NCERT Question 4 - Chapter 1 Class 8 - Crop Production and Management

Write a paragraph in your own words on each of the following.

(a) Preparation of soil

(b) Sowing

(c) Weeding

(d) Threshing

Answer

(a) PREPARATION OF SOIL

This is the first step in growing a crop. It means turning the soil and loosening it.

It involves the following steps

• Ploughing Soil
  It means turning the soil and loosening it.
• Leveling Soil
  It is done so that top soil is not blown away by wind
• Manuring Soil
  Sometimes manures are added to increase fertility of soil

Soil is loosened so that roots of plant can penetrate in the soil easily. The loosening and turning of soil makes sure that the nutrient rich soil which was at the bottom, is now at the top. If nutrient rich soil is at the top, the plants can use the nutrients to grow more efficiently.

_{(b) SOWING}

Once the soil is prepared, we put the seeds in the soil.

Putting seeds in soil is called sowing.Once the soil is prepared, we put the seeds in the soil.

For sowing, first we select the good quality seeds.

Then, we sow seeds by two methods - Traditional Method - by hand, or Modern Method - by using a Seed Drill.

Using a seed drill to sow seeds makes the process of sowing quicker

(c) WEEDING

Removal of Weeds is called weeding. It is done because these weeds compete with main plants for water, nutrient, space and light
Weeding is done by following methods

• Using chemicals called weedicides E.g.- 2,4-D
• Removing Weeds by Hands
• Removing Weeds by Khurpi
• Seed Drill can also be used to uproot weeds

(d) THRESHING

Separation of grain from its outer covering (chaff) is called  threshing

It is done by the help of machine called ‘Combine'. This machine is combination of harvester and thresher.