Improvement in FoodResources - Agriculture

Crop Seasons

Kharif Season Rabi Season

Rainy season crops Winter season crops

Kharif Season

MaizePaddy

pigeon pea

Rabi Season

Wheat Peas Mustard

Stages of Farming Practices

Choice of seeds For planting

Nurturing of thecrop

Protection of the growing crops and Harvested crops

from loss

Crop ProductionImprovement by

Crop varietyImprovement by

Different methods

Crop protectionmanagement

•Hybridization•Genetic manipulation

•Nutrient management or mineralnutrition of plants•Manures and fertilisers•Organic farming•Irrigation•Cropping patterns

•Insects-pests control

•Diseases control

•Weeds control

•Scientific storage of grains

Three stages of farmingPractices to improve

Crop yeilds

Choice of seedsFor planting

1. Crop variety improvement- Nurturing of the crop

2. Crop production improvement

Protection of the growing crops and harvested crops from loss

3. Crop protection management

Hybridization

Parent 1(with a desired character)

(e.g., high yield)

Parent 2(with a desired character)(e.g., disease resistant)

Offspring(Hybrid)

Sources Plant Nutrients No.

Air Carbon, Oxygen (2)

Water Hydrogen (1)

Soil 1. Macronutrients-Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulphur

2. Micronutrients- Manganese, Copper, Molybdenum, Chlorine, Calcium

(4)

(9)

How to improve crop variety: 1) Hybridization 2) Making GMO’s

• Hybridisation• :-

It is a natural or artificial process that results in the formation of a hybrid. Twogenetically dissimilar plants are taken. These plants have a set of desirablecharacters. These plants have a set of desirable characters. These plants are cross-bred (means pollen of one plant used to fertilize ovule of another plant. The resultant plant i.e. the hybrid may have favourable characters from both parentplants.

• Crop rotation avoids a decrease in soil fertility, as growing the samecroprepeatedly in thesame place eventually depletes thesoilof variousnutrients. A crop that leaches the soil of one kind of nutrient is followed during the next growing season by a dissimilar crop thatreturns that nutrient to the soil or draws a different ratio of nutrients, for example, ricesfollowed by cottons. By crop rotation farmers can keep theirfieldsunder continuousproduction, without the need to let them lay fallow, and reducing the need for artificialfertilizers, both of which can be expensive. Rotating crops adds nutrients to the soil.Key:Crop-1Crop-2

• Crop Protection Management• :• When the crop is in the field, it needs protection against:• a)• Weeds e.g.• – Xanthium, Parthenium (weeds are considered to be harmful

asthey compete for food, space and light with the desired crop. They reduce cropproduction taking up the nutrients meant for the crops.

• b)• Insect Pests• - attack the plant in three ways ( cut root, stem and leaf,

suckcell sap from various parts & bore into stem & fruits)• c)• Pathogens-• Microbes like•  • bacteria, fungi and viruses cause diseases. Sporesof these

pathogens may be transmitted through soil, water and air.• To control these :• Herbicides, Pesticides, fungicides should be used.• For Weed control• - the methods used are :mechanical removal, use

of herbicides, summer ploughing (fields are ploughed deepin summers to destroy weeds and pests.)

• Prevention- for preventing the growth of weeds,• •