NCERT 8th Class (CBSE) Science: Crop Production

Question: Which method, according to you, can bring about the maximum increase in crop produce in our country in future?
a. increasing land under cultivation, b. using more manures and fertilizers, c. less wastage in storage, d. using better varieties of crop plants

Answer: (d) using better varieties of crop plants. Better varieties of crop plants will result in increased production as they give higher yield as well as high resistance to diseases.

Question: What do you think are the drawbacks of seeds being unevenly distributed in a field while sowing?

Answer: The drawbacks of uneven distribution of seeds in a field, while sowing, are:

1. They will compete for water, nutrients and sunlight that result limited growth.
2. If they are sown far apart, it will result in the wastage of field area.
3. If seeds are not sown at the proper depth and covered by soil, they may be eaten up by birds.

Question: Do you expect to find fully-grown crop plants in a nursery? Why? Why not?

Answer: We won’t find fully grown crop plants in a nursery like rice, tomato, onion, etc. because they are transferred to the fields from nurseries in their seedling stage.

Question: Crop rotation is practised by farmers so that they have different products to sell in the market in every season. Do you agree? Give reasons.

Answer: No, farmers adopt crop rotation to maintain the fertility of the soil. For examples , wheat and rice use large amount of nitrogen from soil therefore legumes plants are grown next to the wheat or rice to replenish nitrogen naturally in field.

Question: I have grown a few wheat plants in my garden because I like the plants. Am I growing a wheat crop? Give reasons.

Answer: No. Growing a few plants in a garden is not crop production. Crop production is the practice of growing wheat on a large scale in a field to cultivate grains.

Question: It is observed that melon fruits growing in the fields sometimes crack, exposing the contents inside. What do you think can be the reason? (HINT: This generally happens in fields where drainage is not proper.)

Answer: Melons growing in waterlogged fields with poor drainage tend to absorb more water than they require. Melons cannot hold this excess water, therefore, they crack.