CHAPTER 1: CROP PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT
MANURE AND FERTILISERS
They both play an important role in the production of healthy growth. These are added to the
soil to maintain the fertility of soil.
Q1.What is manuring?
Ans1.Adding organic manure to the soil,to replenish the soil with nutrients is called manuring.
Improper or insufficient manuring results in weak plants.
Q2. What is Manure?
Ans 2.
● 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 matter is organic manure.
Q3 State the advantages of Manures.
Ans 3.Advantages of Manure:
1. Manure Improves soil texture
2. It restores soil with all nutrients
3. It Increases water-retaining capacity of soil
4. It is Non-toxic ,Eco friendly.
Q4. What are the types of Manures?
Ans4.Different types of Manures are:
i.Green Manure-Green manures are made from crops grown specifically to be ploughed
into the soil while still green. Eg- Legumes, Rye Grass, Fenugreek etc.
ii. Animal Manure- It consists of animal wastes.
iii. Compost-It is a manure obtained by the decomposition of dead plants and animal
wastes by burying organic materials in a pit.
Q5.What are Fertilisers? Give Examples.
Ans5. Fertilisers are chemicals which are rich in particular nutrients.
Fertilisers are produced in factories. Some examples of fertilisers are— urea, ammonium
sulphate, super phosphate, potash, NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium).
Q6. State the advantages and disadvantages of Fertilisers.
● ADVANTAGES OF FERTILISERS
The use of fertilisers has helped farmers to get better yield of crops such as wheat, paddy and
maize.
● DISADVANTAGES OF FERTILISERS
i.Excessive use of fertilisers makes the soil less fertile.
ii.Fertilisers can cause water pollution, if followed by excessive irrigation
Q6. Differentiate between Manure and Fertiliser.
vii) It is bulky,difficult to store and handle. (vii).It is light and easy to store and handle
viii)It is insoluble in water and cannot be easily (viii)It is soluble in water and can be
absorbed by plants. easily absorbed by plants.
ix) It makes the plants healthy. (ix) It increases the yield of crops.
Q7.Explain the natural methods to replenish the soil.
● FIELD FALLOW: The practice of leaving the field uncultivated in between two crops,
in order to maintain the fertility of the soil is known as field fallow.
● CROP ROTATION 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. Rhizobium bacteria present in the nodules of roots
of leguminous plants fix atmospheric nitrogen.
● Mixed Cropping-The process of growing two or more crops together in the same field
is called Mixed Cropping.
ACTIVITY
Take moong or gram seeds and germinate them. Select three equal sized seedlings out of
these. Now take three empty glasses or similar vessels. Mark them A, B and C. To glass A add
little amount of soil mixed with a little cow dung manure. In glass B put the same amount of
soil mixed with a little urea. Take the same amount of soil in glass C without adding anything
[Fig 1.3(a)]. Now pour the same amount of water in each glass and plant the seedlings in
them. Keep them in a safe place and water them daily. After 7 to 10 days observe their
growth [Fig. 1.3(b)].
Q 8.Did all the plants in all the glasses grow at the same pace? Which glass showed better
growth of plants? In which glass was the growth fastest?
SOLUTION:
Glass B Showed Fastest Growth Followed By Glass A Glass C Showed Minimum Growth
IRRIGATION
Q9.What is Irrigation?
Ans 9.Irrigation means supplying controlled amounts of water at regular intervals.
Q 10.Why is Irrigation Important?
Ans10.Irrigation is essential because:
● Plants contain 90% water and need it for proper growth and development.
● When roots absorb water, they also absorb minerals and fertilisers.
● Germination of seeds does not take place in dry conditions.
● Nutrients dissolved in water get transported to different parts of the plant.
● Water also protects crops from frost and hot air currents.
● To maintain the moisture of the soil for healthy crop growth, fields have to be
watered regularly.
Q11 State the factors on which time and frequency of irrigation depends.
Ans11.Factors on which time and frequency of irrigation depends are-
● the variety of crop,
● the type of soil and
● the season (In summers, watering has to be done more frequently due to the
increased rate of evaporation from the soil and leaves).
Q12 What are the sources of Irrigation?
Ans12.Sources of Irrigation: Wells, Tube wells, Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, Dams and Canals are
the sources of Irrigation.
Q13. Explain the methods of Irrigation.
Ans13.
1. 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. various traditional
methods are: Moat, Dhekli, Chain Pump, Rahat.
2. Modern Methods of Irrigation:
(i) Sprinkler System: In this system, perpendicular pipes, having rotating nozzles on top, are
joined to the main pipeline at regular intervals. When water is allowed to flow through the
main pipe under pressure with the help of a pump, it sprinkles from the rotating nozzles. It
gets sprinkled on the crop as if it is raining.This system is useful for sandy soil and uneven
land.
(ii) Drip system: In this system, the water falls drop by drop just at the position of the roots.
So it is called a drip system.This method is useful at places where there is shortage of water
as it prevents wastage of water.Its disadvantage is that it is an expensive method.
Q14 State the advantages of the Modern method of Irrigation.
Ans14.The advantages of the Modern method of Irrigation are-
i. It saves time
ii It saves effort
iiiI It is more efficient as it prevents wastage of water.
