Agronomy Test Paper Solutions 02

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Section A 

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1 A.  

A cultivated plant that is grown on a large scale commercially, especially a cereal, fruit, or vegetable is called Crop.

1B. 

Multistoried cropping are multi-layer cropping and multi-tire cropping. It is one kind of intercropping. Growing plants of different height in the same field at the same time.

1C.

Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. It reduces reliance on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, and the probability of developing resistant pests and weeds.

1D. 

In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of growing one crop species in a field at a time. 

In agriculture, monocropping is the practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land. Maize, soybeans, and wheat are three common crops often monocropped. Monocropping is also referred to as continuous cropping.

1E. 

A passage dug in the ground and used for bringing water to land in order to make plants grow.

The canals are classified according to:

[1] Their alignment as

[a] Contour canal.

[b] Ridge canal.

[c] Side slope canal.

[2] Their origin and capacity as

[a] Main canal

[b] Branch canal

[c] Major dis-tributary

[d] Minor dis-tributary or minors, sub minors

[e] Water courses or field channels.

Section B 

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2A. 

thinning and gap filling process is to maintain optimum plant population. Thinning is the removal of excess plants leaving healthy seedlings. Gap filling is done to fill the gaps by sowing of seeds or transplanting of seedlings in gap where early sown seed had not germinated.

Advantages

Both thinning and gap filling ensures ideal plant population and optimum utilization of sunlight, space, nutrients, moisture and other inputs which ultimately increases yield.

2B. 

Fertilizer : A fertilizer is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soils or 

to plant tissues to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants.

Straight fertilizers : are those which supply only one primary plant nutrient (N, P & K). 

• Examples : E.g. Urea, Ammonium sulphate, Potassium chloride and Potassium sulphate. 

• Complex fertilizers : contain 2 or 3 primary plant nutrients of which two primary nutrients are  

in chemical combination. 

• Usually produced in granular form. 

• Examples : Diammonium phosphate, Nitrophosphates, Ammonium phosphate. 

• Mixed fertilizers : Mixed fertilizers are physical mixtures of straight fertilisers. 

• They contain two or three primary plant nutrients

2C. 

Importance of plant population / crop geometry :-  

1. Yield of any crop depends on final plant population  

2. The plant population depends on germination percentage and survival rate in the field  

3. Under rain fed conditions, high plant population will deplete the soil moisture before  

maturity, where as low plant population will leave the soil moisture unutilized 

4. When soil moisture and nutrients are not limited high plant population is necessary to utilize  

the other growth factors like solar radiation efficiently 

5. Under low plant population individual plant yield will be more due to wide spacing. 

6. Under high plant population individual plant yield will be low due to narrow spacing leading  

to competition between plants. 

7. Yield per plant decreases gradually as plant population per unit area is increased, but yield  

per unit area increases upto certain level of population 

8. That level of plant population is called as optimum population 

9. So to get maximum yield per unit area, optimum plant population is necessary. So the  

optimum plant population for each crop should be identified.

2D. 

Nutrient management is critical in order to increase or maintain crop yields on a single parcel of agricultural land. To meet crop needs throughout a growing season soil fertility must be consistently high.

Crops, as well as every other living organisms, require certain amounts of nutrients for normal and healthy growth. Each nutrient plays a different, but important role, in crop growth and development.

The plant needs 17 essential chemical elements for its growth which are- Carbon (C),  

hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen(N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), calcium.

2E.

Pre- Emergence Herbicides: Pre-Emergence herbicides is most effective when applied before the emergence of crop and weeds or the term may also refer to herbicides use after weed has emerged or established but before crop emerge e.g Simazine, Atrazine.  

Post-Emergence Herbicides: Post-Emergence herbicides are most effective applied after the emergence of crop and weeds or this term may also refer to herbicides use after crop has emerged but before weeds emerge. e. g 2,4-D , Dicamba (Banvel) etc.

2⃣F.

The fundamental principles of agronomy :- 

Choice of crop varieties adaptable to the particular agro-climate, land situation,

soil fertility, season and method of cultivation and befitting to the cropping system.  

Proper field management by tillage, preparing field channels and bunds for

irrigation and drainage, checking soil erosion, levelling and adopting other suitable

land improvement.

Adoption of multiple cropping and also mixed or intercropping to ensure

harvest even under adverse environmenttal condition.

• E) Timely application of proper and balanced nutrients to the crop or crops

sequence and improvement of soil fertility and productivity.

Section C

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3⃣A. 

Tillage is the physical manipulation of soil with tools and implements to result in good tilth

for better germination of seed and subsequent growth of crops.

• Manipulation of soil with tools and implements for obtaining condition ideal for seed

germination seedling establishment, growth of crops is called tillage.

Types of Tillage operations ;- 

Preparatory tillage : Tillage operation that are carried out to prepare the field for raising crops from the harvest of a crop to the sowing of the next crop are known as preparatory tillage.It is devided into primary and secondary tillage operation.

Primary tillage or ploughing : 

The tillage operation that is done after the harvest of crop to bring the land under cultivation is known as primary tillage. Primary tillage is done mainly to open hardsoil.

Secondary tillage :- 

The tillage operations that are performed on the soil after primary tillage to bring a good soil

tilth are known as secondary tillage. Secondary tillage consist of lighter or finer operation which is done to clean the soil, break the clods and incorporate the manures and fertilizers.

After tillage/ Interculture operation :

• The tillage operation that are done in the standing crop after the growing or planting and prior to the harvesting crop after growing of the crop plants are called after tillage

3⃣B.

The seed may be defined as fertilized ovule consisting of intact embryo, stored food and seed coat which is viable and has got a capacity to germinate.

Method of sowing

• Sowing is an art of placing seed in the soil to have good germination and stand of crop in the field.

• There are some common methods used for sowing crops as follows :- 

A) Broadcasting : Broadcasting is very common method of sowing seed.

Broadcasting is the process of random scattering of seeds on the surface of seed bed. Broadcasting of seeds can be done both manually or mechanically.

Advantages :

• i) It is an easy, quick and cheap method of sowing seed.

• Ii) More land can be covered within short time.

• Iii) No need of sowing implement. So cost of sowing becomes less.

• Disadvantages :

• i) The requirement of seed per acre is more.

• Ii) There are difficulties in uniform distribution and placing of seeds is optimum and

uniform depth of soil.So the germination is not uniform.

• Iii) The cost of weeding and thinning in broadcast crop is more.

Desired yield is not possible.

• B) Dibbling :

• Dibbling is the process of placing the seed in the holes made by any convenient

implement such as spade, khurpi or by hand in the seed bed and covering them with soil by hand.

• Advantages :

• I) It is the most suitable method for wider spaced planted crops, such as

cucurbitaceous vegetables, fruit crops etc.

• Ii) Sowing of seed at definite spacing is possible.

• Iii) Dibbling gives more or less rapid and uniform germination with good seedling .

Disadvantages:

• i) Uniform germination is not possible if all seeds are not placed at uniform depth.

• Ii) Dibbling is a more laborious, time consuming and expensive process comapared

with broadcasting.

• Iii) It is difficult to maintain uniform seed rate per acre.

• C) Drilling :

• Drilling is a practice of dropping seeds in furrow lines in continuous flow and

covering them with soil.

Advantages:

• i) The seed rate per acre becomes less.

• Ii) Drilling mainatins uniform depth and spacing of seed and also uniform plant

population per unit area.

• Iii) Seeds are placed at uniform depth.

Disadvantages :

• i) Drilling requires an implement such as a seed-drill which increases the cost of

cultivation.

• Ii) Drilling requires more time, energy and cost.

• Iii) An expert technical person is required for running of a seed drill.

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4⃣A. 

Green manure is a type of organic fertilizer where an entire fresh plant or plant part (e.g.,. Leaf) is directly used as manure in field. 

In agriculture, a green manure is a crop specifically produced to be incorporated into the soil while still green.

Types of Green Manure

1. Legumes

These are plants with roots that collaborate and work with the bacteria in the soil to trap nitrogen from the atmosphere, in a process called nitrogen fixation.

 2. Nonlegumes

These are any other green manures, and mainly serve as cover crops. They also enrich the soils with organic matter.

Advantages of Green Manure :- 

1. Preventing Leaching and Erosions.

2. Providing Nutrients and Organic Matter to the Soil.

3. Green manure significantly improves the soil structure by adding organic matter into the soil.

5A. 

The different methods of fertilizer application are as follows:

a) Broadcasting.

b) Placement.

a) Starter solutions.

b) Foliar application.

c) Application through irrigation water (Fertigation)

d) Injection into soil.

e) Aerial application.

1. Broadcasting : The fertilizers are spread by hand in the soil with last preparatory tillage just

before sowing of seed or planting of seedlings. 

2. Placement :

• It is method of placing fertilizer in the soil before sowing or after sowing the crops. 

• 3. Localised placement : It is a method of placing fertilizer into the soil close to seed or plant. 

• 4. Pellet application : Small pellets of convenient size are made after mixing the nitrogenous

fertilizers specially urea with the soil and they are applied one to two inches deep between the rows of paddy fields.

B) Foliar application : This is a method of spraying on leaves of growing plant with suitable

fertilizer solution having low concentration.

5⃣B.

Minimum tillage is aimed at reducing

tillage to the minimum necessary for ensuring good seedbed, rapid germination, a satisfactory

stand and favourable growing conditions.

Zero tillage is the process where the crop seed will be sown through drillers without prior land preparation and disturbing the soil where previous crop stubbles are present.

6⃣A.

Seed treatments are the biological, physical and chemical agents and techniques applied to seed to provide protection and improve the establishment of healthy crops.

Advantages of seed treatment

Protects germinating seeds and seedlings against soil and seed borne pathogens/insects.

Seed germination enhancement.

Early and uniform establishment and growth.

Enhances nodulation in legume crop.

Better than soil and foliar application.

6⃣B. 

Natural resources: The resources which are obtained from nature and cannot be created my human resources are called Natural resources.They are non renewable resources.

Ex: The mountains,Rivers,plants and animals, air and minerals. 

Artificial Resources: 

the synthetic resources that are created by humans. They are renewable resources. Ex: the buildings,roads and technology and many other.

GroveStudies Production:

7⃣A. 

Fertiliser 

Manure

It may be an artificial or natural substance. 

It is a natural substance.

These are chemicals that are added to the soil to increase its fertility and productivity. 

These are obtained from dead and decaying plants and animals.

Prepared in factories. 

Prepared in fields.

Does not provide humus to the soil.

 Provides humus to the soil.

Rich in plant nutrients.

 Less rich in plant nutrients.

Absorbed by plants quickly.

 Absorbed by plants slowly.

Costly Comparatively cheaper and cost-effective

It harms the organisms present in the soil and also causes health issues in people consuming the crop. 

It causes no harm to the organisms and improves soil quality.

7⃣B. 

The Disadvantages of Using Chemical Fertilizer on soil :- 

Containing limited nutrients. Inorganic fertilizers contain set, measured levels of minerals. 

Pollution. 

Over-fertilization or PH balance troubles. 

Requiring more frequent application.

Adverse impact of chemical fertilizers on crop production ;- 

chemical fertilizers hardened the soil,

 decreased fertility, 

strengthened pesticides, 

polluted air and water, and 

released greenhouse gases, 

thereby bringing hazards to human health and environment.