Crop Production

About this unit

This unit follows a field crop from soil to market. It begins with India's food grain story since independence and the classification of field crops, then moves to the soil itself: its physical and chemical properties, the nutrients plants need, and how manures, fertilisers and biofertilisers supply them. Problem soils, erosion, irrigation, drainage and watershed management show how soil and water are protected and used well. Weed control and general crop production practices lead into the cultivation of major crops such as rice, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane and cotton. The unit ends with post-harvest handling and modern ideas like conservation, precision and organic farming and remote sensing. Every topic connects: good yields need healthy soil, the right nutrients, enough water and timely protection.

How to prepare

Memorise the botanical names and families of major crops, their season (kharif, rabi, zaid) and key varieties only where they are standard textbook examples. Learn the 17 essential nutrients with their main deficiency symptoms, the nutrient percentages of common fertilisers (urea 46% N, DAP 18:46:0, MOP 60% K₂O, SSP 16% P₂O₅) and practise simple fertiliser calculations. Make short tables in your notebook for irrigation methods, weed control methods and problem soils. Expect matching, statement-type and small numerical questions.