What are agricultural practices?define

The term Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) can refer to any collection of specific methods, which when applied to agriculture, produce results that are in harmony with the values of the proponents of those practices. There are numerous competing definitions of what methods constitute "Good Agricultural Practices", so whether a practice can be considered "good" will depend on the standards you are applying.

The remainder of this article describes one particular definition of "Good Agricultural Practices" as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

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Agriculture practices.

1. • MEANING OF AGRICULTUE.• AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES.• STEPS FOR AGRICULTURE PRACTICES.• PREPIRATION OF SOIL.• SOWING.• ADDING MANURE AND FERTILIZERS.• IRRIGATION.• PROTECTION FROM WEEDS.• HARVESTING.• STORAGE.
2. STEPS FOR AGRICULTUREPRACTICES PREPERATION OF SOIL. SOWING. ADDING MANURE AND FERTILIZERS. IRRIGATION. PROTECTION FROM WEEDS. HARVESTING. STORAGE.
3. PREPIRATION OF SOILPrior to planting, the soil needs to be prepared, usually by some form oftillage or chemical "burn-down" to kill the weeds in the seedbed thatwould crowd out the crop or compete with it for water and nutrients.Depending on the amount of crop residue they leave on the surface.Residue slows the flow of runoff that can displace and carry away soil particles.
4. SOWING PROCESS Sowing is the process of planting seeds. Seed soaking is generally done by placing seeds in medium hot water for at least 24 to up to 48 hours Seed cleaning is done especially with fruit (as the flesh of the fruit around the seed can quickly become prone to attack from insects or plagues. To clean the seed, usually seed rubbings with cloth/paper is performed, sometimes assisted with a seed washing. Seed washing is generally done by submerging cleansed seeds 20 minutes in 50 degree Celsius water. This (rather hot than moderately hot) water kills any organisms that may have survived on the skin of a seed. Especially with easily infected tropical fruit such as leeches and rambutans, seed washing with high temperature water is vital
5. ADDING MANURES AND FERTILZERS Plant requires food/nutrients/elements for its growth and development which are absorbed through soil. The nutrient supplying sources are manures and fertilizers. Application of manures and fertilizers to the soil is one of the important factors which help in increasing the crop yield and to maintain the soil fertility. Manure: It is a well decomposed refuse from the stable and barn yards including both animal excreta and straw or other litter. Or he term manure implies to the any material with the exception of water which when added to the soil makes it productive and promotes plant growth. Fertilizers: These are industrially manufactured chemicals containing plant nutrients. Or It is an artificial product containing the plant nutrients which when added to soil makes it productive and promotes plant growth.
6. IRRIGATIONIrrigation is the process of supplying dry land with water by meansof ditches etc .It is the artificial application of water to the land orsoil. It is used to assist in the growing of agriculturalcrops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soilsin dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall.Additionally, irrigation also has a few other uses in cropproduction, which include protecting plants against frost,
7. PROTECTION FROM WEEDSA wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition withcultivated plants. Weeds can compete with productive crops orpasture, or convert productive land into unusable scrub. Weeds are alsooften poisonous, distasteful, produce burrs, thorns or other damagingbody parts or otherwise interfere with the use and management ofdesirable plants by contaminating harvests or excluding livestock.
8. HARVESTING. Harvesting crops involves getting the crop out of the field and transported to market. Most crops are harvested in the fall, except for hay which is cut several times over the course of the summer. Field crops are harvested by machine, while small fruits and other food crops are typically harvested by hand, although in certain cases, they may be harvested by machine. Equipment Used For Harvesting.1. Tractors.2. Forage Harvesters.3. Combines.4. Cotton Harvesters.5. Grain Carts.6. Balers.
9. STORAGE OF GRAIN The purpose of any grain storage is to prevent grain quality loss fromweather, wind and moisture; rodents, birds and insects, andmicroorganisms. Many types of buildings such as pole buildings used for machinery storage, empty barns, and stud framed shops or garagescan be used for grain storage. Seed stored for more than six weeks mustbe protected against insect damage. Cooling of grain (below 15degrees C) helps to suppress insect activity.

Soil preparation-
Before raising a crop, the soil in which it is to be grown is prepared by plowing, leveling, and manuring. Ploughing is the process of loosening and digging of soil using a plough. This helps in proper aeration of the soil. After plowing, the soil is distributed evenly and leveled in the process called leveling. The soil is then manured.
Sowing-
Selection of seeds of good quality crop strains is the primary stage of sowing. After the preparation of soil, these seeds are dispersed in the field and this is called sowing. Sowing can be done manually, by hand or by using seed drilling machines. Some crops like paddy are first grown into seedlings in a small area and then transplanted to the main field.
Manuring-
Crops need nutrients to grow and produce yield. Thus the supply of nutrients at regular intervals is necessary. Manuring is the step where nutritional supplements are provided and these supplements may be natural (manure) or chemical compounds (fertilizers). Manure is the decomposition product of plant and animal wastes. Fertilizers are chemical compounds consisting of plant nutrients and are produced commercially. Apart from providing nutrients to crop, manure replenishes soil fertility as well. Other methods for soil replenishment are vermicompost, crop rotation, planting of leguminous plants.
Irrigation-
Irrigation is the supply of water. Sources of water can be wells, ponds, lakes, canals, dams etc. Over irrigation may lead to water logging and damage the crop. This frequency and interval between successive irrigation need to be controlled.
Weeding-
Weeds are unwanted plants which grow among crops. They are removed by using weedicides, by pulling them by hands and some are removed during soil preparation.
Harvesting -
Once the crop is matured, it is cut and gathered, this process is called harvesting. Followed by harvesting, grains are separated from the chaff either by threshing or manually in small scale (winnowing).
Storage-
Grains yielded are stored in granaries or bins at godowns for later use or marketing. Therefore, methods of crop protection need to be better. In order to protect grains from pest and rodents- cleaning, drying, fumigation, etc are done prior to storing.
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