Basic practices of crop production?

Basic agricultural practices include the following:

Soil Preparation

After selecting the crop, the land is prepared for cultivation. If the land prepared is good, it yields good quality crops. The methods of soil preparation include:

1.Ploughing

It is also known as tiling. It is the process of loosening and turning the soil either manually or by the tractors. Organic manures and phosphates are mixed with the soil at this stage. This increases the fertility of the soil before the seeds are sown.

2.Harrowing

This method is done to smoothen the soil. The weeds are removed and fertilizers are mixed with soil. This also brings the moisture of the soil up.

3.Levelling

Uneven land affects the quality of the crops. It also helps in providing optimum moisture to the soil. The land is levelled to increase the water use efficiency of the soil. It reduces weed problems and irrigation time. The crop matures uniformly.

4.Manuring

The process of adding organic minerals and nutrients to the soil is called manuring. Manure can be of three types:

1. Animal manure
2. Plant manure
3. Compost

The basic practices of crop production are as follows: (a) Preparation of soil : The soil has to be prepared as per the requirements of the seed that is to be sown. This is the first basic step of any crop production.   (b) Sowing : seeds need to be sown with proper placing and organisation between 2 seeds. (c) Adding manure and fertilisers : They help in the growth of the plant.   (d) Irrigation : It is required for plant photosynthesis.   (e) Protecting from weeds : Weeds might be a competitive inhibitor to the plant and hence they need to be controlled.   (f) Harvesting   (g) Storage