Crops & their Safety | Science Class 5 PDF Download

Crops

• The plants that are grown in large areas during a particular period are called crops. 
• Farmers work hard to plant seeds in the soil, water them, and take care of them until they grow into healthy crops.
• This practice of growing large quantities of plants for food and other purposes is called agriculture. 

Types of Crops

• Based on Utility: 
  1. Food Crops (wheat, rice, potato, maize, sugarcane, etc,) 
  2. Oil-producing Crops (sunflower, mustard, etc.)
  3. Fibre Crops (cotton, silk and jute)
• Based on Seasons: 
  1. Kharif Crops 
  2. Rabi Crops

Rabi Crops

• In India, crops like wheat and gram are grown in the winter from November to April. They are called rabi crops. 
• These crops do not depend on the monsoon. 
• Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, pea and bean grow well in winters.

Kharif Crops

• Crops grown in summers from June to October are called kharif crops. 
• Rice, maize, jowar and bajra are kharif crops. 
• These crops depend largely on monsoon rains. 
• Vegetables like pumpkin, brinjal and groundnut grow in summers. 

Essential Requirements to Produce a Good Crop 

1. Farmers should have knowledge about the soil, climate and season for growing different crops.

2. High Yielding Variety of seeds should be used. High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds are special seeds that produce more crops than regular ones but need proper care, water, and fertilizers for the best results.

3. Farmers should properly irrigate the soil when required. 

4. The right amount of fertilizers should be added to the soil.  

• Fertilizers are substances added to the soil to provide nutrients that help plants grow better and healthier.
• Two kinds of fertilizers are used for this purpose: organic and inorganic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers are obtained from decaying plants, cow dung, etc, while inorganic fertilizers are synthesized. For, example, urea and nitrates.
  Spraying Fertilizers

5. Farmers should use insecticides and pesticides to protect their crops from insects.  However, overuse of pesticides can be harmful to the soil and ultimately to our health. 

• Insecticides are chemicals used to kill or control insects that can harm crops and plants.
• Pesticides are chemicals used to control or kill pests, including insects, weeds, fungi, and rodents, to protect crops and plants.

Crop Protection and Storage of Seeds

For better and healthy crops, we must protect them. We should take the following steps to protect crops: 

• We should protect the crops in the field against grazing animals like goats, cows and buffaloes by proper fencing. 
• We should protect the crops against pests such as locusts, grasshoppers, caterpillars and diseases. 
• Ripened crop should be harvested and stored properly as grains. 
• Farmers should keep them safe from moisture and small animals. So, grains should be stored in air-tight containers.