C 12 IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD RESOURCES

CLASS –IX (2024-25)

BIOLOGY
Q.1 Why do we need food?
Ans: Food is needed for growth, it provides nutrients to the body, it provides energy to the body. Food is
extremely important for keeping the immune system of the body healthy.
Q.2.Why is it necessary to increase our production efficiency for crops and livestock?
Ans. India is a very populous country. But India is already intensively cultivated. As a result, we do not have
any major scope for increasing the area of land under cultivation. Therefore, it is necessary to increase our
production efficiency for both crops and livestock.
Q.3.What is white revolution and green revolution?
Ans : We have had the green revolution, which contributed to increased food-grain production.
We have also had the white revolution, which has led to better and more efficient use as well as availability of
milk
Q.4. Give a brief account of types of crops and nutrients they provide.
 Cereals such as wheat, rice, maize, millets and sorghum provide us carbohydrate for energy requirement.
 Pulses like gram (chana), pea (matar), black gram (urad), green gram (moong), pigeon pea (arhar), lentil
(masoor), provide us with protein.
 oil seeds including soyabean, ground nut, sesame, castor, mustard, linseed and sunflower provide us
with necessary fats .
 Vegetables, spices and fruits provide a range of vitamins and minerals in addition to small amounts of
proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
Q.5 What are fodder crops? What they are used for?
Ans: fodder crops like berseem, oats or sudan grass are raised as food for the livestock.
Q.6 Differentiate between rabi and kharif crops.
 There are some crops, which are grown in rainy season, called the kharif season from the month of June
to October. Paddy, soyabean, pigeon pea, maize, cotton, green gram and black gram are kharif crops.
 Some of the crops are grown in the winter season, called the rabi season from November to April.
Wheat, gram, peas, mustard, linseed are rabi crops.
Q. 7 What are the methods by which crop variety improvement is done?
1. One way of incorporating desirable characters into crop varieties is by hybridisation. Hybridisation
refers to crossing between genetically dissimilar plants. This crossing may be intervarietal (between
different varieties), interspecific (between two different species of the same genus) or intergeneric
(between different genera).
2. Another way of improving the crop is by introducing a gene that would provide the desired
characteristic. This results in genetically modified crops.
Q.8 Write down the factors for which crop variety improvement is done.
Ans: Factors for improvement of crop variety are:

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 1. Higher yield: To increase productivity of the crop per acre.
2. Improved quality: The quality of crop products vary from crop to crop. E.g., protein quality is important
in pulses, oil quality in oilseeds, preserving quality in fruits and vegetables.
3. Biotic and abiotic resistance: Biotic factors such as pests, insects and diseases reduce the crop
production. A pest causes damage to our crops by feeding. Weeds also reduce crop productivity by
competing with the main crop for nutrients and light. Similarly, abiotic factors such as temperature,
wind , rain etc.
4. Change in maturity duration: Shorter maturity period of crop reduces the cost of crop production and
makes the variety economical. Uniform maturity makes the harvesting process easy and reduces losses
during harvesting.
5. Wider adaptability: Wider adaptability is a term that is used to describe the crop's ability to tolerate
changes. If a crop has wider adaptability then it can handle the changes without getting damaged
however if the wider adaptability is lacking then the crop will be affected
6. Desirable agronomic characters: Tallness and profuse branching are desirable characteristics for fodder
crops.Dwarfness is desired in cereals so that fewer nutrients are consumed by these crops.

Q.9. Differentiate between manures and fertilizers .

Q.10.Differentiate between micro and macronutrients.

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Q.11. Differentiate between composting and vermicomposting.

Q.12. What is organic farming? What are its advantages?

Ans:Organic farming is a method of farming using less or no amount of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides etc.
This method uses only organic matters like organic manures, farm-wastes. It uses blue green algae in
preparation of bio fertilizers. Neem leaves, turmeric are used as bio-pesticides to store grain.
Advantages:1. It is free from chemical and pesticides.
2.It is healthier for plant and more nutrient dense.
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3.It preserves the environment.

Q.13.How can we enrich the soil with nitrogen and phosphorus biologically?
Ans. A quick growing crop which is cultivated and ploughed under, to incorporate it into the soil for the
purpose of improving its physical struture and fertility, is known as green manure, For example, sunn hemp and
guar etc.

Q. Explain different kinds of irrigation systems are adopted to supply water to agricultural lands .
Ans. • Wells: There are two types of wells, namely dug wells and tube wells. In a dug well, water is collected
from water bearing strata. Tube wells can tap water from the deeper strata. From these wells, water is lifted by
pumps for irrigation. • Canals: This is usually an elaborate and extensive irrigation system. In this system canals
receive water from one or more reservoirs or from rivers. The main canal is divided into branch canals having
further distributaries to irrigate fields.
• River Lift Systems: In areas where canal flow is insufficient or irregular due to inadequate reservoir release,
the lift system is more rational. Water is directly drawn from the rivers for supplementing irrigation in areas
close to rivers.
• Tanks: These are small storage reservoirs, which intercept and store the run-off of smaller catchment areas.

Q.Explain how is mixed cropping different from intercropping.

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 Q. What is crop rotation? What are its advantages?
Ans: Crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve
soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure.
Advantages of using crop rotation are as following: (i) It improves the soil fertility. (ii) It avoids depletion of a
particular nutrient from the soil, (iii) It minimizes pest infestation and diseases. (iv) It helps in weed control. (v)
It prevents change in the chemical nature of the soil.
Examples: cereal crops like wheat, maize,paddy, millet are grown alternately with leguminous crops like
pulses,peas,beans,groundnut,clover in the same field

Q.What are weeds ? Give examples.Why they are harmful for plants?
Ans: Weeds are the unwanted plants that compete with the crops for nutrients and various other factors. Thus,
they damage crops by affecting their growth.
Examples of weeds are Amaranthus, Chenopodium(Gajar Ghas), cyperinus rotundus,xanthium etc.
Disadvantages: They compete with crop plants for water, nutrients, space and light. They affect plant growth.
They also secrete some toxins which can be harmful.

Q. How do insects and pests harm the crops?

Ans: (i) They can directly attack and cut the root, stem, and leaf of the plants. (ii) They can suck on the cell-sap
from various parts of the whole plant. (iii) They sometimes even bore into the stem and fruits of the plant.

Q.What are the different ways to remove weeds?

Ans: The different methods of weed control are :
 (a) Mechanical methods : Weeds can be removed by uprooting by hand or by using trowel. ...
 (c) Chemical methods : Weeds can be destroyed by spraying chemical called weedicides.
 (d) Biological methods : Certain insects and crop plants prevent the growth of weeds.

Q. Storage losses in agricultural produce can be very high. Justify.

Ans Factors responsible for such losses are biotic— insects, rodents, fungi, mites and bacteria, and abiotic—
inappropriate moisture and temperatures in the place of storage. These factors cause degradation in quality, loss
in weight, poor germinability, discolouration of produce, all leading to poor marketability. These factors can be
controlled by proper treatment and by systematic management of warehouses. Preventive and control measures
are used before grains are stored for future use. They include strict cleaning of the produce before storage,
proper drying of the produce first in sunlight and then in shade, and fumigation using chemicals that can kill
pests.

Q. What is Animal husbandry ?

Ans. Animal husbandry is the scientific management of animal livestock. It includes various aspects such as
feeding, breeding and disease control. Animal-based farming includes cattle, goat, sheep, poultry and fish
farming.
Q. What are the purposes for which cattle husbandry is done?
Ans. Cattle husbandry is done for two purposes—milk and draught labour for agricultural work such as tilling,
irrigation and carting.
Q.Name two species of Indian cattle.
Ans. Indian cattle belong to two different species, Bos indicus, cows, and Bos bubalis, buffaloes.
Q. how we can get desired qualities in cattle.
Exotic or foreign breeds (for example, Jersey, Brown Swiss) are selected for long lactation periods, while local
breeds (for example, Red Sindhi, Sahiwal) show excellent resistance to diseases. The two can be cross-bred to
get animals with both the desired qualities.
Q. How cattle should be reared in sheds?

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 Proper cleaning and shelter facilities for cows and buffaloes are required for humane farming, for the health
of the animals and for production of clean milk as well.
 Animals require regular brushing to remove dirt and loose hair.
 They should be sheltered under well-ventilated roofed sheds that protect them from rain, heat and cold.
 The floor of the cattle shed needs to be sloping so as to stay dry and to facilitate cleaning.
Q. What are the food requirements of dairy animals ?
(a) maintenance requirement, which is the food required to support the animal to live a healthy life, and
(b) milk producing requirement, which is the type of food required during the lactation period.
Animal feed includes: (a) roughage, which is largely fibre, and (b) concentrates, which are low in fibre and
contain relatively high levels of proteins and other nutrients.
Besides such nutritious food material, certain feed additives containing micronutrients promote the health and
milk output of dairy animals.
Q. What are the desirable traits for cross breeding programmes in poultry?
The cross-breeding programmes between Indian (indigenous, for example, Aseel) and foreign (exotic, for
example, Leghorn) breeds for variety improvement are focused on to develop new varieties for the following
desirable traits—
(i) number and quality of chicks;
(ii) dwarf broiler parent for commercial chick production;
(iii) summer adaptation capacity/ tolerance to high temperature;
(iv) low maintenance requirements;
(v) reduction in the size of the egg-laying bird with ability to utilise more fibrous cheaper diets formulated using
agricultural by-products.
Q. Differentiate between broilers and layers.

Q. What are the two ways of obtaining fish?

Ans. One is from natural resources, which is called capture fishing. The other way is by fish farming, which is
called culture fishery.
Q. Name some popular marine fish varieties.
Ans. pomphret, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and Bombay duck.
Q. How marine fish are caught?
Ans. Marine fish are caught using many kinds of fishing nets from fishing boats. Yields are increased by
locating large schools of fish in the open sea using satellites and echo-sounders.
Q. Explain mariculture.
Ans. Some marine fish of high economic value are also farmed in seawater. This includes finned fishes like
mullets, bhetki, and pearl spots, shellfish such as prawns, mussels and oysters as well as seaweed. As marine
fish stocks get further depleted, the demand for more fish can only be met by such culture fisheries, a practice
called mariculture.
Q. Explain composite fish culture.
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Ans. More intensive fish farming can be done in composite fish culture systems. Both local and imported fish
species are used in such systems.In such a system, a combination of five or six fish species is used in a single
fishpond. These species are selected so that they do not compete for food among them having different types of
food habits. As a result, the food available in all the parts of the pond is used. As Catlas are surface feeders,
Rohus feed in the middle-zone of the pond, Mrigals and Common Carps are bottom feeders, and Grass Carps
feed on the weeds, together these species can use all the food in the pond without competing with each other.
This increases the fish yield from the pond.
Q. What is the problem with composite fish culture?
Ans. One problem with such composite fish culture is that many of these fish breed only during monsoon. Even
if fish seed is collected from the wild, it can be mixed with that of other species as well. So, a major problem in
fish farming is the lack of availability of good quality seed. To overcome this problem, ways have now been
worked out to breed these fish in ponds using hormonal stimulation. This has ensured the supply of pure fish
seed in desired quantities.
Q. Mention some varieties of bees used for commercial honey production.
Ans.
 local varieties- Apis cerana indica, commonly known as the Indian bee, A. dorsata, the rock bee and A.
florae, the little bee.
 An Italian bee variety, A. mellifera, has also been brought in to increase yield of honey. This is the
variety commonly used for commercial honey production. The Italian bees have high honey collection
capacity. They sting somewhat less. They stay in a given beehive for long periods, and breed very well.

Q. What determines quality of honey?

Ans. The value or quality of honey depends upon the pasturage, or the flowers available to the bees for nectar
and pollen collection. In addition to adequate quantity of pasturage, the kind of flowers available will determine
the taste of the honey.