Biology Chapter-1 Crop Production and Management Module

Subject-Biology
Class-VIII
Chapter-CROP PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT
Q1. Define the following terms:
1. Crop-When plants of the same type are grown and cultivated at one place on a large
scale, it is called a crop.
2. Agricultural Practices- Several activities undertaken by farmers for cultivation of
crops over a period of time are called agricultural practices.
Q2. Differentiate between Zaid, Rabi and Kharif crops.
Ans.
Rabi Crop Zaid Crop Kharif Crop
These crops are grown in These crops are grown in These crops are grown in
winter season summer season monsoon season
These are generally grown These are generally grown These are generally grown from
from October to March from March to June June to September
Example- Gram, wheat, Example-Water melon, Example-Paddy, Maize, Cotton
pea etc. Musk melon, Cucumber, etc.
Bitter gourd etc.
Q3. Write short notes on the following :-

A) Preparation of soil-
Soil is prepared by first ploughing and then levelling the soil. Ploughing/tilling is the
process of loosening and turning of the soil. It is done with the help of plough, hoe and
cultivator.
Levelling is the process of breaking up the big pieces of soil called crumbs for
sowing and irrigation. It is done with the help of leveller.
*[Draw Fig. 1.1 (a) The plough]
B) Sowing of seeds-
It is the process of putting good quality seeds in the soil. Good quality seeds are
clean and healthy seeds of a good variety.
C) Methods of Sowing-
i) Broadcasting-In this method seeds are scattered in the field by hand.

ii) Traditional tool- It consists of a funnel with two/three pipes having sharp ends.
iii) Modern tool- Seed drill is used for sowing with the help of tractors which speeds
up the process of sowing. 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 using a seed drill saves time and
labour.
iv) Transplantation-It is the process of sowing seeds in a nursery and selecting
healthy seedlings which are transplanted in the field manually. For e g.-
Paddy
D)Weeding- The process of removal of undesirable plants (weeds) that grow naturally along
with the crop plants is called weeding. Weeding is necessary since weeds compete with the
crop plants for water, nutrients, space and sunlight and affect the growth of crops. It is done
manually by using khurpi, seed drill or hoe or by using chemicals called weedicides e.g. 2,4-D
E) Threshing-The removal of grains from chaff is called threshing. It is done with help
of a thresher or combine.
F) Harvesting- The cutting of a mature crop is called harvesting. It is done manually by sickle or by
using a machine called harvester or combine, which acts as both thresher and harvester.
G) Winnowing- The method used for separating chaff from the grains either using a machine called
winnower or by throwing the mixture (of grains and chaff) into the air and allowing the wind to blow
away chaff is known as winnowing.
Q4. Write two advantages and disadvantages of using fertilizers.

A4. Advantages-
1. Fertilisers are rich in a particular nutrient like Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.
2. These help to get better yield of crops.
Disadvantages due to excessive use-

1.Fertilisers can cause water pollution.
2. It does not provide any humus to the soil.
Q5. (i) Differentiate between fertilizers and manure.
Fertilizers Manure
A fertilizer is an inorganic salt. Manure is a natural substance obtained by
the decomposition of cattle dung, human
waste and plant residues.
A fertilizer is prepared in factories. Manure can be prepared in the fields.
A fertilizer does not provide any humus to Manure provides a lot of humus to the soil.
the soil
Fertilizers are very rich in plant nutrients like Manure is relatively less rich in plant
nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium nutrients.
(ii) Write two advantages of using manure.
Ans. Two advantages of using manure:-
a) It enhances the water holding capacity of the soil.
b) It makes the soil porous due to which exchange of gases becomes easy.
Q6. What is irrigation? Name traditional and modern methods of irrigation.
A6. The supply of water to crops at regular intervals is called irrigation. The time and frequency of
irrigation varies from crop to crop, soil to soil and season to season.
Traditional methods of irrigation :- These methods are cheaper but less efficient. Examples of
traditional methods are:
a. Rahat b) Moat c) Chain pump d) Dhekli
Modern methods of irrigation: These use water economically. Examples of modern methods are:
(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 at
regular intervals. When water is allowed to flow through the main pipe under pressure with the help
of a pump, it escapes from the rotating nozzles. It gets sprinkled on the crop as if it is raining.
Sprinkler is very useful for lawns, coffee plantation and several other crops.
(ii) Drip System: In this system, the water falls drop by drop directly near the roots. So it is called
drip system. It is the best technique for watering fruit plants, gardens and trees. Water is not wasted
at all. It is a boon in regions where availability of water is poor.
Q7. Give reasons :-

1. Fields should be ploughed before growing crops. Why?
Ans: This is because-
a) It allows roots to penetrate deep into the soil.
b) It helps in growth of earthworms and microbes which convert organic matter to manure and thus
makes the soil fertile.
2. Seed drill is better than broadcasting. Why?

Ans: This is because-
1) Seed drill sows the seeds at uniform depth and distance.
2) It ensures that seeds get covered by soil to prevent damage caused by birds.
3) It saves time and labour.
3. Plants grow faster if fertiliser are used. Why?

Ans: Because fertilizers are easily soluble in water and rich in a particular nutrient like Nitrogen,
Phosphorus and Potassium.
4. Weeding is necessary. Why?

Ans: Weeding is necessary as
1) Weeds compete with the crop plants for space, nutrients, water and sunlight.
2) They are poisonous if eaten by animals or humans.
3) They interfere with harvesting.
5 . Grains should be dried in the sun before storage. Why?
Freshly harvested grains have more moisture. If these are stored without drying, they may get
spoiled or attacked by microbes and grains lose the ability to germinate.
6. Paddy should not be sown in Rabi season and wheat should not be sown in Kharif season.
Why?
Paddy requires a lot of water and there is hardly any rain in Rabi season so, it should not be
grown in Rabi season.
While wheat requires less water and there is heavy rain during Kharif season .This results in
falling down of mature wheat crop (lodging). This damages the crop and results in poor yield.
Q8. Name and define the methods which improve soil fertility.
Ans: Monoculture means continuously growing a single crop in the field. This reduces soil fertility
and makes it poorer in certain nutrients. Following methods improve soil fertility:-
a) Manuring-Organic manure contains humus which allows soil microbes to grow and improves soil
fertility.
b) Leaving land fallow- In this method no crop is grown on a field between two crops. This allows soil
to replenish its nutrients.
c) Crop rotation- This can be done by growing different crops alternately. For example leguminous
crops can be grown alternately with non-leguminous crops. Rhizobium bacteria in the root
nodules of legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and improve its fertility.
Q9. What is animal husbandry? Explain with examples.
Scientific management of animals on a large scale to obtain various products from them is called
animal husbandry. For example, Poultry farming is done to increase egg and meat production while
cattle farming is done to get milk and animals for draught labour.

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Subject-Biology

Q1. Define the following terms:

Q3. Write short notes on the following :-

i) Broadcasting-In this method seeds are scattered in the field by hand.

Q4. Write two advantages and disadvantages of using fertilizers.

Disadvantages due to excessive use-

Q7. Give reasons :-

2. Seed drill is better than broadcasting. Why?

3. Plants grow faster if fertiliser are used. Why?

4. Weeding is necessary. Why?

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