Notes on Improvement in Food Resources by Nagraj Sir

Notes on Improvement in Food Resources by Nagraj Sir

Introduction

All living organisms essentially require the food to stay alive.

Food provides energy to perform various life activities and is required for growth, development and body repair.

Sources of Food:

1. Food from agriculture: Cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, nuts, oilseeds, condiments and spices

2. Food from animal husbandry: Dairly products like milk, curd, butter; meat, egg, fish and other sea products.

 Kharif crops: The crops grown in rainy season are called as Kharif crops (Paddy, Soya bean, pigeon pea and maize). They are grown from June to October.

Rabi crops: The crops grown in winter season are called Rabi crops (Wheat, gram, peas, and mustard). They are grown November to April.

Food Revolutions in India

With the increase in population, there needed a sufficient increase in food production, so as to meet the food related demands of growing population. This led to the rise of the following food revolutions in India:

1. Green Revolution: Introduced to increase the food grain production.

2. White Revolution: Introduced to increase production of milk.

3. Blue Revolution: Introduced to enhance fish production.

4. Yellow Revolution:  Introduced to increase oil production.
VARIOUS IMPROVEMENT METHODS:

1. Crop variety improvement

2. Crop production management

3. Crop protection management

1. Crop Variety Improvement

a)Introduction:- In this method the seed of a plant having some special feature are brought from some other place and grown in a new place where it was not grown before this is called Introduction

b)Selection:-It can be defined as preservation of certain individual plants of desirable characters. In simplest form selection means choosing plants of one’s choice. It is the basis of all crop improvement.selection of plant is done for useful character such as disease resistance,response to environment ,product quality,temp. variability and high yield.

 c)Hybridization: It refers to crossing between genetically dissimilar plants;It is all to get higher yield, improved quality, biotic and abiotic resistance, change in maturity duration, wider adaptability and desirable agronomic characteristics.

SN	Type	Context
1	Inter varietal Hybridization	between different varieties
2	Inter specific Hybridization	between different species
3	Inter generic Hybridization	between different genera

d)Recombinant DNA tech.:-Recombinant DNA technology, joining together of DNA molecules from  different species that are inserted into a host organism to produce new genetic combinations of desirable character.

2. Crop Production Improvement 
a)Nutrients: Nutrients are supplied to plants by air, water and soil. There are sixteen nutrients which are essential for plants. Air supplies carbon and oxygen; hydrogen comes from water and soil.

• Macronutrients: The essential elements, which are utilized by plants relatively in large quantities, are called macronutrients. nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur.
• Micronutrients: The essential elements, which are used by plants in small quantities, are called micronutrients. iron, manganese,  boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, chlorine

b)Manure

• (i)Compost: It is a mixture of decomposed organic matter derived from garbage, sewage, vegetable waste etc. the mixture is decomposed in pits and the process is known as composting.
• (ii) Vermicompost: The degradation of organic waste through the consumption by the earthworms is called vermicomposting. Earthworms used in vermicomposting are Dichogaster bolani and Drawida willisi.
  (iii) Green manure: It is prepared by cultivating fast growing green manure crops like Sunhemp, Horse gram, Guar, Cow pea before sowing of seeds. The fast growing crop is then ploughed back under the soil. Green manure enriches the soil with nitrogen, phosphorous as well as organic matter and provides protection against erosion and leaching                                             

C )Fertilizers

• Fertilizers are chemicals manufactured in factories and are highly rich in nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
• They provide large amount of nutrients and thus ensure better growth of plants.
• Excessive use of fertilizers for a long period of time can damage soil fertility.
• D)Organic farming: It is a farming system with no use of chemicals as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, etc. and with a maximum input of organic manures, recycled farm-wastes (straw and livestock excreta), use of bio-agents such as culture of blue-green algae in preparation of biofertilizers, neem leaves or turmeric specifically in grain storage as bio-pesticides with healthy cropping systems.
• E)Irrigation
  The process of supplying water to crop plants through human efforts by means of canal, wells, reservoirs, tube-wells etc., is known as irrigation.
  Most agriculture in India is dependent on timely monsoons and sufficient rainfall spread through most of the growing season. However, the extra water required by crops is met through irrigation.
• Traditional method:-well,river,pond, etc
• modern method:- sprikler, drip, lift
• f) cropping pattern

• S N.	Mixed cropping	Inter-cropping	Crop rotation
  1	Two or more crops Grown simultaneously on the same piece of land	Two or more crops grown simultaneously on the same piece >of land in a definite pattern	Growing different crops on a piece of land in a pre-planned succession
  2	Ex. Wheat+ Gram Wheat+ Mustard; Wheat+ gram; Groundnut+sunflower.	Soyabean + maize/bajra + Cowpea	Two or three crops can be grown in a year depending upon the duration.
  3	A type of insurance against failure of one of the crops.	A few rows of one crop alternate with a few rows of a second crop. Crops are selected such that their nutrient requirements are different. This ensures the maximum utilization of the nutrients supplied and prevents pests and diseases spreading in the crop field	The availability of moisture and Irrigation facilities decides the choice of the crop to be cultivated.

• 
  

3. Crop protection management 

SN.	Weeds	Insect  & pests	Diseases	Storage of grains
1	Weeds are unwanted plants in the crop field	Insect pest is nuisance in the crop field	Disease is caused by pathogens in the field	Different factors are responsible.
2	Weeds take up nutrients and reduce the growth	Insect pest affect the health of crop and reduce the yield.	Diseases alter the physiology of crops and reduce the yield	Different factors reduce the quality of stored grains
3	Ex. Xanthium, Parthenium	Ex. Caterpillars, dragonfly	Ex. Bacteria, Virus	Botic factors: insects, rodents, fungi Abiotic factors: moisture & temperature
4	Removal of weeds at an early stage is recommended. Spray weedicides	Spread of chemicals such as pesticides	Spread of chemicals to kill pathogens	Systematic management of ware

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY:- 

 The scientific management of domesticated animals dealing with their feeding, breeding and health is known as "Animal Husbandry" .
 Main elements of animal husbandry are
1. Proper feeding of animals
2. Providing good shelter to animals
3. Proper health of animals

4. Proper breeding of animals

1)Cattle farming :-The act of raising cattle like cow, buffaloes and bullocks, goat, etc. to meet the requirement of adequate milk production is called cattle husbandry.

Milch breeds (dairy animals): These include the animals which are kept for obtaining milk. Indian milch cattle belong to two different species- Cows (Bos indicus) and Buffaloes (Bos bubalis).
Draught animals: These animals are used in agriculture and transportation.

Breeds of cow			Breeds of buffaloes
Indigenous breeds	Exotic breeds	Cross-breeds	Murrah, Meshsana and Surti
Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar	Jersey, Brown Swiss, Holstein-friesian	Karan Swiss, karan Fries, Frieswal

Poultry farming

The act of raising domestic fowls to ensure the production of adequate number of egg, chicken and meat is called poultry farming.The cross-breeding programmes are performed between Indian and foreign breeds to develop new varieties having some required desirable characteristics.

Fowls are used for producing eggs said as layers and broilers are used for producing meat.

Fish Farming 

1. Marine fisheries:

The marine fishery resources include 7500kms of coast line and deep seas.

Some of the marine fish varieties are as follows:

Pomphret,Mackerel,Tuna,Sardines,Bombay Duck,Eel,Salmon,Hilsa.

2. Inland fisheries

Inland fisheries deal with canals, ponds, reservoirs and rivers.

It also includes freshwater bodies like in rivers, canals, reservoirs and lagoons as well as brackish water fisheries.

Some of the inland fish varieties are as follows:

Rohu,Catla,Mrigal,Silver carp

	MARICULTURE	AQUACULTURE
	Involves culturing and harvesting of fin fishes and shell fishes.	Involves culturing and harvesting of fish, prawns, crabs etc.
	Fish seeds are introduced and fish are reared.	Fish and other organisms are seeded and reared.
	Fishing is done only in sea water.	Fishing is done both in fresh water and marine waters.

• Bee keeping
  The act of rearing, raising and caring of honey bee on a large scale to obtain honey and wax from them is called apiculture.
• Varieties of bees used for profitable honey production are as follows:
• Apis dorsata (Rock bee)
• Apis florea (Little bee)
• Apis indica (Indian bee)
• Apis mellifica (European bee).

Division of labour in bees

• Queen

  The queen bee is the dominant, adult female bee that is the mother of most, if not all the bees in the hive.Throughout her life, she lays eggs and secretes a pheromone that keeps all other females in the colony sterile.

Drones

A drone is a male bee . Drones have bigger eyes and lack stingers. They help to defend the hive and they do not have the body parts to collect pollen or nectar.

The drone's have one more job is to mate with the queen. 

Workers

Worker bees are female. workers keep busy.There are many roles to fill, such as preserving honey, feeding drones, building honeycomb, storing pollen, carrying in water.