Elementary Agriculture

Agricultural education is crucial as it not only pertains to food security, but also human health. To attract youth to the agricultural sector, it is important that the education be engaging, straightforward, and meaningful. Textbooks are an effective means of reaching out to young minds in colleges and universities. The present textbook is designed to educate agricultural graduates and is entirely based on the syllabus for agricultural education. Chapter 1 delves into the history and scope of agriculture, while Chapter 2 covers the classification of crops. The third chapter provides definitions of soil, soil composition, soil profile, soil development, and different soil classes. The fourth chapter discusses the extent and distribution of soil classes in India. Chapter 5 covers the classification of problem soils and their distribution and reclamation methods. Chapter 6 discusses plant nutrition, including all functions and deficiency symptoms, as well as the classification of nutrients. Fertilizers and manures, and their role in crop production, are covered in Chapter 7. Chapters 8 and 9 address all aspects of irrigation and rainfed agriculture, respectively. Chapter 10 covers Agricultural Engineering and includes discussions of implements, tillage, devices, and power transmission for enhancing agricultural productivity. Finally, the textbook includes exemplary questions and answers to help students prepare for competitive examinations.