Agriculture, as already mentioned, is a broad discipline which
covers a broad spectrum of disciplines. It is mainly divided into two main
disciplines: Crop husbandry and Animal husbandry.
CROP HUSBANDRY - deals with
the various aspects of crops from seed sowing, on field and off-field
operations, harvesting, threshing, storage and marketing of the products. It
can be further divided into the following main sub-divisions;
I) AGRONOMY
Agronomy is the mother discipline of agriculture and defined as application
of plant, soil and related sciences for the improvement, production and use
of field crops.
It is a scientific and
technology oriented approach towards raising of field crops commercially on
profitable grounds and management of soil resources to meet the fundamental
requirements of life (food, feed and fibre). It covers the following branches of
study;
1) CROP PRODUCTION – deals
with the sowing, caring, harvesting and threshing of all types of the crops.
2) CROP PHYSIOLOGY – deals
the study of internal processes of the plants.
3) BREEDING – deals crop
improvement through selection and hybridization of desired genotypes or
phenotypes.
4) FARM MANAGEMENT – deals
with the farm management for the maximum farm output through efficient
utilization of the inputs. Farm accounts and record keeping are also the parts
of farm management.
5) CROP PROTECTION – deals
with the management of insect pests, diseases and rodents in the field.
6) WEED SCIENCE – deals with
the study and control of undesired plants.
7) SOIL SCIENCE – deals physical
and chemical aspects of the soil in relation to the crop health and
productivity. The nutrient balance and fertilizer applications are recommended
through various studies.
8) FARM MECHANICS – deals with
the farm machinery, equipments and implements; their use and maintenance.
9) FARM ECONOMICS – deals with
marketing of farm products and keeping a view over the cost-benefit relationship
of farm operations.
10) BIOMETRY
(BIOSTATISTICS) – deals with the statistical analysis of various aspects of
crops like varietal and chemical trials etc. and the effectiveness of
particular pesticide against some pest of crop so that this data can be
manipulated for useful purposes in the field.
II) HORTICULTURE
Horticulture deals with
the various aspects of vegetables, fruits and ornamentals. It includes;
1) OLERICULTURE – deals with
the production of vegetables.
2) POMOLOGY – deals with fruit
production, orchard laying and their management.
3) FLORICULTURE – deals with
growing and maintenance of flower plants for cut flower industry and aesthetic
purposes.
4) LANDSCAPING –
application of horticulture towards beautification of land through lawn laying
and maintenance.
III) FORESTRY
Forestry deals with the forest
trees and wild life protection and management. It includes;
1) WOOD PRODUCTION – deals with improvement of various aspects in the
forests through which excellent wood production can be achieved. It covers study
of forest soils, forest biometrics and resource economics.
2) WOOD TECHNOLOGY – deals
with various physical, chemical, anatomical and engineering aspects of wood and
wood products. It includes wood processing, manufacturing, finishing,
recycling, chemical treatments, modification, marketing and utilizing wood
products.
3) WILD LIFE – deals with the protection and conservation of forest birds
and animals and creating best facilities for the rehabilitation of the
endangered wild life species.
4) RANGE MANAGEMENT –
deals with the range land managements.
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