Maharashtra HSC Crop Science (Vocational) flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Kharif crop
- A crop sown with the onset of the south-west monsoon in June-July and harvested in autumn, for example paddy, cotton, sorghum and soybean in Maharashtra.
- C4 crop
- A plant with Kranz anatomy that concentrates carbon dioxide before fixation, giving higher photosynthetic efficiency and water-use efficiency than C3 crops; maize and sugarcane are examples.
- Cation exchange capacity
- The total quantity of exchangeable cations a soil can hold, expressed in cmol(p+)/kg; it rises with clay and organic matter content and indicates nutrient retention capacity.
- Soil bulk density
- The mass of oven-dry soil divided by its total volume, expressed in g/cm3; high values indicate compaction and reduced pore space for air and water.
- Law of the minimum
- The principle that crop growth is limited by the essential nutrient present in shortest supply relative to plant requirement, not by the total quantity of all nutrients.
- Mobile nutrient deficiency
- Deficiency of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium or magnesium appears first on older leaves because these nutrients are translocated from old to new growth.
- Fertilizer grade
- The percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus expressed as P2O5 and potassium expressed as K2O in a fertilizer, written in that order, for example 18-46-0 for DAP.
- Green manure
- A crop such as sunhemp or dhaincha grown in the field and ploughed into the soil while still green to add organic matter and nitrogen.
- Rhizobium biofertilizer
- A bacterial inoculant applied to legume seed that forms root nodules and fixes atmospheric nitrogen in symbiosis with the host plant, reducing nitrogen fertilizer need.
- Plant population calculation
- Plants per hectare equal 10,000 divided by the product of row spacing and plant spacing in metres, used to convert spacing into seed rate.
- Intercropping
- Growing two or more crops simultaneously in the same field in a definite row arrangement, which improves total productivity per unit area and spreads risk.
- Crop rotation
- Growing different crops in sequence on the same field; including legumes adds nitrogen and interrupting host continuity reduces pest and disease build-up.
- Crop coefficient
- The ratio of crop evapotranspiration to reference evapotranspiration at a given growth stage, used to estimate irrigation water requirement from weather data.
- Drip irrigation
- A pressurized method that delivers water slowly and directly to the root zone through emitters, achieving high application efficiency and reducing evaporation and weed growth.
- Water use efficiency
- The crop yield produced per unit of water consumed, commonly expressed as kilograms per hectare per millimetre of water used.
- Economic threshold level
- The pest population density at which the value of crop loss prevented equals the cost of control, justifying pesticide or other intervention.
- Disease triangle
- The concept that a plant disease develops only when a susceptible host, a virulent pathogen and a favourable environment occur together.
- Protectant fungicide
- A fungicide applied to plant surfaces before pathogen infection to prevent entry, unlike systemic fungicides which are absorbed into plant tissue.
- Mouldboard plough
- A primary tillage implement that cuts, lifts and inverts the soil slice, burying crop residues and weeds to prepare a clean seedbed.
- Power take-off
- A tractor shaft that transmits engine power to driven implements such as rotavators, threshers and sprayer pumps; it must be fitted with a safety guard.
- Seed germination percentage
- The number of normal seedlings produced in a standard test divided by the total number of seeds tested, multiplied by 100.
- Seed certification
- A quality assurance process involving field inspection and laboratory testing that allows seed to be sold with a certification tag confirming prescribed standards.
- Sugarcane sett
- A section of mature cane stem with two or three buds used as vegetative planting material, selected from healthy, true-to-type plants.
- Safe grain moisture
- The moisture content below which grain can be stored without mould growth or insect attack, about 12-14 percent for cereals and lower for oilseeds.
- Hermetic storage
- Storage in sealed containers or bags that limits oxygen and moisture exchange, suppressing insect development and preserving grain quality without chemicals.
- Value addition
- Processing, grading, cleaning or packaging a farm product to raise its market value and the price realised by the producer.
- Benefit-cost ratio
- Gross income divided by total cost of production; a value above one indicates that the enterprise returns more than it costs.
- Break-even point
- The output level or price at which total revenue equals total cost, so the enterprise neither gains nor loses and minimum production targets can be set.
- Net income
- Gross income from crop yield multiplied by price, minus the total cost of production including both variable and fixed costs.
- Pesticide waiting period
- The interval specified on the label between the last pesticide application and harvest, which must be observed to keep residues within safe limits.
- Integrated nutrient management
- Combining organic manure, chemical fertilizer and biofertilizer in balanced proportions to sustain soil fertility and reduce dependence on inorganic sources.
- Rabi crop
- A crop sown in October-November after the monsoon and harvested in winter or spring, for example wheat, gram and safflower in Maharashtra.