NCERT Solution for Class 9 Biology Chapter 12 Improvement in Food Resources

Chapter 12 – Improvement in Food Resources

NCERT Solution for Class 9 Biology Chapter 12 Improvement in Food Resources. The search for better food supplies is more important than ever as the world’s population rises and environmental problems get worse. This chapter explores the different approaches and inventions that are changing the way that food is produced, distributed, and consumed. We will examine the multitude of strategies aimed at improving food security and quality, from innovative food sources to sustainable farming methods.

Question 1. What Do We Get From Cereals, Pulses, Fruits, and Vegetables?

Answer:

(i) Carbohydrates are abundant in cereals. They assist in providing the body with the energy it needs.

(ii) We get our proteins from pulses. It can also be utilised as a source of energy to aid in the construction and mend bones and muscles.

(iii) Fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals. They also include antioxidants, which lower the chance of developing a number of illnesses.

Question 2. How Do Biotic and Abiotic Factors Affect Crop Production?

Answer: Numerous biotic variables, such as diseases, nematodes, pests, etc., have an impact on net crop productivity. A pest that consumes the crops’ leaves or stems damages the plants and lowers crop output. Bollworms, for instance, are a nuisance on cotton. Thus, when cotton bugs attack, its production decreases.

Unwanted plants known as weeds compete with the main crop for resources like light, space, and nutrients.

Abiotic factors impede crop productivity in many ways. Abiotic variables that affect grain yield include salt, temperature, and others. Unpredictable natural disasters like droughts and floods can wipe out an entire crop, resulting in enormous losses since the plants cannot get the water they need for development, photosynthesis, and transpiration.

Question 3. What are the Desirable Agronomic Characteristics for Crop Improvements?

Answer: The term “agronomic characters” refers to the fundamental plant traits needed for increased plant quality and crop productivity.

The following agronomic traits are ideal for crop improvements:

For fodder crops, height and abundant branching are taken into account.

Cereal dwarfness.

(iii) Legume plants ought to have more pods due to stem branching.

Crop production can be raised by creating crop varieties with desired agronomic traits.

Question 4. What are Macronutrients and Why Are They Called Macronutrients?

Answer: Macroscopic nutrients are those that plants need in greater amounts in order to flourish. Plants need the following six macronutrients: calcium, magnesium, sulphur, phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen. Plant physiological activities such as growth, reproduction, and disease susceptibility are impacted by these nutritional deficiencies.

NCERT Solution for Class 9 Biology Chapter 12 Improvement in Food Resources

Question 5. How Do Plants Get Nutrients?

Answer: Plants receive their nutrients from the soil, water, and air. Thirteen of the sixteen necessary nutrients—of which there are sixteen—are obtained from the soil. Air and water provide the remaining three nutrients, which are hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. Therefore, the soil serves as a key source of nutrients for plants.

Question 6. Compare the Use of Manure and Fertilizers in Maintaining Soil Fertility.

Answer: Plant waste and animal excrement, which contain significant amounts of organic matter, decompose to generate manure. Nutrient and organic matter enrichment of the soil increases soil fertility. Thus, in order to produce crops with a high yield, the long-term application of manures is taken into account. Fertilisers consist of inorganic substances. They are produced commercially and primarily provide potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Because these are chemical-containing, overuse of them is detrimental to soil-dwelling microorganisms. Additionally, their overuse lowers soil fertility. Thus, fertilisers are only seen to be beneficial when used temporarily.

Question 7. 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.

Answer: Option (c) will benefit the most.

The greatest gains will go to farmers who use high-quality seeds, implement irrigation, apply fertilisers, and implement crop protection techniques.

(i) A farmer will plant most of the seeds correctly and yield a decent crop if they are employing high-quality seeds.

(ii) Insufficient water availability lowers crop productivity. Crops of different kinds require varied amounts of water. Therefore, using appropriate irrigation techniques would improve the amount of water available to crops.

(iii) Fertilisers provide nutrients including potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. They are employed to guarantee healthy vegetative growth, or the production of leaves, branches, and flowers.

(iv) To control weeds, pests, and infectious agents, a variety of crop protection methods should be implemented. In general, infectious agents and pests have an impact on health. Weeds have an impact on crop growth as well since they compete with crops for nutrients, light, and space. Thus, overall agricultural productivity will rise if farmers take care of crop protection measures like applying pesticides and weedicides, etc.

Question 8. Why Should Preventive Measures and Biological Control Methods Be Preferred for Protecting Crops?

Answer: Crops and the environment may suffer from the overuse of chemical pesticides, weedicides, and fertilisers. Because soil microorganisms are destroyed and organic matter that is already there is not replaced, soil fertility is also negatively impacted. Crop protection can be achieved by implementing all preventive measures, such as adequate seedbed preparation, timely crop sowing, intercropping, crop rotation, and weed management. Biological control techniques should also be used. It’s also necessary to prevent pests. Crop types that are resistant to it are used to combat it. Using biopesticides and biofertilizers—which are less harmful to the environment—is one way of biological control.

Bacillus thuringiensis, an insect pathogen that kills a variety of insect larvae, is one example of a bio-pesticide.

Consequently, it is possible to efficiently safeguard crops without endangering the environment by using both biological control techniques and preventive measures.

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Question 9. What Factors May Be Responsible for the Losses of Grains During Storage?

Answer:

The following factors might cause grains or harvests to spoil while being stored:

(i) Biotic factors, such as bacterial, fungal, insect, or rodent attack.

(ii) Abiotic variables that affect agricultural productivity include improper moisture, temperature, lack of sunlight, flooding, etc.

When stored grains are subjected to all of these conditions, deterioration, poor germination, discolouration, etc. result.

Question 10. Which Method Is Commonly Used for Improving Cattle Breeds and Why?

Answer:

The husbandry of cattle is necessary for two reasons:

(i) In order to boost milk production and

(ii) Draught labour for farming tasks.

Dairy animals are needed for upkeep and milk production, while draught animals, or males, are used in agricultural fields for labour-intensive tasks including tilling, irrigation, and carting. A high milk production female and a hardy draught male crossbreeding can produce a new, enhanced breed of cattle that combines the best traits of both parents. One of the examples provided is the crossing of Indian breeds like Sahiwal and Red Sindhi with Western breeds like Jersey Brown and Swiss, which have lengthy lactation periods. It creates a novel variety with traits from both breeds.

Question 11. Discuss the Implications of the Following Statement:

“It is interesting to note that poultry is India’s most efficient converter of low fibre foodstuff (which is unfit for human consumption) into highly nutritious animal protein food.”

Answer:

In India, poultry is regarded as the most effective means of transforming low-fiber diets into extremely nutrient-dense animal protein foods. India practices poultry farming to raise domestic poultry for the production of eggs and chicken meat. As a result, better varieties of poultry are created and raised to produce broilers for meat and layers for eggs. Roughage, which is primarily made of fibre, is fed to poultry as animal feed. Therefore, if the animals are fed a diet high in fiber, the fowl will provide them with extremely nutritious food in the form of eggs and chicken.

Question 12. What Management Practices Are Common in Dairy and Poultry Farming?

Answer:

The following are typical management techniques that are necessary in dairy and chicken farming:

There are adequate shelter options that are cleaned on a regular basis.

upkeep of appropriate hygienic conditions, including access to wholesome food and clean water.

Animals should have access to large, well-ventilated spaces.

Preventive actions ought to be performed.

The correct timing should be chosen to heal diseases.

It is important to vaccinate animals properly.

Cattle should be fed all balanced feeds that contain all nutrients in the right amounts.

Question 13. What are the Differences Between Broilers and Layers and in Their Management?

Answer: The differences between broilers and layers are:

Broilers	Layers
Nutritional, environmental, and housing conditions are required by broilers.	No such conditions are mandatory for layers.
The daily food requirement for broilers is protein-rich with adequate fat and extra care and maintenance is required.	The daily food requirement for layers is less protein-rich food and fat.

Question 14. How are Fish Obtained?

Answer:

Fish is regarded as an inexpensive source of animal protein for human consumption. In general. Fisheries can be obtained in two ways.

(i) Capture fishing, which uses materials found in nature.

(ii) Fish farming is used in the culture fishery.
It takes a variety of fishing net types to catch marine fish. from vessels used for fishing. Seawater is used to raise a few marine fish that are highly valuable economically. The requirements for marine fish are met through mariculture. The goal of aquaculture is to produce freshwater fish.

Question 15. What are the Advantages of Composite Fish Culture?

Answer:

A composite fish culture system is a fish pond that is used to co-cultivate five or six distinct types of fish. Both imported and local fish are needed in this system. A few benefits of hybrid fish culture are:

(i) It raises the fish yield.

(ii) Full utilisation of the pond’s food supplies, as fish with various dietary needs are taken into consideration to prevent competition for food among themselves.

(iii) An improvement in fish survival rates.

Question 16. What are the Desirable Characteristics of Bee Varieties Suitable for Honey Production?

Answer:

The following qualities are desirable in bee varieties that are good for producing honey:

(i) They ought to produce a lot of honey.

(ii) They ought not to cause significant pain.

(iii) They ought to be housed in the beehive for extended periods of time.

(iv) They ought to procreate profusely.

Question 17. What is Pasturage and How is it Related to Honey Production?

Answer:

Pasturage refers to the flowers that are accessible to bees so they can gather pollen and nectar. It has to do with honey production because pasturage affects both the quantity and flavour of honey.

Question 18. Explain any One Method of Crop Production Which Ensures High Yield.

Answer: The practice of planting different crops on the same piece of land is known as crop rotation. Using this strategy, a legume crop is planted in between two consecutive grain crops. Rhizobium bacteria are found in the root nodules of legume plants, and these bacteria aid in fixing nitrogen in the soil and making it available to the plants. Thus, planting a crop of legumes replenishes the soil with nutrients.

In this manner, land is used more effectively and soil fertility is preserved. This technique lowers soil contamination and boosts crop output overall by reducing the demand for fertilisers.

Question 19. Why are Manures and Fertilizers Used in Fields?

Answer: The application of fertilisers and manures in the fields aids in supplying the soil with the necessary nutrients. Manure adds a lot of humus and organic matter to the soil, enhancing its nutritional value. This contributes to the soil’s increased fertility and structure. Fertilisers are a good supply of potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen and are made in factories.

Because manure provides humus and enhances fertility and general soil quality, it is seen to be superior to fertilisers in terms of soil health. Conversely, due of their chemical makeup, fertilisers, while acting more quickly, are detrimental to the long-term health of the soil. It is recommended to employ a balanced mixture of manures and fertilisers in the soil to produce the best yield.

Question 20. What are the Advantages of Intercropping and Crop Rotation?

Answer: The practice of growing two or more crops simultaneously in a certain arrangement on the same field is known as intercropping. By intercropping, diseases and pests that would otherwise infect all the plants are kept at bay and plants are able to utilise all the nutrients available to them. The practice of planting different crops on the same piece of land is known as crop rotation.

Crop rotation lowers soil erosion and raises soil fertility. These two techniques lessen the need for fertilisers. This strategy also aids in the management of weeds, disease growth, and pests in crops.

Question 21. What is Genetic Manipulation? How is it Useful in Agricultural Practices?

Answer: The process of introducing a desired character’s gene from one plant (cell) into another plant is known as genetic manipulation. Transgenic plants are those created through genetic modification. This transgenic plant has a new gene inserted into its DNA, and it displays traits controlled by the gene. It is desirable to manipulate crops genetically to create pest- and disease-resistant plants as well as higher-yielding variants. Additionally, scientists have created nutrient-rich crops and drought-resistant plants.

Golden rice is a type of rice that has been genetically modified to increase its vitamin A content. It was created in order to combat vitamin A deficiency. Thus, gene editing is a significant part of agricultural processes. It guarantees food security, enhances agricultural variety, and produces crops resistant to insects.

Question 22. How Do Good Animal Husbandry Practices Benefit Farmers?

Answer: Two factors related to cattle husbandry are milk production and the provision of draught labour for agricultural tasks like tilling, irrigation, and hauling. Good animal husbandry includes things like keeping the cattle clean, feeding them the right stuff, giving them food supplements, and maintaining their health. A healthy diet should be provided, as this increases the amount of milk produced.

When cattle are properly cared for, their general health improves and they become robust animals suitable for agricultural labour. Superior breeds can cross to create better breeds of draft animals through a process known as hybridisation.

Question 23. What are the Benefits of Cattle Farming?

Answer:

Among the advantages of raising cattle are:

(i) It is possible to get milch cattle of higher quality.

(ii) Draught animals’ health can be preserved

(iii) By mating two types with the appropriate features, new breeds resistant to illnesses can be created.

Question 24. For Increasing Production, What is Common in Poultry, Fisheries, and Bee-Keeping?

Answer:

The following appropriate management practices must be used in order to increase production in fisheries, beekeepers, and poultry:

(i) Consistent agricultural cleanup.

(ii) Keeping up personal hygiene.

(iii) It is crucial to provide a nourishing meal in a timely manner.