Principle of Crop Science and Management
Course Objective:
To develop basic understanding about efficient crop management and skills about crop cultivation practices with diseases and pest management
Part-I Agronomy
- Definition, Scope and Importance (2 hours)
- Definition and relationship with other sciences
- Scope and importance
- Classification of agronomical crops
- Review of Crop Physiological Processes (4 hours)
- Germination
- Uptake of water and nutrients
- Photosynthesis
- Respiration
- Transpiration
- Growth
- Development
- Flowering
- Fruiting
- Senescence
- Effect of Weather Elements on Crop Production (3 hours)
- Solar radiation
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Wind
- Rainfall
- Agro-climatic requirements of major food crops
- Climatic hazards and their management
- Seeds and Seed Quality (3 hours)
- Definition of seed
- Seed quality
- Seed viability
- Seed germination
- Seed dormancy
- Production of quality seed
- Seed processing
- Seed testing and certification
- Maintenance of Soil Productivity (4 hours)
- Importance of soil fertility
- Improvement and conservation of soil fertility
- Manures and fertilizers:
- Nutrient content
- Selection
- Rates and methods of application in major food crops
- Green manures and bio-fertilizers
- Management of saline, alkaline and acidic soils
- Cropping System (6 hours)
- Crop rotation
- Selection of crops in crop rotation
- Advantages/disadvantages in selected crop rotations
- Mixed cropping
- Intercropping
- Relay cropping
- Multiple cropping
- Cropping intensity
- Cropping index
- Harvest index
- Economic and biological yield
- Farming systems
- Weed Management (3 hours)
- Definition
- Losses caused by weeds
- Classification
- Weed Management
- Prevention
- Control
- Eradication
- Rainfed Farming (1 hour)
- Cultivation Practices of Major Crops (6 hours)
- Cereal Crops (Rice, Wheat, Maize)
- Grain Legumes (Lentil, greengram)
- Oil Seeds (Mustard, Sunflower)
- Industrial Crops (Sugarcane, Jute)
- Tuber Crops (Potato)
Part-II Horticulture
- Introduction: (3 hours)
- Meaning, branches and scope of horticulture
- Importance of horticulture
- Feasibility of horticultural development in Nepal
- Classification of horticultural crops
- Physiology of Horticultural Crops (3 hours)
- Seed and bud dormancy
- Germination- factors and processes
- Juvenility- characteristics and modifications
- Maturity- flowering, fruit-setting , fruit growth, fruit drop and fruit ripening
- Tuber and bulb formation
- Production of Vegetables and Spice Crops (6 hours)
- Classification of vegetable and spice crops
- Soil and climatic factors in the production of vegetable and spice crops
- Cultural practices to improve and maintain soil fertility (mulching, liming, composting, green manuring, intercropping, crop rotations, contour cropping, alley cropping, terrace farming, agro-forestry)
- Principle of off-season vegetable production
- Cultivation practices of following vegetable crops:
- Cole crops (Cauliflower, cabbage)
- Bulb crops (Onion)
- Solanaceous vegetables (tomato, chilly)
- Cucurbits (Cucumber)
- Cultivation practices of following spice crops:
- Zinger
- Cardamom
- Production of Fruits and Plantation Crops (6 hours)
- Importance and scope of fruits and plantation crops
- Orchard establishment- site selection, layout, selection of crops and spices
- Nursery management
- Principles of sexual, asexual and micro-propagation
- Orchard management- green manuring, intercropping, cover cropping, mulching, sod culture, liming, weeding, manuring, fertilization, training and pruning
- Cultivation practices of following fruit crops:
- Tropical fruits: mango, banana, litchi
- Sub-tropical fruits: citrus, grapes, guava
- Temperate fruits: apple, pear
- Plantation crops: tea, coffee, cardamom
Part-III: Insect/Pest and Disease Management:
- Insect/Pest Management (5 hours)
- Introduction to agricultural insects and pests
- Principles and methods of pest control
- Management of important insects/pests of field,
- Vegetable and plantation crops
- Pesticides and their formulations
- Methods of application of insecticides and pesticides
- Disease Management (5 hours)
- Concept and losses caused by plant diseases
- Causes of plant diseases
- Important diseases of field, vegetable and plantation crops
- Control measures of plant diseases
Practical:
- Identification of crops and their seeds.
- Identification of mineral fertilizers.
- Calculation of rates of fertilizer and manures and their methods of application.
- Preparation of calendar of operation for sequential cropping, triple cropping, inter-cropping and relay cropping.
- Calculation of seed rate of different crops and planting materials.
- Germination, viability and purity test of seeds.
- Collection, identification and control measures of weeds
- Calculation of rates of application of insecticides, pesticides and fungicides
- Identification of fruits and plantation crops.
- Identification of plants and seeds of vegetables and spices
- Practice on crop cultural operation in field, vegetable, fruits and plantation crops.
References:
- Sharma, K.P., K.R. Dahal and K.R. Neupane. 1991. An Introduction to Agronomy. Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Nepal.
- Modern Techniques of Raising Field Crops by Chidda Singh. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi
- Agronomy: Theory and Digest by Cheema S.S. et al. Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi
- Crop Management by S.S. Singh, Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi
- Horticulture: Principle and Practices by Acquaah, Prentice-Hall of India Ltd.
Evaluation Scheme:
The questions will cover all the chapters of the syllabus. The evaluation scheme will be as indicated in the table below:
Chapters |
Hours |
Marks distribution* |
Part-I Agronomy |
1 & 2 |
6 |
8 |
3 & 4 |
6 |
8 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
7 & 8 |
4 |
5 |
9 |
6 |
8 |
Part-II Horticulture |
1 & 2 |
6 |
8 |
3 |
6 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
Part-III: Insect/Pest and Disease Management |
1 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
Total |
60 |
80 |
*Note: There may be minor deviation in marks distribution
|