Question

Fill in the blanks: Agricultural practice performed before harvesting is called...............

Answer 1

Hint: The practice of cultivation of crops and rearing animals for providing food to the population is called agriculture or farming. Agriculture consists of various steps or practices undertaken by farmers during the entire lifecycle of the crop from beginning to end. These practices are known as agricultural practices.

 Complete step by step answer:
Agricultural practices include:
-Soil preparation: This is the first step in crop production. It involves loosening and turning the soil by
a process known as ploughing or tilling. Ploughing can be done using traditional or modern
methods. Traditional ploughing is done with the help of instruments like plough or hoe. Plough is a
wooden or iron instrument which is attached to animals like bullocks. It can also be attached to
animals like horses, donkeys etc. These animals are made to draw plough by farmers which loosen
the soil. Hoe is another long instrument made up of wood or iron which can be used instead of
plough. It is also pulled by animals. Modern methods of ploughing uses an instrument called
cultivator which is attached to a tractor. The farmer just drives the tractor in an agriculture field
where ploughing needs to be done. This method of ploughing saves time and labour.
-Sowing: Sowing is the process of adding the seeds to soil after ploughing. The seeds which are
healthy clean and of good quality are chosen for this purpose. Sowing can be done traditionally by
using an instrument called funnel. Now-a-days sowing is done using an instrument called seed drill
which is attached to a tractor.
-Application of manures and fertilizers: Fertilizers are man-made chemicals that are prepared in
industries. On the other hand, manures are natural substances that can be produced in farms. Both
manures and fertilizers can be added to soil for providing essential nutrients to crops that increase
the crop yield.
-Irrigation: Irrigation refers to supply of water to crops. This water supply is done at regular intervals.
Irrigation is not required when enough water is naturally available to plants during rainfall. The
irrigation water can supplied to crops via tubes, pumps or sprays from sources like wells, lakes,
tubewells, ponds, rivers, canals, and dams.
-Removing weeds: Weeds are unwanted plants that grow in a field along with crops. They are harmful
for the crops, hence their removal is necessary. Removing of weeds is done by using methods like
uprooting, and cutting. Weeds can also be killed by using chemicals called weedicides. Weedicides
also control the growth of weeds.
-Harvesting: The process of removing or cutting a crop when it is fully grown is called harvesting. It
can be done by hands or by using a machine called harvester. Harvesting also involves removing of
grains from crops. A machine called a thresher is used for removing grains now-a-days. Some
machines can function as both harvester and thresher. They are called combine.
-Storage: The taken out grains are stored in store houses like granaries to prevent them from pests
like insects, rats, and rain, moisture, microbes etc. All these factors can spoil and damage the grains
making them unfit for use.
Agriculture practices can be grouped under three major categories. Activities like soil preparation, sowing, adding fertilizers and manures, irrigation, removal of weeds can be grouped under crop preparation or crop production, activities like harvesting under removal of prepared or produced crops and activities like storage under storage of harvested grains. So, the answer is crop preparation. Agricultural practice performed before harvesting is called crop preparation.

Note: All the practices done by farmers including soil preparation, sowing, adding fertilizers and manures,irrigation, removal of weeds, harvesting, and storage constitute a single agriculture cycle for a particular crop.If a farmer wants to take second crop, all these activities i.e. same agriculture cycle will need to be repeated.An agriculture cycle is usually of 3 to 4 months as most of the crops require 3 to 4 months to mature i.e. for full growth.