Tillage, Seeds, Sowing, and Crop Management Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the Agronomy Paper-II syllabus for the Agri MPSC Mains-2024, including tillage, seeds, sowing, crop density, and nutrient use efficiency based on Dr. Sandip Bhusari's lecture notes.

Agriculture

The term is derived from the Latin words ager or agri (soil/land/field) and cultura (cultivation), defined as the art and science of cultivating land, raising crops, and feeding, breeding, and raising livestock.

Geoponic

A sphere of agriculture meaning cultivation in earth.

Hydroponic

A sphere of agriculture meaning cultivation in water.

Aeroponic

A sphere of agriculture meaning cultivation in air.

Agronomy

A Greek word derived from agros (field) and nomos (management), defined as the specialized branch of agriculture dealing with crop production and soil management.

Tillage

The mechanical manipulation of soil with tools and implements for obtaining conditions ideal for seed germination, seedling establishment, and growth of crops.

Father of Tillage

Jethro Tull, who suggested that thorough ploughing is necessary to make the soil into fine particles.

Tilth

The physical condition of soil obtained through tillage; the resultant effect where soil air, soil water, and soil aggregates are in perfect harmony.

Preparatory Tillage

Tillage operations carried out to prepare the field for raising crops, from the time of harvest of one crop to the sowing of the next.

Primary Tillage

The operation done after the harvest of a crop to open the compact soil and bring the land under cultivation.

Deep Tillage

Ploughing at a depth of $25\text{-}30\,cm$ as classified by the Central Research Institute for Dry land Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad.

Sub soiling

The process of breaking a hard pan without inversion and with minimal disturbance of the topsoil, often using chisel ploughs to reach depths of $60\text{-}70\,cm$.

Secondary Tillage

Lighter or finer operations performed on the soil after primary tillage, such as harrowing, planking, and sowing.

After Tillage

Tillage operations carried out in the standing crop, including harrowing, hoeing, inter-cultivation, earthing up, and weeding.

Earthing up

Raising the soil at the base of the plant to provide support against lodging and facilitate root penetration.

Father of Modern Tillage

Dr. G.B. Triplett.

Minimum Tillage

A practice aimed at reducing tillage to the minimum necessary for ensuring a good seedbed and favorable growing conditions.

Zero Tillage

An extreme form of minimum tillage where primary tillage is completely avoided and secondary tillage is restricted to seedbed preparation in the row zone only.

Tied Ridging

A modification of ridges and furrows where ridges are connected by small bunds at $2\text{-}3\,m$ intervals to allow rainwater collection and percolation.

Broad Bed Furrows (BBF)

Land configuration with beds of $90\text{-}120\,cm$ width and $15\,cm$ height separated by furrows of $60\,cm$ width and $15\,cm$ depth.

Scooping

The process of forming small depressions or basins on the soil surface to retain rainwater and reduce erosion by trapping sediment.

Seed

A fertilized ovule consisting of an intact embryo, stored food, and a seed coat, which is viable and capable of germinating under favorable conditions.

Germination Percentage

The ratio of seeds germinated to the number of seeds planted, expressed as a percentage: $\text{Germination Percentage} = \frac{\text{Seeds Germinated}}{\text{Seeds Planted}} \times 100$.

Nucleus Seed

The basic seed stock that is $100\%$ genetically and physically pure, produced by the original breeder or institute.

Breeder Seed

Seed that is $99.90\%$ genetically pure, carrying a golden or yellow tag size $12 \times 6\,cm$.

Foundation Seed

Known as 'mother seed', it is $99.5\%$ genetically pure, produced from breeder seed, and labeled with a white tag.

Certified Seed

The commercial seed sold to farmers for raising crops, which is $99\%$ genetically pure and carries a blue tag.

Broadcasting

The oldest method of sowing where seeds are scattered by hand over the field and covered with a rake or plank.

Dibbling

The method of putting seeds into holes or pits at predetermined spacing and depth, suitable for wide-spaced crops.

Transplanting

The removal of an actively growing plant from a nursery and planting it into another field for further growth.

Plant Density

The number of plants per unit area in a cropped field.

Crop Geometry

The arrangement of plants in rows and columns to efficiently utilize natural resources like light, water, and nutrients.

Quincunx System

A planting system similar to the square system, but with a fifth 'filler' tree planted in the center of each square.

Asymptotic Response

A yield response where increased plant population leads to a yield that remains constant after a certain limit, expressed as $Y = Ap + \frac{1}{1+Abp}$, common in fodder crops.

Parabolic Response

A yield response where yield increases with plant population to a maximum and then decreases, expressed by the quadratic equation $Y = a + bp + cp^2$.

Elasticity of the Plant

The variation in plant size between the minimum size that produces economic yield and the maximum size reachable under unlimited resources.

Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)

The combination of organic and inorganic nutrient sources, including crop residues and biofertilizers, to improve soil health and productivity.

Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE)

Yield per unit of fertilizer input or the recovery rate of applied fertilizer by the plant.

Plant Ideotype

A biological model or 'ideal plant type' proposed by Donald (1968) designed to perform in a predictable manner within a specific environment.

Crop Adaptation

The capacity of genotypes to adjust themselves to specific environmental conditions to reach a certain level of phenotypic expression.

Homeostasis

The capacity of a heterogeneous population to adapt to a variety of environments, also known as General Population Adaptation.

Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)

The spectral range of solar radiation from $0.4\text{-}0.7\,u$ that is essential for the production of biomass through photosynthesis.

Photoperiodism

The physiological response of a plant to the duration of day or night (day length).