Crop Production - Harvesting and Storage of Crops

Aug 09, 2023, 16:45 IST

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The topic“Crop Production” will be covered in this article. Growing and producing crops for use as food and fiber is a typical agricultural practice used by farmers all over the world. This method uses all the feed materials needed to grow and maintain crops.

This article will discuss the factors involving crop production, types of crops, advantages, and key points of crop production.

Introduction

The primary source of energy is food. Food is necessary for all living things on this planet to remain alive and carry out all other vital life activities. The primary food source for both humans and animals is plants. We struggle to conceive a world without food.

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The most significant concern in some regions of the world today is the lack of food due to the rapidly expanding population, increased demand for food, crop loss, and other issues with agricultural productivity. The need for solutions to aid in managing the produced crops has increased.

Factors Involving Crop Production

The following list includes the key elements that impact crop productivity the most.

• Soil Preparation

Prior to planting a crop, the soil must be prepared by plowing, leveling, and manuring.The act of plowing involves digging and loosening dirt with a plow. This aids in adequate soil aeration.After plowing, the soil is distributed and leveled by the leveling process. After that, the soil is fertilized.

• Sowing

The first step in sowing is choosing seeds from high-quality crop strains. This process of dispersing the seeds across the field after soil preparation is known as sowing. You can sow manually, by hand, or with seed drilling equipment. Some crops, like paddy, are seedling-grown in a small area before being moved to the main field.

• Manuring

Nutrients are necessary for crop growth and productivity.Consequently, a steady supply of nutrients is needed. Nutritional supplements are given throughout the manuring process, and they can be either natural (manure) or synthetic substances (fertilizers). Plant and animal wastes decompose into manure as a byproduct. Commercially produced fertilizers are chemical mixtures that contain plant nutrients. In addition to giving crops nutrition, manure restores soil fertility.

• Irrigation

Water is supplied by irrigation.Wells, ponds, lakes, canals, and dams are a few water sources.Waterlogging from excessive irrigation could harm the crop. Controlling this frequency and the time between successive irrigations is necessary.

• Weeding

Unwanted plants known as weeds commonly grow among crops. They are eliminated using weedicides and hand pulling, and some are eliminated while the soil is prepared.

• Harvesting

Harvesting is cutting and gathering a harvest once it has reached maturity. After harvesting, grains are separated from the chaff either by threshing or, in small-scale operations, manually (winnowing).

• Storage

At godowns, harvested grains are kept in granaries or bins for subsequent use or marketing. Therefore, crop protection techniques need to be improved. Before storage, grains are cleaned, dried, fumigated, and other insect and rodent protection measures are taken.

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What is Crop Harvesting?

Harvesting refers to cutting and gathering (reaping) crops that have reached maturity or full ripeness. It relies on several variables, including the season, the type of crop, the maturation stage, etc. When a crop reaches maturity and turns golden yellow or brown, like in the case of paddy, wheat, and many other grains, this process typically starts. The harvesting period and time of crops are influenced by several variables, including the type of crop, its maturation phase, and its season. In addition, rats and even birds can injure crops, so it's essential to constantly check them for damage before the start of the harvesting season.

There are primarily two types of harvesting techniques in agriculture: mechanical and manual. The first is a labor-intensive, slower, and more conventional procedure. Additionally, it is a lengthy process. Farmers frequently use sickles and cutlasses to harvest mature crops. On the other side, in the mechanical method, farmers harvest mature crops using machinery like harvesters. Even though it is a lot more contemporary practice, it still needs to be frequently used anywhere in the world.

What is Crop Storage?

It stores crops safely until they are sent to markets, sold off, or used for personal consumption. Small-scale farmers only consume the food they gather for their needs, whereas large-scale producers produce primarily for marketing. Cultivators frequently store huge grains as buffer stocks and for future requirements.

In the event of crop failure brought on by a flood, drought, etc., it can assist in resolving the food shortage issue. More efficient and adequate storage space and poor techniques can result in significant grain loss. Hence proper storage space must be set up to alleviate these issues.

Types of Crops

Kharif Crops

• Kharif crops are raised during the monsoon season. Maise, millet, and cotton, for instance.
• The seeds are seeded at the start of the monsoon season and harvested at its end.
• For healthy growth, these crops need water and heat.

Rabi Crops

• The Arabic word "Rabi," which is a part of the name, signifies "spring."
• Crops used for rabi are grown in winter and harvested in spring.
• Among the crops grown during Rabi are wheat, gram, and mustard.
• To create new crop types, many agricultural procedures are used.
• For the seeds of these crops to germinate and mature, a warm temperature is necessary. But for them to grow, a cold temperature is necessary.

Zaid Crops

• Many crops are raised between the seasons of Kharif and Rabi or between March and June.
• These plants mature quickly.
• Zaid crops include watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, bitter gourd, and pumpkin.

Food Crops

Food crops are those that are grown primarily for human consumption. Numerous food crops are raised in the nation.

• Rice: Rice is the primary food crop in the vast majority of the nation's regions. Rice is a Kharif crop that needs hot weather, lots of rain, and high humidity to thrive properly. Rice is grown with irrigation in regions with lower rainfall.
• Wheat: In the country's north and north-western regions, it is the most significant grain crop. It is a rabi crop that needs 50 to 75 cm of rain annually.
• Millets: Jowar, bajra, and ragi are a few of the significant millets cultivated in the nation. They are referred to as coarse grains and are incredibly nutritious. It flourishes where there is year-round precipitation.
• Pulses: India is the world's top producer and consumer of pulses. Pulses can live in arid environments. Leguminous plants like this contribute to increased soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen.

Cash Crops

• A cash crop is grown to sell for a profit.
• The majority of crops farmed today are cash crops, meaning they are grown to be sold on domestic and international markets.
• The majority of cash crops grown in underdeveloped countries are exported to industrialized countries for a higher price.
• Coffee, tea, cocoa, cotton, and sugarcane are popular cash crops.

Plantation Crops

Plantation crops are owned and managed by a person or a business and are produced on a big scale in a contiguous area. The crops raised are tea, coffee, rubber, cocoa, coconut, areca nuts, oil palm, palmyra, and cashews. These are high-value, economically significant commercial crops that contribute significantly to the expansion of the Indian economy, particularly in terms of the creation of jobs, the ability to export goods, and the reduction of poverty, particularly in rural areas.

Horticultural Crops

Horticultural crops include things like fruits, vegetables, and fragrant, medicinal, and lovely plants. These plants have substantial aesthetic value for people and are critical dietary nutritious components, sources of medications, and sources of scent. Adopting horticulture is also increasingly crucial to supplying the world's population, which is expanding quickly, with the fruits, vegetables, and other horticultural products it needs.

Horticultural crops suffer from abiotic stressors like temperature extremes, drought, flooding, salinity, and pH. Global warming's increase in temperature causes less frequent but more intense precipitation, melting snowpacks, and worsening drought conditions.

Advantages of Crop Production

Agriculture is the food source for the entire world. Humans' primary need is food, which comes from plants. Consequently, crop management and output are crucial. There is enough food for everyone because of the various strategies and techniques used in crop management and production. Other than this, it is the only source of income for farmers. For farmers, farming is their only source of income. As a result, many people rely on agricultural cultivation as a source of income. Everyone has food on the table because of it. It maintains soil fertility. It aids in the management of soil-borne illnesses and insects.

Key Points of Crop Production

• Agriculture provides food for the entire world. As a result, it is crucial to produce and store the produced crops carefully.
• During crop production, the soil needs to be thoroughly loosened and aerated.
• It's essential to add fertilizers and manures cautiously. While too little fertilizer depletes the crop of nutrients, too much fertilizer harms the soil.
• The crops need to be rinsed on occasion.
• The farmed fields should be cleared of undesirable plants. These plants prevent the crop's growth and development by absorbing the nutrients that are given to it.
• Harvesting can be done mechanically or by hand for the ripe crops.
• To keep them safe from diseases and pests, the harvested grains are dried and stored.

Crop Production: FAQs

Q1. What is a crop?

Ans. A crop is produced when numerous plants of the same sort are grown and farmed in one location. For instance, "crop" refers to all the plants growing wheat in a field. Farmers raise plants as crops.

Q2. What are crop diseases?

Ans. Historically, crop disease has been divided into abiotic (also known as non-infectious) and biotic (infectious). Noncommunicable diseases typically stem from unfavorable environmental factors. Examples include low or high temperatures, an abundance of moisture, or a lack of it.

Q3. What are crop protection methods?

Ans. Certain artistic techniques can stop or lessen crop damage caused by insects. Among them are crop residue removal, deep plowing, crop rotation, fertilizer application, strip-cropping, irrigation, and planned to-plant activities. Although these methods are helpful, they cannot be completely relied upon to eliminate serious infestations.

Q4. What is weed control?

Ans. Agriculture has to control weeds because they reduce yields, raise production costs, impede harvesting, and degrade product quality. Additionally, weeds hinder the flow of irrigation water, obstructing the administration of pesticides and harboring pathogens.

Q5. Why are crops important?

Ans. We can meet our daily energy needs with food from crops. Plant-based foods are an essential requirement for humans. Food crops are those that are raised for human use. The nation produces many food crops, including pulses, cereals, oilseeds, etc.

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