Agriculture — Types, Revolutions, and Environmental Links
›*Agricultural subdisciplines (important for UPSC matching questions):**
›Silviculture: cultivation of forest trees
›Sericulture: rearing of silkworms for raw silk production
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Agriculture is derived from Latin ager/agri (soil) and cultura (cultivation) — the art of cultivating the soil. It encompasses crop production, livestock farming, fisheries, and forestry. Agriculture is a broad-based sector employing ~56.7% of India's workforce and contributing ~17.2% to GDP.
All key facts
›*Agricultural subdisciplines (important for UPSC matching questions):**
›Silviculture: cultivation of forest trees
›Sericulture: rearing of silkworms for raw silk production
›Apiculture: maintenance of honey bee colonies (bee-keeping)
›Olericulture: science of vegetable growing (non-woody/herbaceous plants for food)
›Viticulture: science, production, and study of grapes
›Floriculture: cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens
›Arboriculture: cultivation and management of individual trees, shrubs, vines, woody perennial plants
›Pomology: branch of horticulture focused on fruit cultivation, production, harvest, storage
›Aeroponics: growing plants in air/mist environment WITHOUT soil or aggregate medium
›Hydroponics: growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, WITHOUT soil
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Geoponics: farming practice of growing plants in normal soil (traditional method)
›Agronomy (from Greek: agros = field, nomos = management): specialised branch dealing with crop production and soil management
›*Crop classification by season:**
›Kharif/Rainy/Monsoon: June–Oct/Nov; warm wet weather; short day length for flowering; examples: Cotton, Rice, Jowar, Bajra
›Rabi/Winter: Oct–March; cold dry weather; longer day length for flowering; examples: Wheat, Gram, Sunflower
›Millets: annual grasses; staple food of poor; Major millets = Sorghum/Jowar, Pearl Millet/Bajra, Finger Millet/Ragi; Minor millets = Fox tail, Little, Common, Barnyard, Kodo
›Pulses: major protein source in Indian diet; fix atmospheric nitrogen; enrich soil; examples: Red gram, Black gram, Green gram, Cowpea, Bengal gram
›*Environmental problems from agriculture:**
›Pesticide accumulation: 15 different pesticides found in blood samples from Punjab villages
›Organochlorine pesticides (DDT, BHC, PCB) accumulate in body fat; persist for years
›Jhum (slash and burn) cultivation in NE India = human disturbance disrupting ecological succession
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