agriculture

• agriculture is the cultivation of soil to grow crops and rear livestock
• importance of agriculture:

  -> provides food for the population

  -> employs many people

  -> provides a huge market for individual goods like fertilizers, machinery, etc

  -> supplies raw materials for agro-based industries like sugar, textile, etc
• environmental problems:

  -> unreliable rainfall which is uncertain, irregular and unequally distributed

  -> lack of irrigation facilities

  -> soil erosion leads to loss of soil fertility

  Demand for rice and wheat leads to repeated cultivation of these two crops which deplests soil fertility
• institutional problems:

  -> small and fragmented land holding- owners are too poor to promote modern agriculture

  -> exploitation of framers by the land lords under zameendari system
• technological problems:

  -> old and inefficient techniques and limited mechanisation
• reasons for challenges from international competition:

  -> const of the production is increasing due to a reduction in subsidies

  -> reduction of import duties on the agricultural products

  -> cost of agricultural products are increasing and in international market its decreasong
• reasons for the declining prices in the international market:

  -> heavy subsides are given to farmers by the developed country which reduces the production cost

  -> progress in fields like biotechnology has led to the availability of high productive seeds

  -> use of advanced machinery and reduced the cost price
• green revolution: transformed india from dependent to self dependent in the food grain production
• measures taken by the GR:

  -> use highly yielding seeds

  -> use pesticides and insecticides

  -> use fertillizers

  -> meet water needs through irregation
• impact of GR

  • India became highly successful in food grain production as its production increased by 4 times
  • punjab, haryana and UP benefitted the most as it was assured of water supply and rainfall twice a year
  • wheat was the only crop that benefitted
• long staple is shiny and used to make superior quality cloth (24.5mm -26mm)

  medium staple (20 - 24 mm)

  short staple(less than 19mm)

  
• jute is obtained from the bark of the tree

  white jute - 75% of total jute in india and is grown in both lowlands and uplands

  tossa jute - 25% of total jute in india and is grown only in uplands as it averse to floods
• jute is called as golden fiber as it gives huge revenue to the gov
• agricultural reforms done by the government:

  • providing min support price assurance
  • giving easy and better access to loans
  • providing subsidies to farmers to purchase HYV seeds and other equipment
  • encouraging co-operative farming
• features of Indian agriculture

  • dependent on monsoon
  • long growing seasons
  • variety of cultivation of crops
• groundnut climatic condition :

  • temp: 20 - 25 degree celcius
  • rainfall: 50 - 100cm
• sugarcane climatic conditions:

  • temp: 20 - 26 degree celcius
  • rainfall: 100 - 150cm or irrigation facility with high humidity
• mustard climatic conditions:

  • temp: 10 - 20 degree celcius
  • rainfall: 25 - 40cm
• soyabean climatic conditions:

  • temp : 13 - 24 degree Celcius
  • rainfall: 40 - 60cm
• leading producer of groundnut in India:

  • gujurat
  • telangana
  • tamil nadu
• leading producer of sugarcane in India:

  • UP
  • maharashtra
  • tamil nadu(highest yeild hectare)
  • karnataka
• leading producer of mustard in India:

  • up
  • rajastan
  • punjab
  • mp
  • haryana
• leading producer of soyabean in India

  • mp
  • rajastan
  • maharashtra
• Kharif crops (monsoon crop)

  • sown : june - july
  • harvested : sep - oct
  • crops : rice, jowar, sugarcane
• Rabi crops (winter crop)

  • sown : oct
  • harvested : feb - march
  • crops : mustard , wheat, barely
• Zaid crop (summer crop)

  • grown between kharif and rabi (march - may)
  • crops : seasonal fruits and vegetables, maize, jowar
• pulses climatic condition:

  • temp : 20 - 25 degree celcius
  • rainfall: 50 - 75cm
• pulses distribution and imp point:

  • up, mp, maharashtra, bihar
  • good source of protein for veg diet
• jowar climatic condition:

  • temp : 27 - 32 degree celcius
  • rainfall : less than 100cm
• jowar soil and season:

  • red (loamy) and black ( clayey & loamy)
  • rabi and karif crop
• jowar distribution and imp point:

  • maharashtra, karnataka, gujurat, rajasthan
  • dry crop as it does not need much rainfall
• wheat climatic conditions:

  • temp: growing time:- 10 - 15degree celcius and ripening time:- 20 - 25 degree celcius
  • rainfall: 80cm


  wheat

  • rabi crop
  • well drained clayey, loamy soil of ganga plain and black soil
  • up, punjab haryana, mp
  • western disturbance is benificial
• ragi climatic conditions:

  • temp : 20 - 30 degree celcius
  • rainfall: 50 - 100cm


  ragi

  • kharif crop
  • red, light, black, sandy loams
  • karnataka, tn, maharashtra
  • food crop as well as fodder crop
• bajra climatic conditions:

  • temp : 25 - 32
  • rainfall : 40 - 50


  bajra

  • kharif
  • maharashtra, rajastan, gujurat
  • sandy to block, gravelly soil
  • food as well as fodder crop
• rice climatic conditions:

  • temp: 18 - 32 degree celcius
  • rainfall: 150 - 300cm
• upland rice:

  • sown: march - april
  • harvested: sep - oct
  • found in mountain regions
  • dependent on rainfall
  • used locally
• lowland rice:

  • grown in lowland areas
  • sown: june
  • harvested: oct
  • needs plenty of rainfall during sowing and harvesting
  • used locally and sell them
• rice is cultivated by

  • dry method: areas get heavy rainfall, seeds are scattered by hand or drills
  • paddy or wet method: areas have irrigation facility, water is filled in these areas
• sowing of rice seeds:

  • broadcasting method: seeds are scattered after plowing the land
  • drilling method: seeds are sown in the furrows with the helps of drills
  • dibbling method: seeds are sown at regular intervals with the help of dibble
• transplanting method:

  • Seedlings are grown in nurseries
  • after 4-5 weeks they become saplings
  • these saplings are transplanted in the rice fields


  advantages

  • weeds are removed
  • less wastage of seeds
  • higher yeild