St. Anthony’s H/S, Monte de Guirim Std. IX – Ques. & Ans. Chp.

15 – Improvement in Food Resources

Chp. 15- IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD RESOURCES

1. Why do we have food?

Ans. Food provides us with proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, which
we need for the development of our body , for our growth and health.

2. What can be done as the population of India increases?

Ans. It is necessary to increase our production efficiency for both crops and livestock,
which implies a need for sustainable practices in agriculture and animal
husbandry.

3. What do crops provide us with?

Ans.i. Cereals like wheat, rice, maize, millets and sorghum provides us with
carbohydrates for energy.
ii. Pulses like gram, pea, black gram, green gram, provides us with proteins.
iii. Oilseeds like soyabeans, groundnut, sesame, castor, mustard, provides us with
fats.
iv. Vegetables, spices and fruits provide us with vitamins and minerals.
v. Fodder crops like berseem, oats and sudan grass are raised as food for livestock.

4. What are the requirements of plants for their growth and completion of their life
cycle?
Ans. Different climatic conditions, temperature and photoperiods.

5. What are photoperiods?

Ans. It is related to the duration of sunlight. Growth of plants and flowering are
dependent on sunlight.

6. Name the crops grown during the different seasons?

Ans.i. Kharif season from June to October – Paddy, soyabean, pigeon pea, maize, cotton
green gram and black gram.
ii. Rabi season from November to April – wheat, gram, peas, mustard, and linseed.

7. What is hybridisation?
Ans. It refers to the crossing of genetically dissimilar plants
i. Intervarietal – Between different varieties
ii. Interspecific – Between two different species of the same genus
iii. Intergeneric – Between different genera.

8. What are cultivation practices and crop yield related to?

Ans. Weather, soil quality and availability of water.
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St. Anthony’s H/S, Monte de Guirim Std. IX – Ques. & Ans. Chp. 15 – Improvement in Food Resources

9. What are the biotic and abiotic resistance?

Ans.i. Biotic – Disease, insects and Nematodes
ii. Abiotic – Drought, salinity, waterlogging, heat, cold and frost.

10. What are desirable agronomic characteristics?

Ans.i. Tallness and profuse branching are desired for fodder crops.
ii. Dwarfness is desired in cereals, so that less nutrients are consumed by these crops.

11. How are nutrients supplied to plants? (Refer to Table 15.1.pg 196)
Ans. There are 16 nutrients which are essential for the plant, which are supplied by:
Source Nutrients
a. Air Carbon and Oxygen
b. Water Hydrogen
c. Soil The soil supplies the other 13 nutrients to plants.
Macronutrients: required by the plants in large quantities.
ie. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur
Micronutrients: used by plants in small quantities
ie. Iron, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, chlorine

12. What are the consequences of nutrient deficiencies in plants.

Ans. Deficiency of these nutrients affects physiological processes in plants including
reproduction, growth and susceptibility to diseases. To increase the yield, the soil
can be enriched by supplying these nutrients in the form of manure and fertilizers.

13. What is manure?

Ans. Manure contains large quantity of organic matter and nutrients.
It is prepared by the decomposition of animal excreta and plant waste.
It helps to enrich the soil with nutrients and organic matter and increases soil fertility.
It helps improving soil structure

14. What role does manure play in different soils?

Ans.i. In sandy soil it increases water holding capacity.
ii. In clayey soil it helps in drainage and in avoiding water logging.

15. What is the difference between Compost and Vermicompost?

Ans.i. In compost, the farm waste like dung , livestock excreta, vegetable waste, sewage
waste, straw, weeds, is decomposed in pits. This is called composting.
ii. Compost is also prepared using earthworms to hasten the process of
decomposition. This is vermicomposting.

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St. Anthony’s H/S, Monte de Guirim Std. IX – Ques. & Ans. Chp. 15 – Improvement in Food Resources

16. What is green manure?

Ans. Before sowing some plants like sun hemp or guar are grown and then mulched
by ploughing them into the soil. This then turns into green manure which helps
in enriching the soil in Nitrogen and Phosphorus.

17. What are fertilizers?

Ans.i. Fertilizers are commercially produced plant nutrients
ii. Fertilizers supply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
iii. Fertilizers ensure good vegetative growth (leaves, branches and flowers)

18. What is Organic farming?

Ans. It is a farming system with minimal or no use of chemicals as fertilizers,
herbicides, pesticides etc., and with a maximum input of organic manures,
recycled farm-wastes, etc.

19. Name some bioagents.

Ans. Some bioagents are biofertilizers and bio-pesticides
Culture of blue green algae in preparation of biofertilizers.
Neem leaves or turmeric specifically in grain storage are used as bio-pesticides.

20. Name a few irrigation systems to supply water to fields.

Ans.i. Wells – dug wells and tube wells
ii. Canals
iii. River lift Systems
iv. Tanks

21. List a few initiatives taken for increasing water availability.

Ans. Rainwater harvesting and watershed management, building small check dams

22. What is the importance of check-dams.

Ans. Check-dams lead to an increase in ground water levels. The check-dams stop the
rainwater from flowing away and also reduce soil erosion.

23. Which are the different cropping patterns?

Ans.i. Mixed cropping: Growing two or more crops simultaneously on a same piece of
land. Eg. wheat and gram, or wheat and mustard. This reduces risk and gives
some insurance against failure of one of the crops.
ii. Intercropping: Growing two or more crops in the same field in a definite pattern.
A few rows of one crop alternate with a few rows of another crop. Soyabean and
maize or finger millet and cowpea. Crops selected such that their nutrient

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St. Anthony’s H/S, Monte de Guirim Std. IX – Ques. & Ans. Chp. 15 – Improvement in Food Resources

requirements are different. This ensures maximum utilization of the nutrients and
prevents pests and diseases from spreading to all the plants.
iii. Crop rotation: Growing different crops on a piece of land in a preplanned
succession. Depending upon the duration, crop rotation is done for different crop
combinations.The availability of moisture and irrigation facilities decide the
choice of the crop to be cultivated after one harvest.

24. What infests field crops?

Ans. Weeds, insects, pests and diseases.

25. What are weeds? Give some examples.

Ans. Unwanted plants in the cultivated fields. They compete for food, space and light.
They take up nutrients and reduce the growth of the crop.
Eg. Xanthium, Parthenium ,Cyperinus rotundus.

26. Name some pathogens.

Ans. Diseases in plants are caused by pathogens like bacteria, fungus and viruses.
Pathogens can be transmitted through air, water and soil.

27. How do insects / pests attack plants?

Ans. Pests attack crops in 3 ways.
i. They cut the root, stem and leaves.
ii. They suck the cell-sap from various parts of the plant.
iii. They bore into the stem and fruits.

28. Which are the ways of controlling diseases in plants?

Ans. Pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.

29. List the factors responsible for loss of grains.

Ans.i. Biotic Factors – insects, rodents, fungi, mites and bacteria.
ii. Abiotic Factors – inappropriate moisture and temperature in the place of storage.

30. How are grains stored for the future?

Ans. Grains are first cleaned, they are dried well in sunlight and then in the shade, and
later fumigated.

31. What is Animal Husbandry?

Ans. It is the scientific management of animal livestock.

32. Name the two species of Indian Cattle.

Ans. Bos bubalis and Bos indicus.

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St. Anthony’s H/S, Monte de Guirim Std. IX – Ques. & Ans. Chp. 15 – Improvement in Food Resources

33. What is the purpose of cattle farming?

Ans.i. For milk
ii. As draught labour for agricultural work.

34. What is meant by the terms Milch and draught?

Ans. Milk producing females are called Milch.
Those used for farm labour are called Draught.

35. What is meant by the term “Lactation Period”

Ans. The period of milk production after the birth of a calf.

36. Which are the buffaloes having long lactation periods? / Exotic breeds
Ans. Jersey and Brown Swiss.

37. Which local breeds of buffaloes show high resistance to diseases?

Ans. Red Sindhi and Sahiwal.

38. How can the farmer look after his cattle?

Ans.i. Clean and proper shelter is needed for cattle.
ii. Brushing of the cattle to remove loose hair and dirt.
iii. Well-ventilated roof sheds to protect them from rain heat and cold.

39. What is the food requirement for dairy animals?

Ans.i. Maintenance requirement: food required to support the animal to live a healthy
life.
ii. Milk producing requirement: Food required during the lactation period.

40. What is the animal feed of dairy animals?

Ans.i. Roughage, which is largely fibre
ii. Concentrates, which are low in fibre and contain relatively high levels of proteins
and other nutrients.

41. Which diseases affect cattle?

Ans. External parasites and internal parasites, like worms, fluke.

42. Why is poultry farming undertaken?

Ans. To raise domestic fowl for egg production and chicken meat.

43. Name a few fowl breed?

Ans.i. Indian breed – Aseel
ii. Exotic breed – Leghorn

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St. Anthony’s H/S, Monte de Guirim Std. IX – Ques. & Ans. Chp. 15 – Improvement in Food Resources

44. Why are broilers reared?

Ans. Broilers are reared their flesh. They are fed with vitamin rich supplementary feed,
protein rich feed with fats, vitamin A and K are kept high.

45. Why are fish produced?

Ans. Fish is a cheap source of animal protein for our food.
Fish production includes the finned true fish, or shellfish (prawns and molluscs).

46. How can fish be obtained?

Ans. Fish can be obtained in 2 ways:
i. One is from natural resources, which is called capture fishing.
ii. The other way is by fish farming, which is called culture fishery.

47. How can the fish yield be increased?

Ans. By using satellites or echo sounders.

48. Why are bees kept?

Ans.i. For honey
ii. For beeswax

49. Name the types of bees.

Ans.i. Local varieties are Apis cerana indica (called as Indian bee), Apis dorsata (the
rock bee) and Apis florae (the little bee).
ii. Italian bee variety, Apis mellifera can increase yield of honey. They sting
somewhat less.

50. On what does the value or quality of honey depends on?

Ans. The value or quality of honey depends upon the pasturage, or the flowers
available to the bees for nectar and pollen collection.