BIOLOGY NOTES

CH: IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD RESOURCES

In-Text Questions
Q1: What do we get from cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables?

• Cereals provide us with carbohydrates to fulfill the energy requirements of our body.
• Pulses give us proteins.
• Fruits and vegetables are a rich source of vitamins and minerals. A small amount of
proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are also present in them.
Q2: How do biotic and abiotic factors affect crop production?
Biotic factors such as pests, nematodes and disease causing pathogens reduce the crop
production. A pest causes damage to agriculture by feeding on crops. Weeds also reduce
crop productivity by competing with the main crop for nutrients, light, and space.

Similarly, abiotic factors such as salinity, temperature, etc. affect the net crop production.
Some natural calamities such as droughts and floods are unpredictable. Their occurrence
has a great impact on crops, sometimes destroying the entire crop.
Q3: What are the desirable agronomic characteristics for crop improvements?

The desirable agronomic characteristics for crop improvements are:

(i) Tallness and profuse branching in fodder crops.

(ii) Dwarfness in cereals.

These desirable agronomic characteristics help in increasing crop productivity.

Q4: What are macro-nutrients and why are they called macro-nutrients?

Macro-nutrients are those nutrients which are required in large quantities for growth and
development of plants. Since they are required in large quantities, they are known as
macro-nutrients. The six macro-nutrients required by plants are nitrogen, phosphorus,
potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur.
Q5: How do plants get nutrients?

Plants require sixteen essential nutrients from nature for their growth and development. All
these nutrients are obtained from air, water, and soil. Soil is the major source of nutrients.
Thirteen of these nutrients are available from the soil. The remaining three nutrients
(carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen) are obtained from air and water.
Q6: Compare the use of manure and fertilizers in
maintaining soil fertility.
Manures increase soil fertility by enriching the soil with organic matter and nutrients as it is
prepared by the decomposition of animal excreta and plant wastes. On the other hand,
fertilizers are mostly inorganic compounds whose excessive use is harmful to the micro-
organisms living in soil. The prolonged use of fertilizers also reduces soil fertility. Hence,
fertilizers are considered good for only short term use.
Q7: Which of the following conditions will give the most benefits? Why?

(a) Farmers use high-quality seeds, do not adopt irrigation or use fertilizers.

(b) Farmers use ordinary seeds, adopt irrigation and use fertilizer.

(c) Farmers use quality seeds, adopt irrigation, use fertilizer and use crop protection
measures.

The condition(c) that is, Farmers using good quality seeds, adopting irrigation, using
fertilizers, and using crop protection measures will derive most benefits.

(i) The use of good quality seeds increases the total crop production. If a farmer is using
good quality seeds, then a majority of the seeds will germinate properly, and will grow into a
healthy plant.

(ii) Proper irrigation methods improve the water availability to crops.

(iii) Fertilizers ensure healthy growth and development in plants by providing the essential
nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc.

(iv) Crop protection measures include various methods to control weeds, pests, and
infectious agents. If all these necessary measures are taken by a farmer, then the overall
production of crops will increase.
Q8: Why should preventive measures and biological control methods be preferred
for protecting crops?

Preventive measures and biological control methods should be preferred for protecting
crops because excessive use of chemicals leads to environmental problems. Biological
methods do not cause any harm to the crops and their environment.
Q9: What factors may be responsible for losses of grains during storage?

Various biotic factors such as insects, rodents, mites, fungi, bacteria, etc. and various
abiotic factors such as inappropriate moisture and temperature are responsible for losses of
grains during storage.
Q10: Which method is commonly used for improving
cattle breeds and why?
Cross breeding is commonly used for improving cattle breeds. Cross breeding between two
good varieties of cattle will produce a new improved variety. For example, the cross
between foreign breeds such as Jersey, Brown Swiss (having long lactation periods) and
Indian breeds such as Red Sindhi, Sahiwal (having excellent resistance power against
diseases) produces a new variety having qualities of both breeds.
Q11: Discuss the implications of the following statement: “It is interesting to note
that poultry is India’s most efficient converter of low fibre food stuff (which is unfit
for human consumption) into highly nutritious animal protein food.”
Poultry in India is the most efficient converter of low fibre food stuff into highly nutritious
animal protein food. In poultry farming, domestic fowls are fed with fibrous and cheap food
stuff which are formulated using agricultural by-products. In this way, the agricultural
products which are not used by human population are converted into highly nutritious food
like eggs.
Q12: What management practices are common in dairy and poultry farming?

Common management practices in dairy and poultry farming are:

(i) Proper shelter facilities and their regular cleaning.

(ii) Some basic hygienic conditions such as availability of clean water, nutritious food, etc.

(iii) Animals are kept in spacious, airy, and ventilated place.

(iv) Prevention and cure of diseases at the right time is ensured.

Q13: What are the differences between broilers and layers and in their management?

Layers are meant for egg production, whereas broilers are meant for poultry meat.
Nutritional, environmental, and housing conditions required by broilers are different from
those of egg layers. A broiler chicken, for their proper growth, requires vitamin rich
supplements especially vitamin A and K. Also, their diet includes protein rich food with
adequate amount of fat. Whereas the egg layers are fed with cheaper diets formulated
using agricultural by-products.

Q14: How are fish obtained?

Fish can be obtained in two ways:

• Capture fishing: It is the process of obtaining fish from natural resources.

• Culture fishery: It is the practice of farming fishes. Culture fishery can be done in
both fresh water ecosystem and marine ecosystem.
Q15: What are the advantages of composite fish culture?

In composite fish culture, several fast growing compatible fish species are grown together in
a pond. The advantages of composite fish culture are:

• Maximum fish production is obtained in this method, with lesser cost.

• The food available in all parts of the pond is effectively utilized.
• The variety of fish produced is much higher as compared to monoculture.
Q16: What are the desirable characters of bee varieties suitable for honey
production?
The desirable characters of bee varieties suitable for honey production are:

• High honey collecting capacity

• Sting less

• Stay in beehive for longer period and breed well.

Q17: What is pasturage and how is it related to honey production?

The term pasturage means the flowers available to the bees for collecting nectar and
pollens. It is related to the production of honey as it determines the taste and quantity of
honey.

Exercise questions
Q1: Explain any one method of crop production which ensures high yield.
Proper growth of crops and high yield can be ensured by proper nutrient management. All
the nutrients, such as macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients must be provided to the crops in
right quantities. Use of manures and fertilizers ensure high yield. Manures add humus to the
soil and are important source of all nutrients whereas fertilizers provide nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium to the crops.
Q2: Why are manures and fertilizers used in fields?

Manures and fertilizers are used in fields to enrich the soil with the required nutrients.
Manure helps in enriching the soil with organic matter and nutrients. This improves the
fertility and structure of the soil. On the other hand, fertilizers ensure faster growth and
development in plants. They are a good source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
To get an optimum yield, it is instructed to use a balanced combination of manures and
fertilizers in the soil.
Q3: Explain the different cropping patterns followed in
advantages of such
agriculture. What arecropping
the patterns?

There are different ways of growing crops. Mixed cropping, inter-cropping and crop rotation
are the commonly practiced cropping patterns.

• Mixed cropping: Growing two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of
land is called mixed cropping. For example, growing wheat and gram, wheat and
mustard etc. This reduces the risk and gives some insurance against failure of one
of the crops.
• Inter-cropping: Growing two or more crops simultaneously on the same field in a
definite pattern is called inter-cropping (that is, a few rows of one crop alternate with
a few rows of another crop). For example, soyabean and maize, finger millet and
cowpea etc. This pattern ensures maximum utilization of the nutrients supplied, and
also prevents pests and diseases from spreading to all the plants belonging to one
crop in a field.
• Crop rotation: Growing of different crops on a piece of land in a pre-planned
succession is known as crop rotation. It maintains the fertility of the soil and also
controls pest and weed.

Q4: What is genetic manipulation? How is it useful in agricultural practices?

Changing or altering the genetic composition of a crop by introducing a gene to get desired
characteristics is called genetic manipulation.

Genetic manipulation helps in obtaining varieties with various desirable characteristics such
as:

• High yield
• Improved quality
• Biotic and abiotic resistance
• Wider adaptability
• Desirable agronomic characteristics

Q5: How do storage grain losses occur?

There are various biotic and abiotic factors that act on stored grains and result in
degradation in quality, poor germinability, discolouration, etc. which leads to poor
marketability. Biotic factors include insects, rodents, mites and fungi that cause direct
damage by feeding and also contaminating the grains, making it unfit for further
consumption. Abiotic factors such as inappropriate temperature and moisture also affect the
grains. They decrease the germinability of the seeds and make them unfit for future use by
farmers.
Q6: How do good animal husbandry practices benefit
farmers?
Animal husbandry means the scientific management of farm animals. It includes feeding,
providing proper shelter, care and protection from pests and diseases.

Good animal husbandry practices benefit the farmers in the following ways:

• Increases the yield of animal produce such as meat, egg, milk, fur etc.
• Improved breeds of the animal are obtained.

Q7: What are the benefits of cattle farming?

The benefits of cattle farming:

• To obtain large quantity of milk by raising hybrid varieties of dairy animals.

• Draught animals can be produced for agricultural work.
• New variety that are resistant to diseases can be produced by crossing two varieties
with the desired traits.
Q8: For increasing production, what is common in poultry, fisheries and bee-
keeping?

The common factor for increasing production in poultry, fisheries, and bee keeping is the
proper management techniques that are to be followed. Regular cleaning of farms is very
important. Maintenance of temperature and prevention and cure of diseases is also required
to increase the number of animals.
Q9: How do you differentiate between capture fishing, mariculture and aquaculture?

Capture fishing Mariculture Aquaculture

It is the method of Mariculture is a specialized It involves the cultivation of

obtaining fishes branch of aquaculture involving aquatic organisms in
from natural the cultivation of marine controlled aquatic
resources. organisms for food and other environments for commercial
products. purpose.

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