IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD RESOURCES

 IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD RESOURCES

 

Green Revolution: Green revolution is a programme introduced in many countries to increase food production by use of modern technology, proper irrigation, improved seeds etc.

White Revolution: White revolution is a programme in India to increase production of milk in India. This programme made India self-sufficient in production of milk.

Types of Crops:

         i.            Cereals: They include crops like wheat, rice, maize, barley etc. They provide us carbohydrates.

       ii.            Seeds: Not all seeds of plants are edible like seeds of apple or cherries. Edible seeds include cereals, pulses, oil seeds and nuts. They provide us fats.

      iii.            Pulses: They include legumes such as gram, pea, black gram, green gram, lentil. They provide us proteins.

      iv.            Vegetables, spices and fruits: They provide us vitamins & minerals. They include apple, mango, cherry, banana, water-melon etc.

→ Vegetables like spinach, leafy vegetables, carrot etc.

→ Spices like chilly, black pepper, fodder crops, oats etc.

Crop Season

a)       Kharif Season: These crops grow during rainy season (June to October). Example: black gram, green gram, pigeon pea, rice, paddy, soyabean.

b)      Rabi Season: These crops are grown during November to April. Rabi crops are known as winter crops. Example: wheat, gram, peas, mustard, linseed etc.

Crop Variety Improvement

→ Using good and healthy seeds

→ Hybridization: It is the process of crossing between two or more genetically dissimilar plants to produce a new variety with good properties of both the crops.

Properties to be possessed by improved seeds

(i)                  Higher yield: To increase the productivity of the crop per acre.

(ii)                 Improved quality: Quality of crop products vary from crop to crop.

(iii)               Biotic & Abiotic resistances: Crop production reduces due to biotic and abiotic factors. Varieties resistant to these factors can improve crop production.

(iv)               Wider adaptability: Crops which can grow in different conditions, will help in setting high production.

(v)                 Desired agronomic traits: Crops which contain desired agronomic traits (height, branching, leafs), sets high production.

Crop Production Improvement

(i)                  Nutrient management

(ii)                 Irrigation

(iii)               Cropping patterns

Nutrient Management: Like other organisms, plants also require some elements for their growth. These elements are called nutrients. To increase the yield, the soil can be enriched by supplying nutrients in the form of manure and fertilizers.

Manure

→ Manure is a source of organic matter.

→ It supplies small quantities of nutrient to the soil.

→ It is prepared by the decomposition of animal excreta and plant waste.

 Various forms of Manures

         i.            Compost: The process in which animal excreta (like cow dung), kitchen waste, plant remains, waste food, sewage waste etc. are decomposed in pits is known as composting.

       ii.            Vermicompost: Compost prepared by using earthworms to hasten the process of decomposition of plants and animals refuse is called vermicompost.

      iii.            Green manure: Some plants like sun hemp, guar etc. are grown and after sometime mulched by ploughing in the field.

→ These green plants turn into green manures. They are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus.

 Fertilizers

→ Fertilizers are prepared in factories. They are made up of chemical substances. 

→ They have large amount of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

→ Fertilizers are easily absorbed by the plants since they are soluble in water. It is costly.

 Difference between Manures and Fertilizers

 

Manures	Fertilizers
These are organic substances.	These are inorganic substances.
These are made up of natural substances (decomposition of plant and animal waste).	These are made of chemical substances.
These have less amount of nutrient.	These have large amount of nutrients.
These are cheap and are prepared in rural homes or fields.	These are costly and are prepared in factories.
Manures are slowly absorbed by the plants since they are insoluble in water.	Fertilizers are easily absorbed by the plants since they are soluble in water.
It is difficult to store and transport.	Their storage and transportation is easy.

 QUE 1. What do you mean by Organic Farming?

Ans. Use of fertilizers and pesticides has their own disadvantages. They cause pollution, damage soil fertility in long run. Grains, fruits, vegetables obtained may contain harmful chemical in small amount. Organic farming is a farming system with no or very little use of chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides.

 Irrigation: The process of supplying water to the crop plants is called irrigation.

Methods of Irrigation

§  Wells: Dug well and Tube well

§  Canals: These get water from large rivers.

§  River lift system: In this system, water is directly taken from rivers through pumps. This system is useful for irrigation in areas close to river.

§  Tanks: These are small storage reservoirs.

§  Rain water harvesting: Rain water harvesting is a accumulation of water in tanks for later use. This also prevents soil erosion.

Crop Patterns

         I.            Mixed cropping: Growing two or more than two crops together on the same piece of land is called mixed cropping.
Examples: wheat and gram, wheat and mustard, groundnut and sunflower.

       II.            Inter cropping: Two or more crops are grown on the same field in a definite pattern. Few rows of one followed by few rows of the other. Examples: Soyabean+ maize, Finger nullet (Bajra)+Cow pea (lobia)

     III.            Crop rotation: Crop rotation is policy of growing different crops one after another on the same field.
→ If some crop is grown again and again on the same field, same nutrients are extracted from soil again and again. So, we should choose different crops so that all nutrients of soil are used.

Advantages of crop rotation:

(i)                  Soil fertility is maintained.

(ii)                 It controls pests and weeds.

(iii)               Several crops can be grown in succession with only one soil preparation.

 Crop Protection Improvement

→ To protect crops against diseases caused organisms and other harming factors is called crop protection.

Methods used to control the problems:

(i)                  Pest control during growth

(ii)                 Storage of grains

Pest control during growth: Pest is any destructive organism which can destroy or harm crops or products obtained from them.

         i.            Weeds: Unwanted plants in the cultivated field. Example: xanthium.

       ii.            Insects: Insects can harm plants in following ways:

→ They cut the root, stem and leaf.

→ They suck the cell sap from various parts of the plant.

      iii.            Pathogens: Any organism such as bacteria, fungi and viruses which cause diseases in plants are called pathogens.
→ They are transmitted through air, water, soil.

Storage of grains

(i)  Biotic problem: Due to living organisms like insects, birds, mites, bacteria, fungi.

(ii) Abiotic problem: Due to non-living factors such as moisture, inappropriate temperature etc.

→ These factors affect quality degradation, loss in weight, change in colour, poor germinability.

Animal Husbandry: Animal husbandry is a scientific management of domestic animals in an efficient manner to obtain food and other useful products from them.

Purpose of cattle farming

(i)                  For getting milk

(ii)                 Ploughing fields

(iii)               Bull cart for transportation

Types of cattle

a)       Milch animals: These includes milk producing animals (female cattle).

b)      Draught animals: Those animals which do not produce milk and are used for agricultural work.

c)       Lactation period: The period of milk production between birth of a young one and the next pregnancy is called lactation period.

QUE 1. What is scientific name of the following?

1.       Cow: Bos indicus

2.       Buffalo: Bos bubalis

 Poultry Farming: Poultry farming is done for eggs and meat. They both provide protein to our diet.

§  Broilers: Birds grown for obtaining meat are called broilers. They can be used after 6-8 weeks from their birth.

§  Layers: Birds grown for obtaining egg are called layers. They can be used after 20 weeks when sexual maturity has been attempted to lay eggs.

 

Breeding is done to enhance following properties in hens like:

(i)                  More and better-quality chicks.

(ii)                 Low maintenance.

(iii)               Breeding is done to produce dwarf broilers (meat-giving birds). Feeding cost is the biggest expense in poultry farms.

Why are Dwarf Broilers better?

Ans. Dwarf broilers need less food and can reduce cost by 30%. Also, they can tolerate more heat.

 Fish Production

Types of fish production

(i)                  Finned fish production/True fish production: Production and management of cartilaginous and bony fishes such as pomphret, tuna, cod, catla, prawns, rohu etc.

(ii)                Un-finned fish production: Production of shell-fish such as prawns, mollusks.

Fishing is of two types on the mode of obtaining fishes:

(i)                  Capture fishing: Naturally living fishes in various water bodies are captured.

(ii)                Culture fishing: Fishes of desired variety are cultivated in confined areas with utmost care to get maximum yield. This is also called aquaculture. Aquaculture can be done in oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds etc. When it is done in oceans, it is called mariculture.

Marine fishing: Marine fishing includes fish production in ponds, rivers, reservoirs.

→ Popular marine fishes include pomphret, tuna, sardines, Bombay duck.

→ Some costly fishes found in sea like nullets, prawns, seaweed, oysters.

→ Using satellites, regions of high fish population in sea can be found. Echo-sounders are also used.

• Inland fishing: It includes fish production in fresh water (for example ponds, rivers, lakes, reservoirs) and brackish water (for example estuaries).

Composite Fish Culture

→ 5 to 6 varieties in a single fish pond.

→ They are selected so that they do not compete for food. They should have different food requirement.

Example of Fish:

• Catla: Feeds in the upper part of water.

• Rohu: Feeds in middle part of water.

• Mrigals, common carps: Feeds at bottom.

• Advantage of Fishing: More yield.

• Problems of Fishing: Many fishes lay eggs during monsoons only, due to which number of fishes will not grow fast. So hormonal stimulation is used.

Using this, fishes can be made to reproduce any time.

Bee-keeping

Apiary: The setting up of a number of bee hives in desirable location in a systematic manner that allows maximum pollen and nectar collection.

→ Some common Indian varieties of bees include apis carana indica (Indian bee), dorsata (rock bee), floral (little bee).
→ One Italian variety mellifera is also used in India for commercial large-scale production.

Advantages of Italian variety (Melifera):

(i)                  High honey collection capacity.

(ii)                 They reproduce fast.

(iii)               They sting less.

(iv)               They stay in a bee hive for long.

Pasturage

→ Pasturage is the availability of flowers to the bees for nectar and pollen collection.

→ Pasturage of flora is the type of crop, flower or other plants from which bee collects nectar and pollen to produce honey.
→ It affects the quality and quantity of honey because different flora produces nectar and pollen of different types such as almond honey of Kashmir is very tasty.