educational afro-pop, upbeat rhythmic pop, Educa

*PLANT STUDIES*

*What is a crop?*
A crop is a plant that is used to produce an agricultural product, such as food, Wood or medicine.

*Two different types of crops*
- Wild plants: plants that are harvested from their natural growing areas, for example, wild flowers and medicinal plants.
- Examples: wild flowers and medicinal plants.
- Cultivated plants: plants that farmers have developed over many years from Wild plants and they are grown on farms and gardens.
- Examples: Maize, carrots, spinach, bananas, cotton, sunflowers, and sugarcane.

*The classification crops*
- Field Crops,
- Horticultural Crops
- Fodder Crops
- Wood Production

*Economic importance of crops in South Africa*
- Generate foreign exchange
- Create employment
- Support the financial sector
- Food security[handwritten]

*Economic and environmental benefits of using disease resistant crops*
- The farmer will save money by reducing pesticides applied
- Reduction of pesticide application reduces pollution to the environment

*Factors influencing successful crop production/ Criteria for successful crop production*
- Plant crops at the right time of the year
- Ensure sufficient water supply
- Store harvested crops correctly

*FIELD CROPS*
*Definition:* any crop, except fruits or vegetables, that are usually grown in fairly large fields.

*The classification field crops*
- grain crops
- oil seed crops
- industrial crops

*GRAIN CROPS*
*Definition:* grass plants that produce large seeds, which we use for food.
*Examples:* maize, wheat, sorghum

*Main production areas of crops in south Africa*
Maize: Free State, Mpumalanga and North West.
Wheat: Western Cape and Free State.
Sorghum: Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West.

---

*Economic importance Grain crops*
*Economic importance of maize*
- For making sugars, alcoholic drinks, sugar and syrups
- Corn oil from maize seeds is used for making margarine and salad oil
- Source of food for the people and livestock

*Economic importance of wheat*
- For making sugars, alcoholic drinks, sugar and syrups
- Source of food for the people and livestock
- Wheat is used to make flour for bread

*Economic importance of sorghum*
- For making alcoholic drinks
- Source of food for the livestock

*The climatic and soil requirements of Grain crops*
*The climatic and soil requirements of maize*
- summer rainfall of between 450 mm and 900 mm per year.
- They grow best in sandy loam soil that is at least 60 cm deep.

*The climatic and soil requirements of wheat*
- Needs cool to mild temperatures.
- Needs between 600 mm and 850 mm of rain in the winter season.
- Deep loam soil is best for wheat cultivation.

*The climatic and soil requirements of sorghum*
- Most drought-tolerant crops.
- Loam to sandy loam soil is best for sorghum.

*OIL SEED CROPS*
*Definition:* crops that produce seeds that contain large amounts of oils, which we use for cooking and food.
*Examples:* sunflower, soya beans, canola and groundnuts or peanuts.

*Main production areas of crops in south Africa*
Sunflower: Free State and North West
soya beans: Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.

*Economic importance of oil seed crops*
*Economic importance of sunflower*
- Used as cooking oil
- For making soaps, detergents and candles
- Source of food for the people and livestock

*Economic importance of soya beans*
- To make soya bean oil for cooking.
- to make biodiesel.
- Source of food for livestock.

*The climatic and soil requirements of oil seed crops*
*The climatic and soil requirements of sunflower*
- Can tolerate drought conditions fairly well.

---

- Need fairly deep sandy loam to clay soils for their deep roots.

*The climatic and soil requirements of soya beans*
- Soya beans grow best in a warm, sunny climate that has summer rainfall.
- loose well drained loam soil with plenty of nitrogen

*INDUSTRIAL CROPS*
*Definition:* crops that are normally processed in agricultural industries before they are sold into the market.
*Examples:* sugar cane, cotton
*Main production areas of crops in south Africa*
Sugar cane: Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
Cotton: Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West and KwaZulu-Natal.

*Economic importance of Industrial crops*
*Economic importance of sugar cane*
- Sugar is used as table sugar.
- To make alcoholic drinks, including a pure alcohol called ethanol.
- Ethanol can be used as a biofuel for cars.

*Economic importance of cotton*
- To produce cotton fibre, which is used to weave material.
- Oil extracted from cotton seed is used in cooking.

*The climatic and soil requirements of Industrial crops*
*The climatic and soil requirements of sugar cane*
- warm, sunny, wet climate, with a minimum of 600 mm of annual rainfall in the summer months

*The climatic and soil requirements of cotton*
- It needs plenty of sunshine and a moderate rainfall of 600-1200 mm per year in summer.
- Cotton is fairly tolerant to drought conditions.
- It prefers a sandy loam soil.