The agricultural cycle is the annual cycle of activities related to the growth and harvest of a

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropon ...

(plant). These activities include loosening the soil, seeding, special watering, moving plants when they grow bigger, and

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most l ...

ing, among others. Without these activities, a crop cannot be grown. The main steps for agricultural practices include preparation of soil, sowing, adding manure and fertilizers, irrigation, harvesting and storage.

Seeding

The fundamental factor in the process of seeding is dependent on the properties of both seed and the soil it is being planted in. The prior step associated with seeding is crop selection, which mainly consists of two techniques: sexual and asexual. Asexual technique includes all forms of the vegetative process such as

budding Budding or blastogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction in which a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud due to cell division at one particular site. For example, the small bulb-like projection coming out from the yeast cell is kno ...

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

and

layering Layering has evolved as a common means of vegetative propagation of numerous species in natural environments. Layering is also utilized by horticulturists to propagate desirable plants. Natural layering typically occurs when a branch touches ...

. Sexual technique involves growing of the plant from a seed. Grafting is referred to as the artificial method of propagation in which parts of plants are joined together in order to make them bind together and continue growing as one plant. Grafting is mainly applied to two parts of the plant: the dicot and the

gymnosperms The gymnosperms ( lit. revealed seeds) are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, '' Ginkgo'', and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The term ''gymnosperm'' comes from the composite word in el, γυμν� ...

due to the presence of

vascular cambium The vascular cambium is the main growth tissue in the stems and roots of many plants, specifically in dicots such as buttercups and oak trees, gymnosperms such as pine trees, as well as in certain other vascular plants. It produces secondary xy ...

between the plant tissues: xylem and

phloem Phloem (, ) is the living tissue in vascular plants that transports the soluble organic compounds made during photosynthesis and known as ''photosynthates'', in particular the sugar sucrose, to the rest of the plant. This transport process is c ...

. A grafted plant consists of two parts: first

rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to a ...

, which is the lower part of the plant that comprises roots and the lowest part of the shoot; second, the branches and primary stem, which consists of the upper and main part of the shoot which gradually develops into a fully nourished plant. Budding is another form of asexual reproduction in which the new plant develops from a productive objective source of the parent plant. It is a method in which a bud from the plant is joined onto the stem of another plant. The plant in which the bud is implanted in eventually develops into a replica of the parent plant. The new plant can either divert its ways into forming an independent plant; however, in numerous cases it may remain attached and form various accumulations.

Seedling

Germination Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fe ...

is a process by which the seed develops into a

seedling A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (emb ...

. The vital conditions necessary for this process are water, air, temperature, energy, viability and

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

s. If any of these conditions are absent, the process cannot undergo successfully. Germination is also known as sprouting; it is also considered the first sign of life shown by a seed.

Pollination

The process of

pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an Stamen, anther of a plant to the stigma (botany), stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by Anemophily, wind. Pollinating agents can ...

refers to the transfer of pollen to the female organs of the plant. Optimum factors for ideal pollination are a relative humidity rate of 50–70% and temperature of 24.4 °C. If the humidity rate is higher than 90%, the pollen would not shed. Increasing air circulation is a favourable method of keeping humidity levels under control.Rowe, Jervis E. (2011). Crop Selection and Management. Retrieved from http://www.cardi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Crop-Selection-and-Management.

Irrigation

Irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

is the process of artificially applying water to soil to allow plant growth. This term is preferably used when large amounts of water is applied to dry, arid regions in order to facilitate plant growth. The process of irrigation not only increases the growth rate of the plant but also increases the yield amount. In temperate and tropical areas rainfall and snowfall are the main suppliers of irrigation water, but in dry places with unfavourable weather conditions, groundwater serves as an essential source.

Groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

collects in basins made up of gravel and aquifers, which are water-holding rocks. Dams also act as an essential distributive source of irrigation water. Underground wells also play an important role in storing water for irrigation, specifically in America, and Arizona, in particular.Brown, Paul W. Importance of Irrigation Management. Retrieved from http://alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/+symposium/proceedings/2008/08-141.pdf Water and debris from streams filled by water accumulated during storms also collect into underground basins. There are two types of irrigation techniques: spray irrigation and drip irrigation. Drip irrigation is regarded as more efficient as less water evaporates than in spray irrigation.Science Channel. What is irrigation?. Retrieved from http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/what-is-irrigation

References

{{reflist Agriculture Crops