Question

Cultivation practices and crop yield are related to environmental conditions. Explain.

Answer 1

Hint:Cultivation practices refer to the different kinds of methods that are adopted for the cultivation of the crops. The crop yield refers to the amount of the crop produced or yielded. Moreover, environmental conditions refer to the different climatic conditions, the temperature of the surroundings, etc.

Complete answer:The activity of agriculture is highly sensitive to different environmental conditions. This is because plants require optimum conditions for their best growth. At slight deviations from these optimum conditions the yield decreases and at extreme variations, it is completely destroyed. Therefore, it is very necessary for farmers to maintain the suitable conditions as much as possible.
The different kinds of plants need different climatic conditions, different temperatures, different photoperiods, etc. They also require specific soil texture, nutrition, soil quality, landscape, availability of water, etc. All crops cannot grow under similar conditions in the environment. Therefore, the cultivation practices are designed and performed keeping in mind the conditions of the environment at a place at any time.
For example, terrace farming can only be done in the hilly regions and not on the plains because it helps in binding the soil. Also, apples can be grown in hilly regions only because they require lower temperatures for prolonged periods that are present at cold places only. Coconut trees are only cultivated in warm places with year-long humidity and good rainfall. All these crops if tried to be grown under different environmental conditions than required by them would cause their eventual death.

Note: Human activities have changed the characteristics of the environment significantly. This has had a pronounced effect on the growth of the plants and especially crop plants. The cycle of the seasons is altered. The average temperature of the earth has somewhat risen along with the level of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, the level of rainfall has been severely reduced which causes water scarcity. Even though the warmer climate is beneficial for the growth of crop plants, the scarcity of water is a challenge. Also, floods and droughts add to the problems.