4 Write a paragraph in your own words on each of the following
(a) Preparation of soil
(c) Weeding
(b) Sowing
(d) Threshing
Answers
Explanation:
Preparation of soil
Answer: The first step of cultivation is preparation of soil. This is done by loosening and turning. A plough is used for this purpose. If the soil becomes too hard then farmer may resort to watering the soil before ploughing. Traditionally, animal-drawn ploughs have been used by farmers. Now-a-days, tractor-drawn ploughs are used for this purpose. A tractor helps in saving time and labour.
Sowing
Answer: Seeds are sown in the field after ploughing. A farmer needs to separate damaged seeds from good seeds. The seeds should be sown at proper gaps and at proper depth. Proper gap between seeds and proper depth in soil ensures adequate sunlight, moisture, air and nutrients to the growing plants.
Weeding
Answer: Removal of weeds is called weeding. Weeding is usually done manually or by using a trowel. Weeds are also removed during ploughing. Weedicides are the chemicals which destroy weeds. 2, 4 – D is an example of weedicide. Weedicides are sprayed before flowering and seeding in weeds. A farmer needs to take precautions to prevent any harm from weedicide.
Threshing
Answer: Separation of grains from harvested crop is called threshing. Threshing is done by threshing machine or by cattle. Cattle are tied in a series around a pole. Harvested crop is spread around the pole. Animals are made to trample the harvested crop. It helps in separating the grains from the harvested crop.
Answer:
a) Preparation of the soil is the first step in agriculture. Preparation of the soil is done to loosen the soil, which is essential for the root penetration into the soil. This allows the roots to breathe easily. Loosening of the soil allows the growth of earthworms and microorganisms, which will help to keep the soil fertile by adding humus to the soil. Loosening of soil also brings nutrient-rich soil to the top layer, which is essential for the growth of plants.
b) Sowing is an important process in crop production. First, healthy seeds are selected before sowing. After selecting healthy seeds sowing is done by either traditional methods or by using equipment’s seed drill.
c) Removal of unnecessary plants from the field is called weeding. Weeds compete with crop plants for nutrients and water. This will reduce the yield of the desired crops. Weeds also interfere while harvesting and gets mixed with crops. Some weeds are poisonous to animals and humans. Tilling is a common method which helps removal of weeds before sowing crops, manual methods like physical removal of plants are used to remove weeds. Weedicides are sprayed to get rid of weeds, but this method may affect the health of farmers because of chemicals used as weedicides.
d) Process of separating the chaff from the crop is known as threshing. Threshing is carried by a machine called ‘combine’ which is a harvester as well as a thresher. Threshing is also done by winnowing where to blow of wind is used to separate the chaff from crops.