Course: B.Sc. Agriculture

Subject: Basic of Agriculture

Unit :2

Balance sheet, Physiography and Soil group

Balance Sheet

• Systematic listing of everything owned and

owed by a business/individual

• Gives statement of owner equity (finance) at a

point in time

• Typically for end of accounting period, such as

end of year for taxes

• Balance sheets often used/needed for loan

applications

Balance Sheet

• Balance sheet: Everything must balance

• Asset: anything owned

• Liability: debt or financial obligation owed

• The Basic Accounting Identity must hold

Assets = Liabilities + Owner Equity

Owner Equity = Assets – Liabilities

• Equity is what’s left, the residual

Uses of Balance Sheet

• Measures financial position of firm, focusingon long and short run measures

• Solvency: measures relative relationshipsamong assets, liabilities and equity to assess“health” of firm (financial ratios)

• Liquidity: measures ability to meet currentfinancial obligations as they come due withoutdisrupting normal business—ability togenerate cash on short-term

Diversity in physiography

Agriculture is closely dependent on the

endowment of natural resources and environmental

conditions of soil and climate. India is a land of many

climates and varieties of soils, affording scope for

much diversity in agriculture. It is therefore meaningful

to understand the physiographic and agro climatic

conditions of India and the various other factors that

largely determine the cropping patterns in different

regions of the country.

Physiography

The classification of the country based on the

physiography is one attempt that will help us to understand the

division based on the physical characteristics. Physio-graphically,

India may be divided into seven well defined regions. These are:

I. The Northern Mountains, comprising the mighty Himalayan

ranges;

II. The Great Plains, traversed by the Indus and Ganga Brahmaputra

river systems. As much as one third of this lies in the arid zone of

western Rajasthan. The remaining area is mostly fertile plains;

III. The Central Highlands, consisting of a wide belt of hills

running east-west starting from Aravalli ranges in the west and

terminating in a steep escarpment in the east. The area lies between

the Great Plains and the Deccan Plateau;

IV. The Peninsular Plateaus comprising the Western Ghats, Eastern

Ghats, North Deccan Plateau, South Deccan Plateau and Eastern

Plateau;

V. The East Coast, a belt of land of about 100-130 km wide,

bordering the Bay of Bengal land lying to the east of the Eastern

Ghats;

VI. The West Coast, a narrow belt of land of about 10-25 km wide,

bordering the Arabian Sea and lying to the west of the Western

Ghats, and

VII. The islands, comprising the coral islands of Lakshadeep in

Arabian Sea and Andaman and Nicobar Islands of the Bay of

Bengal.

Soil Groups in India

1. Red soils:

Derived from crystalline, metamorphic rocks, which

consist of granites, gneisses and schist’s, red or reddish brown, either in

situ or from the decomposed rock materials washed down to lower level

by rain, light textured with porous and friable structure. They have

neutral to acid reaction and are deficient in N, humus, P2O5 and lime.

Cover large parts of TN, Karnataka, N-E AP, eastern part of MP to Chota

Nagpur and Orissa, noticed in Up, Bihar, WB and Rajasthan.

2. Laterites and laterite soils:

Formed in situ condition under conditions of high rainfall

with alternating wet and dry periods, to reddish yellow, low in N, P, K,

lime and magnesia. Formed due to the process of laterization in which

silica is removed while Fe and Al remain behind in the upper layers.

Soils are common on the low hills in eastern AP, K, Kerala, eastern MP,

Orissa, Assam and Ratnagiri district of MS.

3. Black soils:

Highly clayey, 35 to 60% even up to 80% in valleys or

depressions dark colored, from deep cracks during dry seasons,

characterized by swelling and low permeability, neutral to slightly

alkaline, High CEC, high content of K, exchangeable Ca and Mg

poor in org. matter, N, P. The clay is mainly montmorillonite type,

hence soft on wetting and contract on drying. These are called as

regures or black cotton soils which are divided into: Very deep

(More than 90 cm depth), Deep (45 – 90 cm), moderately deep

(22.5 to 45 cm), Shallow (7.5 to 22.5 cm) and very shallow (below

7.5 cm depth). Black colour is not due to org. matter but due to

presence of titaniferrous magnetite compounds and/or clay

complexes. Major areas of black soils are in MS, MP and parts of

AP, Gujarat and TN.

4. Alluvial soils:Develop from water deposited sediments. Do not show any

prominent profile development. Varies in nature and properties which depends

on sediments from which they develop the percent material in the respective

catchments area and the place of deposition in valleys. Mostly poor drained,

grayish colour, acidic but develop into saline and alkali soils in dry regions.

Occur in all states along rivers, for example, Indo-gangeric plains,

Brahmaputra valley, Coastal areas of Gujarat, Ms, K, Kerala, TN, AP, Orissa,

WB and Goa. Sub-divided into: Old, Recent, Coastal and Deltaic alluviums.

5. Desert soils:Formed in arid regions, as a result of physical weathering,

sandy. Both wind and water erosion is severe in such soils, well supplied with

soluble salts. Low in N and org. matter has a high pH.

Soils form a major part of Rajasthan, Southern part of Haryana and Punjab,

northern part of Gujarat and receive 50 cm to less than 10 cm rainfall with high

evaporation.

6. Saline and alkaline soils:

Soils show white crustation of salts of Ca, Mg and Na

on the surface, poor drained and infertile. Occur in semi-arid areas

of Bihar, UP, Punjab, Rajasthan Coastal and Deccan Canal Tract of

MS.

7. Peaty and marshy soils:

Soils are black, clayey, highly acidic (pH3.5) and contain

10 to 40% org. matter, poorly drained, high ground water table.

Found in Kerala, Coastal tracts of Orissa, Sunder ban area of WB,

SE and Coast of TN and in parts of Bihar and UP.

Marine agriculture uses techniques of artificial

cultivation, such as growing, managing, and harvesting, and applies

them to marine plants and animals. The products are then used for

human consumption.

Marine agriculture is also known as mariculture or

aquaculture, although aquaculture is a more general term referring to

both freshwater and marine farming of organisms. The world’s oceans

cover approximately three-fourths of the globe, including vast regions

of unexplored life and landforms

Marine Agriculture

1.

Seaweeds are edible, especially the red and brown algae. The three most

common types of seaweeds are known by their Japanese names: nori (Porphyra), a

red seaweed high in vitamin C and digestible protein; kombu (Laminaria); and

wakame (Undaria), high in calcium.

They are eaten raw, cooked, or dried and have several vitamins and

minerals as well as protein. Seaweeds are low in fats, and 35 to 50 percent of the

dry weight of red seaweeds is protein.

Seaweeds can be used to add taste and variety to foods. They are used as

a hot vegetable, boiled and formed into cakes and fried, in salads, and in preparing

desserts, breads, soups, casseroles, sandwiches, teas, and candy.

Sea weed

2.

seaweed is used in wound dressings in hospitals and as a

source of iodine, A, B, D, and E vitamins, calcium, magnesium,

potassium, sodium, sulfur, and trace antioxidants. The seaweed extract

agar is used in laxatives and as a medium to grow bacteria and molds.

Marine plants are used for a variety of other purposes.

Seaweed is used as a component of many fertilizers, as a food additive in

animal feed, and to reduce soil acidity.

weed is used as an ingredient in cosmetics as well as to

nourish, revitalize, condition, and improve the skin, hair, and body. It is

used in cleansers, toners, moisturizers, scrubs, body lotions, and hair and

bath products.

The Significance of Water Quality in Livestock

Water is an essential nutrient which is involved in all

basic physiological functions of the body. However, it is important to note

that water, relative to other nutrients, is consumed in considerably larger

quantities. Therefore, water availability and quality are extremely

important for animal health and productivity.

Limiting water availability to livestock will depress

production rapidly and severely, and poor quality drinking water is often a

factor limiting intake. Considering that water is consumed in large

quantities, if water is poor quality, there is an increased risk that water

contaminants could reach a level that may be harmful. The water

requirement and intake in livestock may vary depending on species and

breeds of livestock, animal status, production mode, environment or

climate in which livestock are raised. All these variables are directly or

indirectly relevant to several aspects of water metabolism and physiology.

In this context, it is necessary to understand water quality issues from the

perspective of water intake physiology.

livestock farming, raising of animals for use or for pleasure.

The discussion of livestock includes both beef and

dairy cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, mules, asses, buffalo, and

camels; the raising of birds commercially for meat or eggs (i.e.,

chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, and squabs) is

treated separately.

Why are livestock important?

• livestock convert low quality biomass into high quality food

• demand for food of animal origin is constantly and sharply

increasing

• animal power is still widely needed for crop production

• animal products contribute more than 50% of agricultural

GDP in most countries

Importance of water to livestock

• 90 % of all molecules in the body are water

• approximately 70 % of animal body weight is water, it varies by

species and body part

• maintaining water balance is critical for survival, it is closely

linked to digestion and thermoregulation

The overall demand for water in livestock

production is influenced by several factors such as type of animal, its

activity, feed intake and diet, quality of available water, temperature

of water and temperature of the ambient environment .

Conditions that will influence the water

requirement of livestock is the physiological condition of the animal

and the availability of water. Cattle with constant availability to water

compared with cattle only allowed water access twice a day will

produce more milk and more butterfat.

The diet has an impact on drinking water

consumption of poultry. An increased level of fat, protein, salt,

potassium and high level of crude fiber in the diet will increase the

drinking water consumption

Water and Livestock

Importance of water to livestock:

(1)Drinking water

(2)Water in feed

(3)Water for processing

Image References1 & 2. http://lifeofplant.blogspot.in/2011/12/marine-agriculture.html

Books / Resources1. Agri info.in

2. ICAR e-courses

3. http://www.allbankingsolutions.com/banking-tutor/balance-sheet.shtml

4. http://lifeofplant.blogspot.in/2011/12/marine-agriculture.html

5. http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Livestock_Water_Quality_Guide