Improvement in Food Resources

This chapter explains how India can produce more food for its growing population through scientific methods, building on the green revolution in crops and the white revolution in milk. You will learn that crops need different seasons: kharif crops such as paddy, maize, soyabean and cotton grow from June to October, and rabi crops such as wheat, gram, peas and mustard from November to April. You will study crop variety improvement through hybridisation and genetic modification for higher yield, better quality, disease resistance and wider adaptability, and crop production management, including the sixteen nutrients plants need, manures, compost, vermicompost, green manure and fertilisers, irrigation systems, and cropping patterns such as mixed cropping, intercropping and crop rotation. You will learn how crops are protected from weeds such as Parthenium, insect pests and diseases, and how grains are stored safely. The chapter also introduces animal husbandry: cattle farming, poultry with broilers and layers, composite fish culture using catla, rohu and mrigal, and bee-keeping with varieties such as Apis cerana indica.

Detailed Worksheet: Improvement in Food Resources Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What are kharif and rabi crops? Give two examples of each. (2 marks) 2. What is hybridisation? What is a genetically modified crop? (2 marks) 3. What are macronutrients and micronutrients? Name two of each. (2 marks) 4. What is the difference between mixed cropping and intercropping? (2 marks) 5. What is vermicompost? What is green manure? (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. A farmer harvested 3,600 kg of wheat from 1.2 hectares. Find the yield per hectare. After using a high-yielding variety and proper irrigation, the yield rose to 4,500 kg per hectare. Find the percentage increase. (3 marks) 7. Plants need 16 nutrients. Two of them, carbon and oxygen, come from air, and hydrogen and oxygen come from water, so 3 elements in all come from air and water. Of the rest supplied by soil, 6 are macronutrients. How many micronutrients are supplied by soil? Name any four. (3 marks) 8. A field needs 120 kg of nitrogen per hectare. Urea contains 46% nitrogen. How many kg of urea are needed for 2 hectares? Give one disadvantage of using too much fertiliser. (3 marks) 9. A farmer stores 5,000 kg of grain. Due to poor storage, 8% is damaged by pests and moisture. How much grain is lost? If proper fumigation and drying reduce losses to 2%, how much grain is saved? (3 marks) 10. A fish pond is stocked with 1,000 fingerlings in the ratio catla : rohu : mrigal : common carp : grass carp = 3 : 2 : 2 : 2 : 1. Find the number of each. Why are these species grown together? (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. Draw a flowchart showing the three components of crop production management: nutrient management, irrigation and cropping patterns, with two examples under each. (4 marks) 12. Draw a labelled diagram of a pond used for composite fish culture showing the zones where catla, rohu, mrigal and grass carp feed. (3 marks) 13. Draw a labelled diagram of the layout of intercropping with alternate rows of soyabean and maize. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Compare manures and fertilisers on five points. Explain why organic farming is gaining importance. (5 marks) 15. Explain how weeds, insect pests and diseases reduce crop yield. Suggest preventive and control methods for each. (5 marks) 16. Explain the factors that cause losses of grain during storage and the preventive measures. Why is safe storage important for food security in India? (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Give examples of Indian crops and practices wherever possible.