Food Production and Crop Management – Fill-in-the-Blank Flashcards

These fill-in-the-blank flashcards cover key terms and processes from the lecture on crop production, soil management, nitrogen cycling, irrigation, pest control, harvesting, storage, and animal husbandry. Use them to test recall of essential vocabulary and concepts.

A group of plants of the same kind cultivated together on agricultural land is called a __.

crop

Crops grown mainly to meet people’s food demand are known as __ crops.

food

Crops grown for sale in the market to earn money are called __ crops.

cash

Crops grown only to fulfil a farmer’s own needs, not for sale, are called __ crops.

subsistence

Crops sown in May–June and harvested in September–October are called __ (or summer) crops.

kharif

Crops sown in October and harvested in March are known as __ (or winter) crops.

rabi

The short summer-season crops grown between rabi and kharif are called __ crops.

zaid

The collective name for all long, systematic steps of crop cultivation is __ processes.

agricultural

The first major step of cultivation that loosens and turns the soil into chunks is called __ (or tilling).

ploughing

Loosened soil improving aeration and root penetration is one __ of ploughing.

advantage

Packing ploughed soil uniformly is known as __.

levelling

Uniform water distribution across a field is a key benefit of __.

levelling

Planting seeds in the soil is referred to as __.

sowing

Sprinkling handfuls of seeds over the field is the traditional sowing method called __.

broadcasting

Uniform seed placement at correct depth is achieved using a __ drill.

seed

Growing seedlings in a nursery and later moving them to the main field is called __.

transplantation

Leaving land unused between two crops to restore nutrients is termed leaving land __.

fallow

Growing different crops in succession to balance soil nutrients is known as __ rotation.

crop

Adding decomposed plant/animal waste to soil is the practice of __.

manuring

Decomposed farm waste prepared in a pit forms __ manure.

compost

Nutrient-rich excreta from earthworms produce __.

vermicompost

Leguminous plants ploughed into soil while still green constitute __ manure.

green

Highly concentrated nutrient salts like urea and potash are examples of __.

fertilisers

Excess fertiliser runoff into water bodies can cause algal bloom and lead to __.

eutrophication

Conversion of atmospheric N₂ into ammonia by Rhizobium is the __ fixation step of the nitrogen cycle.

nitrogen

Bacteria converting NH₃ to NO₂⁻ is the first stage of __.

nitrification

Plants absorb soil nitrates during the __ phase of the nitrogen cycle.

assimilation

Conversion of nitrates back to N₂ gas by Pseudomonas is called __.

denitrification

Planned watering of crops based on need is termed __.

irrigation

Supplying water drop by drop directly to plant roots describes the __ irrigation system.

drip

Level fields surrounded by dykes and flooded uniformly use the __ irrigation method.

basin

Water flowing down small trenches between crop rows characterises __ irrigation.

furrow

Rotating nozzles spraying water over fields belong to the __ irrigation system.

sprinkler

Excessive irrigation can cause waterlogging and salt deposition, altering the soil’s __ nature.

chemical

Unwanted plants growing among crops are called __.

weeds

Chemicals such as glyphosate used to kill weeds are known as __.

weedicides

Insects, rodents or birds that damage crops are collectively termed __.

pests

Introducing natural enemies to control pests is a __ control measure.

biological

Overuse of pesticides can make pests __ to them.

resistant

Cutting mature crops from the field is the process of __.

harvesting

The tool traditionally used to cut crops by hand is a __.

sickle

Separating grains from stalks is called __.

threshing

Removing chaff from grain by wind action is termed __.

winnowing

A tractor-driven machine that both harvests and threshes is a __.

combine harvester

Tall towers used for large-scale grain storage are called __.

silos

Emergency grain kept for unforeseen shortages is known as __ stock.

buffer

Systematic large-scale rearing of animals is called __ husbandry.

animal

Rearing cattle for milk is __ farming.

dairy

Raising fowl for eggs and meat is known as __.

poultry

Cultivating fish for food in water bodies is termed __.

pisciculture

Rearing honeybees in artificial hives is the practice of __.

apiculture