plants.
activities undertaken by farmers over a
period of time. You may find that these Since only a few centimetres of the
activities are similar to those carried out top layer of soil supports plant growth,
by a gardener or even by you when you turning and loosening of soil brings the
grow ornamental plants in your house. nutrient-rich soil to the top so that
These activities or tasks are referred plants can use these nutrients. Thus,

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turning and loosening of soil is very Plough : This is being used since
important for cultivation of crops. ancient times for tilling the soil, adding
The process of loosening and turning fertilisers to the crop, removing the weeds
of the soil is called tilling or ploughing. and turning the soil. This is made of
This is done by using a plough. Ploughs wood and is drawn by a pair of bulls or
are made of wood or iron. If the soil is other animals (horses and camels). It
very dry, it may need watering before contains a strong triangular iron strip
ploughing. The ploughed field may have called ploughshare. The main part of the
big clumps of soil called crumbs. It is plough is a long log of wood which is
necessary to break these crumbs. called a ploughshaft. There is a handle
Levelling the field is beneficial for at one end of the shaft. The other end is
sowing as well as for irrigation. Levelling attached to a beam which is placed on
of soil is done with the help of a leveller. the bulls’ necks. One pair of bulls and a
Sometimes, manure is added to the man can easily operate the plough
soil before tilling. This helps in proper [Fig. 1.1 (a)].
mixing of manure with soil. The soil is
The indigenous wooden plough is
moistened before sowing.
increasingly being replaced by iron
Agricultural Implements ploughs nowadays.
Before sowing the seeds, it is necessary to Hoe : It is a simple tool which is used
break soil clumps to get better yield. This for removing weeds and for loosening
is done with the help of various tools. the soil. It has a long rod of wood or
The main tools used for this purpose are iron. A strong, broad and bent plate of
the plough, hoe and cultivator. iron is fixed to one of its ends and

Fig. 1.1 (a) : The plough

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works like a blade. It is pulled by Activity 1.1
animals [Fig. 1.1 (b)].

Are there seeds which float on

water? Would those be lighter or
heavier than those which sink? Why
Cultivator : Nowadays ploughing is would they be lighter? Damaged seeds
done by tractor-driven cultivator. The become hollow and are thus lighter.
use of cultivator saves labour and time. Therefore, they float on water.
[Fig. 1.1 (c)]. This is a good method for
separating good, healthy seeds from
the damaged ones.
Before sowing, one of the important
tasks is to know about the tools used
for sowing seeds [Fig. 1.2 (a), (b)].
Traditional tool : The tool used
traditionally for sowing seeds is
shaped like a funnel [Fig. 1.2 (a)]. The
Fig. 1.1 (c) : Cultivator driven by a tractor seeds are filled into the funnel,
passed down through two or three
1.4 Sowing pipes having sharp ends. These
Sowing is an important part of crop ends pierce into the soil and place
production. Before sowing, good quality, seeds there.
clean and healthy seeds of a good
variety—are selected. Farmers prefer to
use seeds which give high yield.

Selection of Seeds

Fig. 1.2 (a) : Traditional method of sowing

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 sufficient sunlight, nutrients and water
from the soil. At times a few plants
may have to be removed to prevent
overcrowding.

1.5 Adding Manure and

Fertilisers
The substances which are added to the
soil in the form of nutrients for the
healthy growth of plants are called
manure and fertilisers.
Fig. 1.2 (b) : A seed drill
Seed drill : Nowadays the seed drill [Fig.
1.2 (b)] is used for sowing with the help
of tractors. This sows the seeds
uniformly at equal distance and depth.
It ensures that seeds get covered by the
soil after sowing. This protects seeds
from being eaten by birds. Sowing by Soil supplies mineral nutrients to the
using a seed drill saves time and labour. crop plants. These nutrients are
essential for the growth of plants. In
certain areas, farmers grow crop after
crop in the same field. The field is never
left uncultivated or fallow. Imagine what
happens to the nutrients?
Continuous cultivation of crops
makes the soil poor in nutrients.
Therefore, farmers have to add manure
to the fields to replenish the soil with
nutrients. This process is called
manuring. Improper or insufficient
manuring results in weak plants.
Manure is an organic substance
obtained from the decomposition of
plant or animal wastes. Farmers dump
plant and animal waste in pits at open
places and allow it to decompose. The
decomposition is caused by some
microorganisms. The decomposed
Appropriate distance between the matter is used as organic manure.
seeds is necessary to avoid overcrowding You have already learnt about
of plants. This allows plants to get vermicomposting in Class VI.

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Activity 1.2 better growth of plants? In which glass
was the growth fastest?
Fertilisers are chemicals which are
rich in a particular nutrient. How are
they different from manure? Fertilisers
are produced in factories. Some
examples of fertilisers are— urea,
ammon iu m s u lp h ate, super
phosphate, potash, NPK (Nitrogen,
Phosphorus, Potassium).
The use of fertilisers has helped
farmers to get better yield of crops
such as wheat, paddy and maize. But
excessive use of fertilisers has made
the soil less fertile. Fertilisers have also
become a source of water pollution.
Therefore, in order to maintain the
fertility of the soil, we have to
substitute fertilisers with organic
manure or leave the field uncultivated
(fallow) in between two crops.
The use of manure improves soil
texture as well as its water retaining
capacity. It replenishes the soil with
nutrients.
Another method of replenishing
the soil with nutrients is through crop
rotation. This can be done by growing
different crops alternately. Earlier,
farmers in northern India used to
grow legumes as fodder in one season
and wheat in the next season. This
helped in the replenishment of the soil
with nitrogen. Farmers are being
encouraged to adopt this practice.
In the previous classes, you have
learnt about Rhizobium bacteria.
These are present in the nodules of
Did plants in all the glasses grow at roots of leguminous plants. They fix
the same pace? Which glass showed atmospheric nitrogen.

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 Table 1.1 : Differences between Fertiliser and Manure

S. No. Fertiliser Manure

1. Fertiliser is a man-made Manure is a natural substance obtained

inorganic salt. by the decomposition of cattle dung
and plant residues.

2. Fertiliser is prepared in Manure can be prepared in the fields.

factories.

3. Fertiliser does not provide Manure provides a lot of humus to the soil.
any humus to the soil.

4. Fertilisers are very rich in Manure is relatively less rich in plant

plant nutrients like nitrogen, nutrients.
phosphorus and potassium.

Table 1.1 gives the differences protects the crop from both frost and
between a fertiliser and manure. hot air currents. To maintain the
moisture of the soil for healthy crop
Advantages of Manure : The organic
growth, fields have to be watered
manure is considered better than
regularly.
fertilisers. This is because
The supply of water to crops at
• it enhances the water holding regular intervals is called irrigation. The
capacity of the soil. time and frequency of irrigation varies
• it makes the soil porous due to which from crop to crop, soil to soil and season
exchange of gases becomes easy. to season. In summer, the frequency of
• it increases the number of friendly watering is higher. Why is it so? Could
microbes. it be due to the increased rate of
• it improves the texture of the soil. evaporation of water from the soil and
1.6 Irrigation
All living beings need water to live.
Water is important for proper growth
and development. Water is absorbed by
the plant roots. Along with water,
minerals and fertilisers are also
absorbed. Plants contain nearly 90%
water. Water is essential because
germination of seeds does not take place Sources of irrigation : The sources of
under dry conditions. Nutrients water for irrigation are— wells,
dissolved in water are transported to tubewells, ponds, lakes, rivers, dams
each part of the plant. Water also and canals.

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 Traditional Methods of
Irrigation
The water available in wells,
lakes and canals is lifted up
by different methods in
different regions, for taking it
to the fields.
Cattle or human labour is
used in these methods. So
these methods are cheaper,
but less efficient. The various
traditional ways are:
(i) moat (pulley -system)
(ii) chain pump

Fig. 1.4 (a) : Moat

Fig. 1.4 (b) : Chain pump Fig. 1.4 (c) : Dhekli

(iii) dhekli, and

(iv) rahat (Lever system)
[Figs. 1.4 (a)- (d)].
Pumps are commonly
used for lifting water. Diesel,
biogas, electricity and
solar energy is used to run
these pumps.

Fig. 1.4 (d) : Rahat

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Modern Methods of
Irrigation
Modern methods of irrigation
help us to use water
economically. The main
methods used are as follows:
(i) Sprinkler System: This
system is more useful on the
uneven land where sufficient
water is not available. The
perpendicular pipes, having
rotating nozzles on top, are
joined to the main pipeline
Fig. 1.5 (a) : Sprinkler system
at regular intervals. When
water is allowed to flow
through the main pipe under pressure (ii) Drip system : In this system, the
with the help of a pump, it escapes from water falls drop by drop directly near
the rotating nozzles. It gets sprinkled the roots. So it is called drip system. It
on the crop as if it is raining. is the best technique for watering fruit
Sprinkler is very useful for lawns, coffee plants, gardens and trees [Fig. 1.5(b)].
plantation and several other crops Water is not wasted at all. It is a boon in
[Fig. 1.5 (a)]. regions where availability of water is poor.

Fig. 1.5 (b) : Drip System

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1.7 Protection from Weeds
Boojho and Paheli went to a nearby
wheat field and saw that there were some
other plants in the field, growing along
with

In a field many other undesirable

plants may grow naturally along with Fig. 1.6 : Spraying weedicide
the crop. These undesirable plants are
called weeds.
The removal of weeds is called
weeding. Weeding is necessary since
weeds compete with the crop plants for
water, nutrients, space and light. Thus,
they affect the growth of the crop. Some
As already mentioned, the weedicides
weeds interfere even in harvesting and
are sprayed during the vegetative growth
may be poisonous for animals and
of weeds before flowering and seed
human beings.
formation. Spraying of weedicides may
Farmers adopt many ways to remove
affect the health of farmers. So they
weeds and control their growth. Tilling
should use these chemicals very carefully.
before sowing of crops helps in
They should cover their nose and mouth
uprooting and killing of weeds, which
with a piece of cloth during spraying of
may then dry up and get mixed with
these chemicals.
the soil. The best time for the removal
of weeds is before they produce flowers
1.8 Harvesting
and seeds. The manual removal includes
physical removal of weeds by uprooting Harvesting of a crop is an important
or cutting them close to the ground, task. The cutting of crop after it is
from time to time. This is done with the mature is called harvesting. In
help of a khurpi. A seed drill [Fig. 1.2(b)] harvesting, crops are pulled out or cut
is also used to uproot weeds. close to the ground. It usually takes 3
Weeds are also controlled by using to 4 months for a cereal crop to mature.
certain chemicals, called weedicides, Harvesting in our
like 2,4-D. These are sprayed in the country is either done
fields to kill the weeds. They do not manually by sickle
damage the crops. The weedicides are (Fig. 1.7) or by a machine
diluted with water to the extent required called harvester. In the
and sprayed in the fields with a sprayer. harvested crop, the grain Fig. 1.7 :
(Fig. 1.6). seeds need to be separated Sickle

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from the chaff. This process is called
threshing. This is carried out with the
help of a machine called ‘combine’ which
is in fact a harvester as well as a thresher
(Fig. 1.8).

Fig. 1.8 : Combine

1.9 Storage
Storage of produce is an important task.
If the harvested grains are to be kept
for longer time, they should be safe
from moisture, insects, rats and
microorganisms. Harvested grains have
more moisture. If freshly harvested
grains (seeds) are stored without drying,
Farmers with small holdings of land
they may get spoilt or attacked by
do the separation of grain and chaff by
organisms, making them unfit for use
winnowing (Fig. 1.9). You have already
studied this in Class VI. or for germination. Hence, before
storing them, the grains are properly
dried in the sun to reduce the moisture
in them. This prevents the attack by
insect pests, bacteria and fungi.

Fig. 1.9 : Winnowing machine

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 Fig. 1.10 (a) : Silos for storage of grains 1.10 Food from Animals
Activity 1.3
Make the following Table in your
note book and complete it.
S.No. Food Sources

1. Milk Cow, Buffalo, She-

goat, She-camel . . .
2.
3.
4.
After completing this Table, you
must have seen that, like plants,
animals also provide us with different
kinds of food. Many people living in the
coastal areas consume fish as a major
Fig. 1.10 (b) : Storage of grains in part of their diet. In the previous classes
gunny bags in granaries you have learnt about the food that we
obtain from plants. We have just seen
Farmers store grains in jute bags or that the process of crop production
metallic bins. However, large scale involves a number of steps like selection
storage of grains is done in silos and of seeds, sowing, etc. Similarly, animals
granaries to protect them from pests reared at home or in farms, have to be
like rats and insects [Fig. 1.10 (a) provided with proper food, shelter and
and (b)]. care. When this is done on a large scale,
Dried neem leaves are used for it is called animal husbandry.
storing food grains at home. For storing
large quantities of grains in big
godowns, specific chemical treatments
are required to protect them from pests
and microorganisms.

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 WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT
S In order to provide food to our growing
population, we need to adopt certain
agricultural practices.
S Same kind of plants cultivated at a place
constitute a crop.
S In India, crops can be broadly categorised into
two types based on seasons - rabi and kharif
crops.
S It is necessary to prepare soil by tilling and
levelling. Ploughs and levellers are used for
this purpose.
S Sowing of seeds at appropriate depths and
distances gives good yield. Good variety of
seeds are sown after selection of healthy seeds.
Sowing is done by seed drills.
S Soil needs replenishment and enrichment
through the use of organic manure and
fertilisers. Use of chemical fertilisers has
increased tremendously with the introduction
of new crop varieties.
S Supply of water to crops at appropriate
intervals is called irrigation.
S Weeding involves removal of unwanted and
uncultivated plants called weeds.
S Harvesting is the cutting of the mature crop
manually or by machines.
S Separation of the grains from the chaff is called
threshing.
S Proper storage of grains is necessary to protect
them from pests and microorganisms.
S Food is also obtained from animals for which
animals are reared. This is called animal
husbandry.

Exercises

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 (c) Damaged seeds would on top of water.

EXERCISES
(d) For growing a crop, sufficient sunlight and and
from the soil are essential.
2. Match items in column A with those in column B.

A B

(i) Kharif crops (a) Food for cattle

(ii) Rabi crops (b) Urea and super phosphate

(iii) Chemical fertilisers (c) Animal excreta, cow dung
urine and plant waste

(iv) Organic manure (d) Wheat, gram, pea

(e) Paddy and maize

3. Give two examples of each.

(a) Kharif crop
(b) Rabi crop

4. Write a paragraph in your own words on each of the following.

(a) Preparation of soil (b) Sowing

(c) Weeding (d) Threshing

5. Explain how fertilisers are different from manure.

6. What is irrigation? Describe two methods of irrigation which conserve water.

7. If wheat is sown in the kharif season, what would happen? Discuss.

8. Explain how soil gets affected by the continuous plantation of crops in

a field.

9. What are weeds? How can we control them?

10. Arrange the following boxes in proper order to make a flow chart of
sugarcane crop production.

Sending crop to
sugar factory Irrigation Harvesting Sowing

1 2 3 4

Preparation of Ploughing the

soil Manuring
field

5 6 7

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 EXERCISES

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 An Example for Field Trip Work
Himanshu and his friends were very anxious and curious to go to Thikri village.
They went to Shri Jiwan Patel’s farmhouse. They had taken bags to collect some
seeds and other things.
Himanshu : Sir namaskar, I am Himanshu. Here are my friends Mohan, David
and Sabiha. We want some information about crops. Please guide
us.
Shri Patel : Namaskar and welcome all of you. What are your queries?
Sabiha : When did you start this work and what are the main crops that
you grow?
Shri Patel : About 75 years ago, my grandfather started this work. The main
crops that we grow are wheat, gram, soyabean and moong.
David : Sir, can you tell us the difference between traditional and modern
agricultural practices?
Shri Patel : Earlier we used traditional tools like sickle, bullock plough, trowel,
etc., and depended on rain water for irrigation. But now we use
modern methods of irrigation. We use implements like tractors,
cultivators, seed drill and harvester. We get good quality seeds.
We carry out soil testing and use manure and fertilisers. New
information about agriculture is obtained through radio, T.V. and
other sources. As a result we are able to get good crops on a large
scale. This year we got 9 to 11 quintals of gram crop/acre and 20
to 25 quintals of wheat/acre. In my opinion awareness of new
technology is important for better crop yield.
Mohan : Sabiha, come here and see some earthworms. Are they helpful to
the farmers?
Sabiha : Oh Mohan! we learnt about it in Class VI.
Shri Patel : Earthworms turn the soil and loosen it for proper aeration, so
they help the farmer.
David : Can we have some seeds of the crops you grow here?
[They put some seeds, fertilisers and soil sample in the bags.]
Himanshu : Sir, we are thankful to you for making this visit pleasant and for
providing useful information.

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