Improvement of
Food Resources
In
Agriculture
Sustainable Agriculture
• In simplest terms, sustainable
agriculture is the production of food, fiber,
or other plant or animal products
using farming techniques that protect the
environment, public health, human
communities, and animal welfare.
Types of crops
Cropping seasons
CROPPING SEASONS IN
INDIA
• CROPPING SEASONS IN INDIA
India has many growing seasons due to prevalence of high temperature through a long period. Different
crop seasons are:
•
(a) Kharif: Crops are sown at the beginning of the south-west monsoon and harvested at the end of the
south-west monsoon.
Sowing seasons-May to July
Harvesting season-September to October
Important crops: Jowar, bajra, rice, maize, cotton, groundnut, jute, hemp, sugarcane, tobacco, ete.
(b) Rabi: Crops need relatively cool climate during the period of growth but warm climate during the
germination of their seed and maturation.
Sowing season-october-December
Harvesting season-February-April
Important crops: wheat, barley, gram, linseed, mustard, masoor, pea~ and potatoes.
(c) Zaid: Besides the kharif and rabi crops, there are certain crops which are being raised throughout the
year due to artificial irrigation.
Zaid kharif crops are sown in August-September and harvested in December-January.
Important crops: rice, jowar, rapeseed, cotton, oilseeds.
Zaid rabi crops are sown in February-March. Harvesting is in April-May.
Important crops: watermelon, toris, cucumber, leafy and other vegetables.
Nutrient management
• Nutrient management is using • ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
crop nutrients as efficiently as
possible to improve productivity 40 Different chemical elements
while protecting the environment. have been identified in plants.
Nutrients that are not effectively
utilized by crops have the potential Only 16 chemical elements are
to leach into groundwater or enter essential to plant growth and
nearby surface waters via development.
overland runoff or subsurface Non-Mineral essential nutrients
agricultural drainage systems. Too Carbon
much nitrogen or phosphorus can Hydrogen
impair water quality. Therefore, a
major principle of crop nutrient Oxygen
management is to prevent the Hydrogen and Oxygen are
over-application of nutrients. This supplied to plants from carbon
not only protects water quality but dioxide and water through
also benefits a farm's bottom line. photosynthesis
Macro Nutrients
Primary Nutrients
• There are three primary nutrients:
Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.
Secondary Nutrients
• There are three secondary nutrients:
Sulfur, Calcium and Magnesium.
Micronutrients
• 7 0f the 16 essential plant nutrients that
are required in small amounts.
• They are: Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn),
Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Boron (B),
Molybdenum (Mo) and Chlorine (Cl).
Organic Manure
Farm yard Manure
Organic Manure
Compost Vermi compost
Green Manure
Chemical fertilizers
Irrigation
• Irrigation refers to the process of
supply of water to crops through
artificial means.
• Increase in agricultural production and
productivity depends, to a large extent,
on the availability of water.
• The irrigation system helps the farmers
to have less dependency on rain-water
for the purpose of agriculture.
Importance of Irrigation
• 1. Irrigation maintains moisture in the soil. Moisture is
necessary for the germination of seeds. Seeds do not
grow in dry soil. That is why irrigation is done before
tilling.
• 2. Irrigation is essential for the growth of the roots of
the crop plants. Roots of the plants do not grow well in
dry soil.
• 3. Irrigation is necessary for the absorption of mineral
nutrients by the plants from the soil. Thus, irrigation is
essential for the general growth of the plants.
• 4. Water supplies two essential elements hydrogen
and oxygen to the crop.
Types of Irrigation
Irrigation systems
• Wells and tube wells
• Tanks
• Canals
• River lift systems
• Drip Irrigation
• Sprinkler irrigation
Wells and Tube wells
Tank Irrigation
Canal Irrigation
Drip Irrigation
• Drip irrigation is one of the methods of
irrigation that saves water and fertilizer. In
drip irrigation method, water drips slowly to
the roots of the plants either onto
the soil surface or directly onto the root
zone through a network
of valves, pipes, tubing and emitters. The
process is completed in narrow tubes so that
water is given directly to the root of the plant.
Drip irrigation is also termed as localized
irrigation or micro irrigation.
Advantages of Drip
Irrigation
The advantages of drip irrigation are as follows
• Water is used at maximum level.
• As water is applied locally and leaching is reduced,
fertilizer/nutrient loss is minimized.
• Weeds can not absorb water as no water is available for them.
• Yield of crops are maximum.
• Fertilizers can be used with high efficiency.
• Weed are grown in less number.
• Operational cost is low.
• Soil erosion is not taken place.
• Soil infiltration capacity is increased.
• Fertilizers and ground water is not mixed.
• Seed germination is improved.
• We can use recycled water safely.
• It is not necessary to level the fields.
• We can irrigate water in irregular shaped lands.
• Waste of fertilizers are lessen.
• Energy cost is reduced as it is operated in lower pressure than other
irrigation methods.
Disadvantages of Drip
Irrigation
Disadvantages of drip irrigation are as follows:
• Expense specially initial cost is high.
• The lifetime of the tubes used in drip irrigation
can be shortened by the sun causing wastage.
• May cause clogging if water is not filtered
correctly.
• Problems in moisture distribution.
• Salinity problem.
• Germination problem.
• High skills are required.
Sprinkler Irrigation
• Sprinkler Irrigation is a method of applying
irrigation water which is similar to rainfall.
Water is distributed through a system of
pipes usually by pumping. It is then
sprayed into the air and irrigated entire soi
l surface through spray heads so that it
breaks up into small water drops which fall
to the ground.
Advantages of Sprinkler
Irrigation System
The advantages of sprinkler irrigation system are
as follows.
• Water measurement is easier than surface
irrigation system.
• Less interference with cultivation and less land
loss.
• Higher application efficiency.
• High and frequent application can be
effectively accomplished.
• Easy mechanization and automation.
Disadvantages of Sprinkler
Irrigation System
The disadvantages of sprinkler irrigation are
listed below.
• High initial cost.
• High operating cost.
• Wind drift.
• A stable water supply is needed.
• Saline water may cause problem.
• Water must be free from sand, debris and
large amount of salt.
River Lift Irrigation
Cropping patterns
Cropping pattern means the
proportion of area under various
crops at a point of time.
Crop rotation
• Crop rotation is the practice of growing a
series of different types of crops in the
same area in sequential seasons.
Crop Protection
crop protection is the science and practice
of managing invertebrate pests and
vertebrate pests, plant diseases, weeds and
other pest organisms that damage
agricultural crops.
Types of pests
1) Insects
• These are important and major pests. Insects cause damage in different ways viz. sucking sap
from plants, biting plant parts, boring in to fruits, twigs and leaves, attacking roots, barks and
blossoms etc. The damaging stages of different insect pests are larvae, adults and nymphs.
2) Mites
• These are creatures like insect but have soft body and four pairs of legs. These tiny creatures
have red or pale yellow colour. They suck the sap from the plant and attack the crops in huge
number.
3) Rodents
• This group of pest eat away large amount of human food and also damage the crops on large
scale. They are also responsible for heavy loss to stored grains on farms, in warehouses and
houses.
4) Animals
• Animals like Wild Boar, Deer, Elephants, Wild Buffalo, Jackals, Monkeys, Squirrels cause direct
damage to crop plants. They eat away the plants and by and large they waste huge amount of
crops.
5) Birds
• Birds attack the crop plants and eat grains. Crow, Parrots and Sparrows are major among birds
that attack the crops.
6) Weeds
7) Fungus
8) Bacteria and Virus
Weeds
What are weeds?
Weeds can be defined in a variety of ways:
a plant growing where it isn’t wanted,
a plant that interferes with farming or grazing, a plant that was not
intentionally sown,
a plant that is persistent and detrimental to the plants around it
Weeds reduce crop yield by competing for water, light, soil nutrients,
and space.
In agricultural crops, weeds can reduce crop quality by
contaminating the commodity.
They can serve as hosts for diseases or provide shelter for insects
to overwinter.
They may interfere with harvest operations.
Also, some weeds produce chemical substances that are toxic to
crops, animals or people.
Insect pests
sucking sap
from plants
.
Insects are tricky
and cause damage
attacking in different ways
roots, barks
.The damaging biting plant
and
blossoms stages of different parts
etc insect pests are
larvae, adults and
nymphs
boring in to
fruits, twigs
and leaves
Bacteria
Leaf blight disease in
Bacterial leaf Citrus canker rice
spot in mango
Plant
Diseases
Tomato wilt disease
Fungi Virus
Tikka disease in
ground nut Tobacco
Rust of wheat Mosaic Virus
disease
Storage of Grains
Silos
Granaries
Factors affecting storage of
grain
Physical Methods
Drying, cleaning, aeration etc.
Chemical Methods
Pesticides, fumigation, Chemical
dusting, irradiation etc.
Biological Methods
By introducing pests and parasites.
