Agronomy Pointers 2

• Major Cropping Seasons in India: Kharif (July–October), Rabi (October–March), Zaid (March–June).
• Monocropping: Growing a single crop on the same land year after year.
• Multiple Cropping: Growing two or more crops on the same land annually.
• Double Cropping: Cultivating two crops sequentially in a year (e.g., rice-wheat).
• Triple Cropping: Growing three crops one after another in a year.
• Ratoon Cropping: Harvesting a regrown crop from previous plantings (e.g., sugarcane).
• Intercropping: Growing multiple crops together in the same field.
• Mixed Cropping: Cultivating multiple crops without a row arrangement.
• Row Intercropping: Cultivating multiple crops in a row pattern.
• Strip Intercropping: Growing different crops in alternate strips of uniform width.
• Relay Intercropping: Sowing the second crop before harvesting the first.
• Alley Cropping: Growing annual crops with perennial trees/shrubs.
• Multi-Storey Cropping: Growing crops of different heights together.
• Companion Cropping: Planting crops together to support each other’s growth.
• Zero Tillage: Avoiding primary tillage while growing crops.
• Cropping Index: Number of crops grown per unit land per year × 100.
• Harvest Index: Ratio of economic yield to biological yield.
• Land Equivalent Ratio (LER): Measures yield efficiency in intercropping.
• Vermiculture: Breeding earthworms to produce organic compost.
• Vermicompost: Decomposed organic waste processed by earthworms.
• Vermicast: The final product of organic breakdown by earthworms.
• Green Manuring: Incorporating green plant materials into the soil for fertility.
• Green Manuring In-Situ: Growing and ploughing legumes into the soil on the same field.
• Dhaincha and Sesbania rostrata: Common green manure crops.
• Black Gram Nitrogen Fixation: Fixes 120-140 kg N per hectare.
• Parshall Flume: Measures open-channel water flow in irrigation.
• Check Basin Irrigation: Suitable for closely spaced crops like wheat and groundnut.
• Basin Irrigation: Preferred method for irrigating fruit trees.
• Fertigation: Applying fertilizers through irrigation water.
• Nutrient Content of Cereals: Rice (75-80% carbs), Wheat (60-68% carbs), Sorghum (70% carbs).
• Fertilizer Needs: Maize (180-200 kg N/ha), Wheat (120 kg N/ha), Barley (80 kg N/ha).
• Rice originated in South East Asia.
• Oryza sativa is globally cultivated, while O. glaberrima is confined to West Africa.
• IR 8, IR 20, TN 1 are well-known semi-dwarf rice varieties.
• RNR 226 is a genetically modified BLB-tolerant rice.
• Rice inflorescence is a panicle, and its grain is a caryopsis.
• Rice requires 25–35°C for optimal growth.
• Ideal soil pH for rice is 5.5 to 6.5.
• Rice can be direct-seeded or transplanted.
• SRI (System of Rice Intensification) boosts yield and was introduced from Madagascar.
• Flooding is the preferred irrigation method for lowland rice.
• Golden Rice is bioengineered to produce beta-carotene.
• Wheat originated in South West Asia.
• Common wheat (Triticum aestivum) makes up 90% of global wheat production.
• T. aestivum is hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42), while T. durum is tetraploid (2n = 4x = 28).
• Wheat grain is a caryopsis.
• Norin 10 is a source of dwarfing genes in wheat.
• HD-2329 was a key wheat variety in India's 1967 Wheat Revolution.
• Ideal wheat germination temperature is 20–25°C; ripening occurs at 14–15°C.
• Crown root initiation (CRI) occurs 20–25 days after sowing and is a critical irrigation stage.
• Maize originated in Mexico (Central America).
• Zea mays (2n = 20) is the cultivated maize species.
• Maize is called the "Queen of Cereals".
• Maize is monoecious, promoting cross-pollination. Female flowers form the ear/cob, while male flowers form the tassel. The silk is a long filament of the female flower style.