Materials for Growing Crops

Back to: Agricultural Science Primary 4

 

Welcome to class! 

In today’s class, we will be talking about materials for growing crops. Enjoy the class!

Materials for Growing Crops

Types of materials for growing crops

To have a successful farming season which is indicated by a healthy and bountiful harvest, there are some materials that are required and must be provided. Common materials needed for growing crops include seeds, stem cuttings, manure, fertilisers, and chemicals.

1. Seeds: A seed is that part of a plant from which we can grow another one. This can be in the form of grains, e.g. maize or rice grains; cereals, e.g. cowpea; and nuts, e.g. groundnuts or palm nuts. These are used for planting to produce crops. Only good seeds must be planted. Good seeds are those that are whole and have no holes in them. Such seeds are said to be viable.

Activity

1. List four other kinds of seeds you have seen in your locality.
2. Name the crop plants that produced the seeds.

 

2. Stem cuttings: There are other crops that are not produced with seeds. They are produced with stem cutting. A stem cutting is a part of a growing crop cut for re-planting. It must be fresh before use. Examples of stem cuttings are cassava, sugarcane, water-leaf, and sweet potato.

Below is a picture of stem cuttings of the cassava plant

3. Manure: Manure is another material needed for planting crops. Manure is a decayed plant and animal dung which can be spread on the soil to supply plant food and make it fertile. Examples include farmyard manure (FYM), compost, poultry manure and green manure.
4. Fertilisers: Fertiliser is man-made manure added to the soil to supply necessary plant food. An expert is usually required to apply fertilisers. A common example of fertilisers is Nitrogen-Phosphorous Potassium (NPK) fertiliser.
5. Weeding and Pest killing Chemicals: These chemicals are man-made liquids or powders used for controlling or killing pests and diseases of crop plants or weeds. Examples include Gammalin 20 and Perenox. Chemicals meant to kill, or control insects or pests are called insecticides or pesticides. However, they are called herbicides if they are meant to kill or control weeds. A moderate quantity of chemical must be used on plants.

In the picture above a woman can be seen applying fertilizer to her crops

Reasons for using some materials in crop production

1.  Manure and fertilisers are used in crop production to increase the yields of crops.
2. They help to supply plant food to the soil.
3. Pesticides and herbicides are used in crop production to control diseases and pests of crops thereby increasing crop yield.
4. Good or viable seeds are used in crop production to produce healthy plants and increase yields.
5. Stem cuttings are used where the seeds crop cannot germinate easily if planted.

General evaluation

1. Name five common materials needed for growing crops.
2. Describe a good or viable seed.

 Weekend assignment

1. What are Pesticides and Herbicides used for
2. State five reasons for using some materials in crop production.

 

In our next class, we will be talking about Safety Measures in Applying Chemicals.  We hope you enjoyed the class.

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