Cereals and

Crop
Production
Cadorna, Mark Jun

Acebo, Hazel Anne

Avila, Mery Joy

Cereal crops
Are a group of grass family plants
humans have domesticated and
cultivated to produce edible seeds. These
edible seeds, also known as cereals or
cereal grains, have been a staple food of
human civilizations for thousands of years
due to their nutritional value and easy
cultivation. Numerous cereal crops exist,
with some of the most common being
wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, and rye.
 Types of Cereals

Rice
Sorghu
m

Corn
Root Crops
Root crops include a number of
vegetables grown for their
enlarged, edible storage roots.
The root crops discussed here
are all hardy, cool-season crops
with a long storage life.
Types of Root Crops

Cassa
va

Gabi
Sweet
Potato
Legumes
A legume refers to any plant
from the Fabaceae family that
would include its leaves, stems,
and pods. A pulse is the edible
seed from a legume plant.
Pulses include beans, lentils,
and peas.
 Types of Legumes

Peanut

Cowpe
a
Mungbe
Important Parts of Field
Crops
1. Underground Parts - Roots (Primary, secondary, tertiary
root hairs.
2. Above Ground Parts – Stems, branches, twigs, leaves,
flowers, twigs.

Environmental factors affecting Field

Crops 1. Climate – average condition of
weather at a given place.
(Temperature, Rainfall,
Daylength, Light Intensity, Wind
Soil Factors
1. Topography – elevation, rolling,
plain or hilly.
2. Soil PH – alkalinity / acidity of the
soil.
3. Soil Texture – soil particles, sand, silt
and clay.
Biotic Factors
4. Soil Structure – arrangement of soil
1.particles.
Insect Pests
2. Diseases – fungi, bacteria and
viruses
3. Weeds
Crop Production
 Crop production is a common
agricultural practice followed by worldwide
farmers to grow and produce crops to use as food
and fiber. This practice includes all the feed
sources that are required to maintain and
produce crops. Listed below are few practices
used during crop production.
• Preparation of Soil.
• Sowing of Seeds.
• Irrigation.
• Application of manure, pesticides, and fertilizers
to the crops.
• Protecting and Harvesting Crops.
 Stages of crop
production
Harvesting
- Once the crop is matured or fully ripen, they are
cut and gathered (Reaping) which are collectively
called as harvesting. Harvesting depends on many
factors like season, crop variety, maturity period, etc.
- Over-irrigation, irregular sunlight can prolong
ripening of crop which thus delays the harvesting time.
Early harvesting causes loss of unripe grains while
delayed harvesting leads to shedding off of grains.
- Besides this, rodents and even birds eat the
grains. Therefore regular examination of the crop is
necessary as harvesting period approaches. The
golden yellow color is the indication of ripened crops
Machines

Cassava
Harvest
er
Rice
Corn
Harvest Harveste
er r
Cassava
Harvest
 Root
Crops
Harveste
r

Sugar
cane Peanut
Harveste Harveste
Storage of Crops
In the case of small-scale cultivation, farmers use
the harvested crop for themselves while large-scale
production is mainly for marketing. Thus the
cultivators have to store the grains. For this, proper
storage space has to be arranged. Inadequate
storage space and improper storage methods can
lead to a huge grain loss.
In addition to pest and rodents, microbes like
bacteria, fungi, and environmental conditions such as
moisture and temperature might attack the stored
grains. Therefore, proper treatment is required before
the grains are stored.
Another method is fumigation where chemicals are
 Principles and Practices on Crop and
Cereal Production

 Sustainable Farming System

 Economic Sustainability
 Social Sustainability
 Environmental Sustainability
Sustainable Farming System
Site Selection and Management
 Site history and specificities
(such as
topographic,ecological, social
conditions etc) shall be
properly taken into account
when planning and managing
new plantations..
Planting Material

 The choice of species and

varieties should be adapted
tothe agro-climatic conditions
of the area.
 The seed quality, treatment
should contribute to theoverall
sustainability on the farm.
Integrated Crop Management
 Rotation practices should be sought
as an important tool of integrated
management of cereal production
as well as diversified source of
income for the farm.
 Fertilization should be well balanced
in order to provide the appropriate
allowance of nutrients to the crop,
taking into account soil resources,
crop nutrients needs, climatic
conditions and surface,
groundwater and contamination
risks.
Sustainability Management
System
 Producers shall take the opportunity
of accessing valuable information,
required know-how and support
services such as production
techniques and tools to
continuously improve the overall
farm sustainability.
 Reliable information regarding the
various inputs and techniques used
as well as results of the farm shall
be properly recorded. These are
necessary to ensure the credibility
of the farm’s performance and help
on possible verifi-cation procedures.
 Economic Sustainability
Safety, Quality and Transparency
 Growing, harvest, and post-harvest
processes and facilities shall ensure
product safety and quality of
agricultural products as well as
transparency of its production
methods and traceability.
Financial Structure

 It shall be sought to achieve long-

term stability of the farm income
allowing for proper investments and
workforce payment.
 In this view, the farm’s cost-benefit
structure shall be optimised in
accordance with market
characteristics and customer
demand.
Relation to the Market

 The producers shall get organised

and select efficient trading
channels in order to be able to get
the best price for their products.
Diversification

 Diversification shall be sought if

appropriate in order to increase
productivity as well as reduce risk
linked with market fluctuations.
 Social Sustainability
Labour Conditions
 Working hours must comply with
national and local laws. overtime
performed during the harvest season
notably is acceptable but must be
duly compensated.

 Wages and benefits recieved by

workers must comply as a minimum
with local and national legislation.
Training
 Producers shall be
commited to support the
training of farm employees
and workers on all aspects
of sustainable agricultural
practices.
Strengthening the local
Economy

 Cereal crop production

should contribute to
improve the social and
economic livelihoods of
producers and provide
economic benefits to local
communities.
 Environmental Sustainability
Impact on Environment
It should be ensured that
farming practices do not
have adverse impact on
the local environment.
Soil Conservation

 The cultivation techniques

used on farm must
maintain or enhance the
soil structure and fertility
Water Conservation
 The volume and quality of
water used shall be properly
managed and preserved or
improved.

 The use of inputs as well as

release of waste water shall be
properly managed in order to
preserve surrounding water
sources.
Biodiversity Conservation

 Cereal farming practices should

maintain the integrity of the
habitat for animal and plant
species, preserving biodiversity
on and around the farm.
Waste Management

 The optimum use of waste

and by-products should be
promoted and proper
disposal of waste should be
ensured.
Energy Conservation

 The use of non-renewable

resources should
beminimized, and the use
of renewable energies (e.g.
use of byproducts as bio
fuels) should be explored.
Air Conservation

 Proper use of energy and

inputs should be made to
minimiza greenhouse gas
release/atmospheric
contaminants..