i. From cereals like wheat, rice, maize, we get carbohydrates which provide energy.
ii. Pulses like pea, gram, soybean give us proteins.
iii. Fruits and vegetables are a rich source of vitamins and minerals. A small amount of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are also present in them.
Biotic factors such as pets, insects and diseases reduce the crop production. A pest causes damage to our crops by feeding. Weeds also reduce crops productivity by competing with the main crop for nutrients and light.
Similarly, abiotic factors such as temperature, wind, rain etc. affect the net crop production. For example droughts and floods have a great impact on crops sometimes, destroying the entire crop.
The desirable agronomic characteristics for crop improvements are:
i. Tallness and profuse branching are desirable characters for fodder crops.
ii. Dwarfness is desired in cereals. This way they consume less nutrients.
These desirable agronomic characteristics help in increasing crop productivity.
Nutrients required in large quantities are called Macro-nutrients. They are six in number. Since they are required in large quantities, they are known as macro-nutrient. The six macro-nutrients required by plants are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur.
Plants get nutrients through soil, water, and air. Plants require sixteen essential nutrients from nature for their growth and development. Soil is the major source of nutrients. Soil supplies 13 nutrients to plants and remaining three nutrients (carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen) are obtained from air and water.
Manure contains large quantities of organic matter and also supplies small quantities of nutrients to the soil. Manure is prepared by the decomposition of animal excreta and plant wate. On the other hand, fertilizers are commercially produced plant nutrients. Fertilizers supply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. They are used to ensure good vegetative growth giving rise to healthy plants. Fertilizers are a factor in the higher yields of high cost farming.
(c) Farmers using good quality seeds, adopting irrigation, using fertilizers, and using crop protection measures for more production and best crop protection. These conditions help in large crop production at the same time.
Preventive measures and biological control methods should be preferred for protecting crops because these methods are safe ecologically and do not harm other life forms. These chemicals are also poisonous for plants and animals. Excessive use of chemicals can lead to many environmental problems and cause pollution. Preventive measures include proper soil and seed preparation, timely sowing of seeds, intercropping and mixed cropping, usage of resistant varieties of crops, etc. On the other hand, biological control methods include the usage of bio-pesticides that are less toxic for the environment. An example of bio-pesticides is Bacillus thuringiensis, which is an insect pathogen that kills a wide range of insect larvae . Hence , these are completely safe for other life forms.
Biotic and abiotic factors are responsible for the loss of stored grains. During the storage of grains, various biotic factors such as insects, rodents, mites, fungi, bacteria, etc. and various abiotic factors such as inappropriate moisture, temperature, lack of sunlight, flood, etc. are responsible for losses of grains. These affect the quality, cause a loss in weight, discoloration of produce, thereby making the grains unfit for the market.
Cross breeding is a method commonly used for improving cattle breeds. It is a process in which indigenous varieties of cattle are crossed by exotic breeds to get a crossbreed which is high yielding. Cross breeding between two good varieties of cattle will produce a new improved variety. For example, the cross between foreign breeds such as Jersey Brown, Swiss (having long lactation periods) and Indian breeds such as Red Sindhi, Sahiwal (having excellent resistance power against diseases) produces a new variety having qualities of both breeds.
Our experts will give the answer soon.
Common management practices in dairy and poultry farming are:
(i) Proper shelter facilities having hygienic conditions are given to the dairy and poultry animals.
(ii) Proper and nutritious feed is provided to dairy animals and poultry birds to get a good yield to products.
(iii) Animals are kept in spacious, airy, and ventilated places.
(iv) Proper prevention and protection from diseases and pests are given to the animals.
Broilers have fast growth rates, therefore they need protein rich food with sufficient fat and vitamin A and k are provided in larger quantities. They do not require much space and lighting. On the other hand, Layers need less proteins and fats in their food and sufficient nutrients, minerals and vitamins have to be provided. They need enough space and lighting.
Bee varieties having the following desirable characters are suitable for honey production:
(i) They should yield high quantities of honey. The bee varieties reared should produce more honey.
(ii) They should not sting much. Bees reared should sting less so that they can reared easily and the honey can be obtained easily.
(iii) They should stay in the beehive for long durations.
(iv) They should breed very well.
Pasturage is the availability of flowers from which bees collect nectar and pollen then it will stay in honey where it is mixed with the enzymes and proteins of bees to convert into honey.
One of the methods of crop production that ensures high yield is crop rotation. This method involves growing two or more varieties of crop in the same fertile land in a sequential and seasonal order in a definite pattern. A crop utilises some particular nutrients in larger quantities from the soil and thus the soil gets enriched in this process. Therefore, crops having different nutrient requirements are rotated. For example, legumes which have nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules supply the soil with nitrogen.
Manures and fertilizers are added to the soil to increase the fertility of soil by replenishing essential nutrients. Manure is organic matter derived from animal faeces and plant waste. On the other hand, fertilizers ensure a healthy growth and development in plants. Thus, manure and fertilizers are used to provide nutrients to the soil due to which the cop yield is enhanced.
Inter-cropping and crop rotation both play an important role in increasing the yield of crops. Inter-cropping helps to maintain soil fertility and prevents pests and diseases from spreading throughout the field. It increases productivity per unit area. Crop rotation improves the soil fertility and avoids depletion of a particular nutrient. It minimizes the pest infestation and diseases. Both these methods reduce the need for fertilizers. It also helps in controlling weeds and controls the growth of pathogens and pests in crops.
Genetic manipulation is a process where the desired genes are isolated from one organism and transferred to the other organism by using the hybridization technique.
For example, let us assume there is a wild plant that produces small fruits. If the gene responsible for a larger fruit size is introduced in this plant, this plant becomes transgenic, and starts producing larger fruits.
Therefore, genetic manipulation is useful in agricultural practices by developing varieties having higher yield, better quality, shorter maturity period and wider adaptability to adverse environment conditions.
Both biotic and abiotic factors play an important role in the spoilage of the stored seeds. Biotic factors such as insects or pests that cause direct damage by feeding on seed. Abiotic factors such as temperature, light, moisture, etc., also affect the seed. They decrease the germinating ability of the seeds and make them unfit for future use by farmers. Unpredictable occurrence of natural calamities such as droughts and floods also causes destruction of crops.
Good animal husbandry practises are beneficial to the farmers in the improvement of breeds of the domesticated animals and increasing the yield of foodstuffs such as milk, eggs, and meat. Proper management of domestic animals in terms of shelter, feeding care and protection against diseases.
Hence, good animal husbandry practices increase the production of animal products which increases the profit of farmers.
Benefits of cattle farming:
(i) You can have fresh milk from the milch cattle , the value addition of milk in producing various products can be sold.
(ii) The dung of the animal can be used as manure to the crops.
(iii) Drought cattle can be used for agricultural activities.
(iv) Calves when born can be sold there by the gang a fair amount of money.
Production of poultry, fisheries and bee keeping can be increased by adopting new scientific ways of management. Regular cleaning of farms is of utmost importance and giving proper & nutritious food. Prevention and protection from diseases and pests. Avoid overcrowding of animals in their shelter. Hence, increasing production on poultry, fisheries and bee keeping the following things are common.
| Capture fishing | Mariculture | Aquaculture |
|---|---|---|
| It is one of the most common forms of fishing. It is a type of fishing where the fishes are obtained from natural resources like rivers, lakes or seas . | Fish farming or culture fishing in marine waters is called mariculture. Varieties like tuna and prawns are cultivated in this method. | Fish culture done in brackish water where seawater and freshwater mix together is known aquaculture. |
(a) (ii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (i)
(d) (iv)
(a) protein
(b) fodder
(c) kharif
(d) Vegetables
(d) Rabi
Genetically modified crops (gm crop) are crops produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering . One such crop grown in India is cotton.
Some of the useful traits in improved crops are:
Higher yield: Higher yield of crops can be brought about by developing High Yielding Varieties (HYV) by cross-breeding and hybridization.
Biotic and abiotic resistance: Under different situations crop suffers due to biotic stresses (such as diseases, insects) and abiotic stresses (such as drought, salinity, heat, cold). If we develop crop varieties which are resistant to these stresses, then we can improve the crop production.
Wider adaptability: If we develop those varieties of crops which have wider adaptability, then it will help in stabilizing the crop production under different environmental conditions.
All the components of soil, organic matter is probably the most important and most misunderstood. Organic matter serves as a reservoir of nutrients and water in the soil, aids in reducing compaction and surface crusting, and increases water infiltration into the soil . Benefits of organic matter ,
Nutrient Supply: Organic matter is a reservoir of nutrients that can be released to the soil. Each percent of organic matter in the soil releases 20 to 30 pounds of nitrogen, 4.5 to 6.6 pounds of P2O5, and 2 to 3 pounds of sulfur per year. The nutrient release occurs predominantly in the spring and summer, so summer crops benefit more from organic-matter mineralization than winter crops.
Water-Holding Capacity: Organic matter behaves somewhat like a sponge, with the ability to absorb and hold up to 90 percent of its weight in water. A great advantage of the water-holding capacity of organic matter is that the matter will release most of the water that it absorbs to plants. In contrast, clay holds great quantities of water, but much of it is unavailable to plants.
Unduly high concentration or intake of elements and nutrients can have adverse effects on plant growth. Also few elements, especially heavy metals have a tendency to bioaccumulate. The plants can become a source of excess heavy metal intake in human beings. Meeting the growing need for food is a challenge. For this, agricultural land per unit area is required to achieve maximum efficiency. Use of fertilizers and nutrients is one way to supply this. The presence of heavy metals affects the plant growth. Excess use of fertilizers may lead to heavy metal accumulation, eutrophication and accumulation of phosphate and nitrate. Excessive phosphorus is a potential threat to water quality. Policies and rules for encouraging effective and environment friendly use of fertilizers and its supply can improve the soil quality and prevent the adverse effects on human beings.
(a) organic farming
(b) mixed cropping
(c) intercropping
(d) crop rotation
(e) weeds
(f) pathogen
(a) (iii)
(b) (v)
(c) (iv)
(d) (i)
(e) (ii)
Irrigation is the better measure to overcome the problem of low rainfall and better farming. It helps to increase crop productivity by managing the soil and water balance.
The given crops can be grouped into the following categories:
1. Energy-yielding:
2. Protein yielding:
3. Oil-yielding:
4. Fodder crops:
Hybridisation: Crossing between genetically dissimilar plants is called hybridisation. Hybridisation is done for increasing the crop yield and improving its quality.
Photoperiod: It refers to the time that a plant or animal is exposed to light in a 24-hour period. Many types of plants require certain lengths of light exposure to enter various life cycle stages.
(a) flowering of plants
(b) June, October
(c) November, April
(d) Kharif
(e) Rabi
Cultivation practices and crops yield are related to environmental condition. Various crops require different climatic conditions, temperature and photoperiod, for their growth and completion of life cycle. On the basis of seasonal variations, crops in India can be classified into three main groups :
(a) 16
(b) Carbon, oxygen
(c) Hydrogen
(d) 13
(e) Six, macronutrients
(f) Seven, micronutrients
Compost: Composting is an aerobic process with high temperatures, while vermicomposting is a process where worms do the work. This means that vermicomposting is a low temperature process.
Vermicompost: Vermicomposting can be done in small bins to bathtub size vessels. The worms eat through the kitchen waste and paper that is added. It is also a moist process and any drainage is commonly used as a worm tea. Vermicomposting can be done on a larger scale, but the waste must be applied in thin layers to not overheat the pile or overfeed the worms. Worms are sensitive animals and may take off when conditions are not right.
(b) Green plants are cultivated for preparing manure or crop plant parts are used.
(c) Plants are ploughed and mixed into the soil.
(a) Green plants are decomposed in soil.
(d) After decomposition it becomes green manure.
They sting less and their honey collection capacity is more than the other bee. It stays in a single bee hive for a very long period of time and its breeding capacity is also high.
In agricultural practices, higher inputs give higher yield. To get high yield in agriculture production. The more investment is made so that the more production will occur. This would be very beneficial for farmers. If the farmer invests more in agriculture so that he or she would use modern techniques in farming that will increase the yield of that farm. In this way this statement is absolutely right that “In agricultural practices, higher input gives higher yield”.
When a plant or animal is bred with a plant or animal from a different stock, the process is known as hybridization. There are numerous reasons to create hybrids, including increasing genetic diversity and breeding for specific traits. It is frequently practiced in agriculture, to make stronger, healthier plants with desirable characteristics.
Plants hybridize much more frequently and successfully than animals do. Pollen from flowering plants dispersed widely and may land on flowers of other species. Chromosomal doubling (polyploidy) occurs more frequently in plants and facilitates the fertility of the hybrid offspring. Finally, plant forms are less stringently controlled than animal forms, and so the intermediate form of a plant hybrid is more likely to be physiologically successful.
(i) Vermicompost
Vermicomposting can be done in small bins to bathtub size vessels. The worms eat through the kitchen waste and paper that is added. It is also a moist process and any drainage is commonly used as a worm tea. Vermicomposting can be done on a larger scale, but the waste must be applied in thin layers to not overheat the pile or overfeed the worms. Worms are sensitive animals and may take off when conditions are not right.
(ii) Green manure
Green undecomposed material used as manure is called green manure. It is obtained in two ways: by growing green manure crops or by collecting green leaf (along with twigs) from plants grown in wastelands, field bunds and forest. Green manuring is growing in the field plants usually belonging to leguminous families and incorporating into the soil after sufficient growth. The plants that are grown for green manure known as green manure crops. The most important green manure crops are sunn hemp, dhaincha, pillipesara , cluster beans and Sesbania rostrata .
(iii) Biofertilisers
Biofertilizers are the microbial inoculants which can be usually defined as a preparation containing live or dormant cells of efficient strains of nitrogen fixing, phosphate solubilizing, and cellulolytic microorganisms, etc.
Some of the biofertilizers are given below :
Some of the most commonly used methods of weed control are :
Weed pulling: Preventative weed control refers to any control method that aims to prevent weeds from being established in a cultivated crop, a pasture, or a greenhouse. Examples of preventative weed control would be using certified weed free seed, only transporting hay that is weed free, making sure farm equipment is cleaned before moving from one location to another, and screening irrigation water to prevent weed seeds from traveling along irrigation ditches.
Tillage: Turning the soil over or tilling is often used in protecting agricultural crops from weeds. This method is usually applied in sites where soils are already severely disturbed. Tilling is best done when the earth remains dry, and best completed before weed seeds develop.
Mowing and cutting: Mowing and cutting can decelerate the production of seed and can limit the growth of weeds. Especially when the work is completed before the weeds flower and sets seed. However, this does not apply to all plants. There are some weed species that re-sprout abundantly and continuously when cut, making the plant set seed and flower faster than usual.
Flooding: Some pastures are luckily located in places where the water level or a river system or wetland can be manipulated. This is a situation where flooding, another weed control method can be done. However, some weed species have underground storage organs or vegetative buds, which enable them to live through flooded conditions even for months.
Girdling: Cutting or chipping away several centimetres of the bark all around the trunk is how your girdle. When the cut is deep enough, the vascular cambium, which stores and moves the carbohydrates throughout the tree, is removed, thereby killing it. This process requires much less labour than mowing and cutting and will only kill the targeted weed.
(i) The difference between capture fishery and culture fishery are:
| S.No. | Capture Fishery | Culture Fishery |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Capturing aquatic animals (both finfish and shellfish) from the natural water bodies like Sea, River, Lake, Pond, Estuary etc.. for our food/ornamental and other purposes. |
Fishery that is based on the culture of that respective aquatic animal under the confined environment. |
| 2 |
Human beings do not have any control over the breeding, spawning and recruitment of young ones to the fishery. |
This kind of fishery is only possible for those fishes which are having well developed breeding & hatchery technology. |
(ii) The difference between mixed cropping and inter cropping are:
| S.No. | Mixed Cropping | Inter Cropping |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Either sown in rows or mixed without considering the population of either. |
The main object is to utilize the space left between two rows of the main crop. |
| 2 |
It aims at reducing the chances of failure of a crop. |
Its main aim is to increase productivity. |
(iii) The difference between bee keeping and poultry farming are:
| S.No. | Bee Keeping | Polutry Farming |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The investment is low for this type of farming. |
Poultry farming requires a medium to high investment. |
| 2 |
This is done for the production of honey, wax and other substances. |
This is done for the production of meat and eggs. |
Merits of fish culture:
Demerits of fish culture:
Composite fish culture is a most popular technique to obtain maximum yield of fish from a pond/reservoir. The technology involves employment of compatible and non-competing fish culture through utilisation of different feeding zones of the pond or reservoir, resulting in maximum production of fish per unit area of water. It is accomplished in four steps i.e. Pre stocking, Stocking, Post stocking and harvesting.
Example: Surface feeders such as Catlas are mixed with column feeders such as Rohus, Mrigals, Grass Carp which are bottom feeders. This combination leads to an efficient utilisation of food present in the pond and enhances the yield of fish from pond.
Bee keeping also called apiculture is an important enterprise of agriculture and is concerned with commercial production of honey and wax.
As you probably already know, bees are crucial for our own survival, given that they play a major role in agriculture. They have two important roles: pollinating flowers that are further used in various processes, and making honey. On the other hand, some of us might not be aware that the two are very closely related.
Insects can damage the crop by biting off and eating parts, chewing on it, piercing and then sucking out sap, and by vectoring in disease. Insects affect the crop yields in both useful and harmful ways. Harmful insects attack the plants and are called insect pests. Insect pests are of following types :
Cutting: Some insect pests cut different plant parts; like leaves, fruits and flowers. Thus, they damage the plant. Damaged leaves would result in lower rates of photosynthesis. Damaged flowers will result in less production of seeds.
Sucking Insects: Some pests use their proboscis to suck cell sap from plant parts.
Internal Feeders: Insect pests cut the parts of the plants such as root, leaf and stem affecting the plants processes such as photosynthesis leading to a decreased production of food for plants and decreased growth.
The chemicals used to eliminate pests are called pesticides.
Two types of normal feed for dairy animals are :
(i) Roughage
(ii) Concentrate’s
Roughage: mostly indigestible material in food (such as legumes, whole grains, and vegetables) that promotes elimination of waste from the large intestine .
Concentrates: The Concentrate is rich in protein as well as other nutrients and also includes cereals such as maize, broken gram, oilseed cake, cotton seeds e.t.c.
Following difficulties will be faced for rearing up of large size fowls that are unable to adapt during summers:
Some diseases have a greater effect and higher consequences for the bird population than other diseases. One of these, pullorum-typhoid disease, caused such concern that it prompted the creation of the National Poultry Improvement Plan. Active efforts by the NPIP to control this disease have proven very successful, and as a result, the disease has nearly been eradicated. However, pullorum-typhoid testing needs to be continued due to continued exposure from imported birds and other sources.
These diseases reduce the bird growth, decrease egg production, decrease fertility and may even cause death.
Following are some preventive measures for diseases of poultry bird :
(i) In plot B, with addition of chemical fertilizer there is a sudden increase in yield due to release of nutrients N, P, K etc in high quantity. The gradual decline in the graph may be due to continuous use and high quantity of chemicals which kills microbes useful for replenishing the organic matter in the soil. This decreases the soil fertility.
(ii) In plot A, manures supply small quantities of nutrients to the soil slowly as it contains large amounts of organic matter [Hint: Importance of organic matter can be included]. It enriches soil with nutrients; thereby increasing soil fertility continuously.
(iii) The difference in the two graphs indicate that use of manure is beneficial for long duration in cropping as the yield tends to remain high when the quantity of manure increases. In case of Plot B the chemical fertilizers may cause various problems when used continuously for a long time. Loss of microbial activity reduces decomposition of organic matter and as a result soil fertility is lost that affects the yield.
Across
1. SUN FLOWER
3. RABI
5. NITROGEN
9. APIS
Downward
2. FODDER
4. BORON
6. WEED
7. LEGHORN
8. MRIGALA
10. TUNA
