Comprehensive Guide to Crop Care and Maintenance for Grade 7

technology and livelihood education Agriculture and fishery arts for grade seven our topic is crop care

and maintenance harvesting and post harvesting practices [Music]

[Music] crop care and maintenance harvesting in post harvesting practices

let's check what you already know about the various practices and crop maintenance can you share some insights

on the following videos and pictures [Music] [Music]

[Music] crops crops are plants or plant produce that can be raised cultivated and

harvested for subsistence or profit they may be classified as food crops cash crops forage crops oil crops industrial

crops fiber crops and ornamental crops pesticides these may be natural organic

or commercial products that control the wide spread of pests and diseases in the agricultural field while the herbicides

maybe natural organic or commercial products that control the widespread of weeds in the

field cultivation this is the process of loosening the hardened soil through

plowing or harrowing It is believed to control weeds and pests in the farm

irrigation it is the process of maintaining the moisture and water content of soil needed for the plant

growth trellis these may be made from wood or metal that serves as support for

climbing and crawling crops fertilizer these may be natural organic

or commercial products applied to increase the nutrients into the soil watch the video on proper care and

maintenance of farm you can also watch different videos in YouTube on the proper care and

maintenance of the farm check the link below after watching the video on proper care and maintenance of farm answer the

questions below first what various practices for crop care and maintenance are presented in the video please list

them from pre-production to harvesting if needed and why is it important for Farmers to understand the proper care

and maintenance of crops the following are the types of crops first is the food crops this is

primarily raised cultured and harvested for human consumption it may be classified as field crops or root crops

crops the field crops are grown on a large scale for commercial purposes this includes fruits and vegetables wheat

rice corn sugar cane the root crops are underground plant parts for human consumption like carrot sugar beet

turnip potato peanut radish Etc here are some examples of food crops the cash crops this type of crops is

sold for profit it can be exported to other countries as well like coffee cocoa sugar cane and other exportable

crops feed or forage crops this type of plant is usually raised cultured and harvested for livestock consumption like

corn pasture grasses the fiber crops this type of plant is usually raised cultured and

harvested for its fibers to be used as a raw material like cotton avaca banana and pineapple

fiber the oil crops this type of plant is usually raised cultured and harvested for production of oil like sugar cane

palm tree coconut Etc the ornamental crops this type of plant is usually raised cultured and

harvested Ed for decorations in the garden and Landscape projects example orchids rubber tree gvilia

Rose the industrial crops this type of plant is usually raised cultured harvested and processed by Industries

for the production of non-edible materials example tobacco the classification of crops

according to growth habits first is the herb a non Woody plants that typically die back at the end of the growing

season next is the vine these are plants that climb or sprawl often relying on other structures for support next is the

lyan it is a type of Woody Vine that typically grows in tropical rainforests the shrub are Woody plants

that are smaller than trees usually with multiple stems the tree are tall Woody plants with a single main stem trunk

next is the Evergreen these are trees or shrubs that retain their leaves throughout the year and finally the

Deciduous these trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally the classification of plants

based on their life cycle annual crops these plants complete their life cycle in one growing season they germinate

grow flour and produce seeds all within a year examples include corn wheat and beans next is the banial crops these

crops require two years to complete their life cycle in the first year they grow leaves and Roots while in the

second year they flower and produce seeds examples include carrots and onions and lastly perennial crops these

plants live for multiple years regrowing each season from the same root system they can produce flowers and seeds every

year once established examples include a asparagus and fruit trees like apple or

cherry the following are the factors that influence the crop production the water soil wind temperature sunlight

seed selection knowledge crop care and maintenance it is deemed important to consider these factors as they affect

the growth of the plant and as well as the produce or harvest the crop production is the

process which involves several steps wherein Farmers should take precautionary measures at each step the

farmers should also consider the external conditions and factors to achieve Bountiful Harvest thus Farmers

should have sufficient knowledge in crop care and maintenance the first crop care and

maintenance process is the cultivation this is the first stage of crop production cultivation refers to

the stirring of the soil through plowing or harrowing cultivating the soil is one of the most effective ways to control

weeds and pests cultivating the soil loosens the soil around the plant which provides air

for the root of the plants this technique is called conventional tillage reduced or no tillage can lead to

accumulation of soil carbon consequently benefiting soil health and improving crop

yields next is the seed sewing and plant seedling good quality and healthy seeds and seedlings should be considered prior

to sewing and planting respectively in seed sewing the correct depth of soil of 1.5 to 2 Ines deep is

important for sewing seeds to ensure proper moisture in sewing the seeds or planting the seedlings Farmers should

consider the proper spacing to allow plants on its optimal growth next is the

irrigation crops require water because water prevents crops from drying out especially during

drought however the amount of water differs from each variety of crops there are various ways in which Farmers

irrigate the crops manual drip and sprinkler irrigation the following are the types

of irrigation first is the manual irrigation it is a labor intensive and

timeconsuming method which uses laborers to irrigate water using water cans next is the drip irrigation this is the most

effective way to supply water and nutrients to crops it provides water and nutrients directly to the zone of plants

in the proper amount and proper time the sprinkler irrigation uses pipes and spray to irrigate the whole field

pipelines may be used when water is scarce to eliminate water losses finally soil and plant factors determine the

irrigation requirements of the crops next is the fertilizer application if the soil is deprived of nutrients it

requires management of nutrients such as application of fertilizers manures and compost to enrich the soil content there

are methods of fertilizer application this can be scattering and mixing with the soil before planting

the weed control weeds lead to the reduction of crop yield increased production costs and increased incidence

of pests and diseases weeding control method manual weeding or hand weeding is a timeconsuming and labor intensive

method laborers use their hands and or sickle or Scythe to remove weeds crops and the weeds thus skill is needed to

apply this kind of herbicide the mechanical weeding this uses Machinery to remove weeds such as

Kona weeder power tiller basket hoe while the chemical weeding uses herbicides to remove seeds they may be

considered selective or non-selective herbicides selective herbicides aim the weeds only with effect on the crops

while non- selective herbicides harm both main crops and the weeds thus skill is needed to apply this kind of

herbicide the pests and diseases control to drive away pests Farmers app y pesticides there are different varieties

of pesticides and each of them has a particular function this includes herbicides insecticides fungicides

molluscicides and rodenticides however farmers are encouraged to employ eco-safe and

eco-friendly ways to control pests and diseases this may include production of Organic pesticides and encouragement on

the presence of organisms that kills pests the support for climbing plants or trellis there is a need to provide

support for climbing and crawling plants such as bitter gourd squash string beans trellis may be made of wood or

metal harvesting and preservation Farmers Harvest when crops reach maturity Farmers have various ways to

gather and harvest crops such as traditional techniques and modern ways this stage of the development of

vegetables when harvested influences the quality of produce there are factors that determine the the harvest date of

the crops such as genetic composition of the vegetable variety planting date and environmental

conditions the manual harvesting is employed through the use of mechanical tools such as sickle or Scythe for

broccoli cabbage cauliflower some vegetables are mechanically harvested the changes in

the post Harvest are influenced by various factors such as kind of crop temperature oxygen and carbon dioxide

content relative humidity and disease incitant organism storing the produce contributes to price

stabilization it also contributes to the preservation of the produce the vegetable storage should

consider the following parameters it should be free from mechanical insect and disease injury and matured crops

there are changes that occur on the produce such as water loss conversion of starch and sugar flavor changes color

changes toughening or softening vitamin gain or loss sprouting rooting and Decay this deteriorates the quality of produce

so proper storage is needed the methods of storing vegetable are the common or unrefrigerated storage

and the cold or the refrigerated storage there is a lack of precise control of temperature and humidity in common

storage this use produces insulated storage houses outdoor cellers or Mounds the cold storage allows precise

regulation of temperature and humidity and maintenance of constant conditions with the use of

refrigeration pre-marketing operations and selling this stage involves washing trimming waxing pre-cooling grading prep

packaging and packaging the precooling involves rapid removal of heat from freshly harvested

vegetables slows natural deterioration of the produce slows the growth of Decay and retards water loss this includes

hydrocooling contact icing vacuum cooling Cooling and Air cooling hydrocooling is done by cooling

the produce by direct contact with cold water flowing through the packed containers contact icing uses crushed

ice placed in the package or spread over a stack of packages to pre-cool the contents vacuum cooling produces rapid

evaporation of a small quantity of water that lowers the temperature of the crops air cooling is done through exposure of

vegetables to cold air the grading this process ensures that the crops are classified according

to their size shape color and ripeness this establishes a good trade the packaging the products are

placed in bags trays cartons crates and hampers of various kinds and sizes depending on the types of crops this

furnishes a convenient means for transport loading and stacking with security and economy

space the selling process in selling the farmers sell their produce through retail or wholesale retail sales are

done when consumers buy produce often the roadside stands wholesale marketing is made when produce is sold to

retailers commercial institutional or other large scale owners there are many other additional

practices to increase crop productivity and farm profitability include increase crop diversity enhance beneficial

pollinators population employ more eco-friendly weed control measures improve soil quality manage labor and

input costs keep track of all the records including expenses and profit involve in Creative

Marketing A Time To Remember [Music] this is teacher milen thank you for

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