NCERT Class 9 Science Chapter 15 Notes Improvement In Food Resources- Download PDF Notes

Improvement in food resources from the Class 9 Science NCERT book of the CBSE Board deals with improvement in food resources in agriculture and animal husbandry. The NCERT Class 9 Science Chapter 15 notes provide details about numerous improvements made to food resources. Improvement in food resources class 9 notes cover a brief outline of topics such as improvement in crop yield and animal husbandry. The main topics covered in NCERT Class 9 Science Notes Chapter 15 are crop variety improvement, nutrient management, storage of grains, cattle farming, poultry farming, fish production, and beekeeping. Download the CBSE Notes for Class 9 Science Chapter 15 PDF to use offline anywhere. Students must go through each concept, including diagrams and examples of improvement in food resources Class 9 notes science in the most effective way possible with the help of NCERT Notes for Class 9.

Class 9 Science chapter 15 notes also cover all the important concepts that are asked in the exam. NCERT Notes for Class 9 Science help you revise concepts given in the NCERT Book in no time during Class 9 exam preparation. CBSE Class 9 Science Chapter 15 notes will help you with quick revision. CBSE Class 9 Science Chapter 15 notes also cover important diagrams and examples that have been frequently asked. NCERT Solutions and revision notes for Class 9 Science Chapter 15 are beneficial to save you time. The NCERT Class 9 notes PDF can be downloaded through the link given below.

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NCERT Class 9 Chapter 15 Class Notes

Food provides the proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins, and minerals that our bodies need for growth, development, and overall health. Our main food sources are both plants and animals. The majority of the food we eat comes from agriculture and animal husbandry.

Improvement In Food Resources

Agriculture and animal husbandry are the two main sectors that cater to most of the food requirements. An increase in food production is necessary to sustain the increasing population, but the additional land area available for producing crops and livestock is limited, therefore, the efficiency of food production is to be increased. Sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry should be followed.

Improvements In Crop Yield

Different types of crops should be grown to fulfil various uses. Cereals for carbohydrates, pulses for protein, oil seeds for fats; vegetables, spices, and fruits for vitamins and minerals, etc. Berseem, oats, and Sudan grass are fodder crops. Every crop has its own set of climatic requirements in which it grows optimally. Kharif crops (rice, soybean, pigeon pea, maize, cotton, green gram, black gram) are grown in the rainy season (June to October). Rabi crops (wheat, gram, peas, mustard, and linseed) are growing in the winter season (November to April). In India, there has been a four-fold increase in the production of food grains from 1952 to 2010, with only a 25% increase in the cultivable land area.

Efficiency in agriculture can be brought about by crop variety improvement, crop production improvement, and crop protection management.

Crop Variety Improvement

Crop varieties having desirable traits such as high yield, disease resistance, response to fertilisers, etc. should be selected, these can be natural varieties or can be obtained from hybridisation (crossbreeding between genetically dissimilar plants) or genetically modified varieties. Plants used for hybridisation can be from two different varieties (intermarital), species (interspecific), genus (intergeneric).

Crop variety enhancement aims to produce crops with larger yields, better quality, biotic and abiotic resistance, shorter maturation times, more flexibility, and desired agronomic traits.

Crop Production Improvement

Incorporating efficient methods for crop production is subjective to the income level of the farmers. Production can be classified as ‘no cost’, ‘low cost’, or ‘high cost’ production.

Nutrient Management:

Plants fulfil their nutritional requirements from the soil, air, and water. The 16 elements qualify as essential elements for plant growth and development. Out of these, 13 are absorbed as mineral ions from the soil. Among these 13, 6 are macronutrients (required in large quantities), and the rest 7 are micronutrients (required in small quantities). Crop production can be made efficient and sustainable by adding these nutrients in desired quantities in the form of manure and fertilisers.

Manure

Manure is made through the breakdown of animal excreta and plant waste; therefore, it contains a lot of organic matter and provides a small number of nutrients to the soil, thereby improving soil fertility and soil structure. Organic matter in manure increases water holding capacity in sandy soil, improves drainage and resists water logging in clayey soil.

Compost and Vermicompost

Composted manure is prepared by decomposing farm waste such as animal excreta, vegetable waste, animal refuse, etc. This manure is very rich in organic matter and nutrients. The composting process can be made quicker by using earthworms to disintegrate the raw material, this method is called vermicomposting.

Green Manure

Green manure is obtained from mulched plants such as sun hemp or guar, it is used to enrich the soil in nitrogen and phosphorus before sowing.

Fertilizers

Fertilizers are commercially produced plant nutrients that are generally used to supply nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil. Fertilizers are more expensive than manure. Fertilizer runoff leads to eutrophication in water bodies, it is a result of excessive fertilizer use. Because organic matter in the soil is not renewed and microorganisms in the soil are destroyed by the fertilizers applied, continuous use of fertilizers in an area can decrease soil fertility. Agriculture can be made more sustainable by organic farming.

Irrigation

Supplying an adequate quantity of water is essential for maintaining crop yield, therefore, methods for irrigating areas with low rainfall can be deployed in such areas to increase crop production. Various kinds of irrigation systems such as wells, canals, river lift systems, and tanks are used for irrigation. Check dams can be built to harvest rainwater, they also counteract soil erosion.

Cropping Pattern

Planting a diversity of crops instead of just one protects against crop failure and may also give some additional gifts. Crops with different nutritional requirements are planted in alternate rows to ensure maximum nutrient utilisation. Inter-cropping also prevents pests and diseases from spreading to all the plants belonging to one crop in a field, resulting in higher yields for both crops.

Crop rotation is the process of cultivating a variety of crops on a section of land in a predetermined order. Depending on the duration of the crop rotation it is done for different combinations of crops.

Crop Protection Management

Weeds (unwanted plants) like Xanthium (Gokhroo), Parthenium (Gajar ghas), Cyperinus rotundus (motha) compete with crops for nutrients, water, space, and sunlight. Therefore, the removal of weeds will increase agricultural output. Weeds can be removed by weedicides, mechanical removal, proper seedbed preparation, timely sowing of the crop, intercropping, and crop rotation. Many bacteria, fungi, and viruses cause diseases in plants that lead to reduced output. Plant pests are controlled by pesticides. Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides should be used in optimum quantity only; their excessive use may often cause environmental pollution. Insect pests can be avoided by pesticides, pest-resistant varieties, and summer ploughing.

Storage of Grains

Proper warehousing of stored grains is important to avoid the degradation of stored grains by insects, rodents, fungi, mites, bacteria, and various abiotic factors. These variables contribute to a decrease in quality, weight loss, poor germinability, and discolouration of produce, all of which lead to a decrease in marketability. Proper drying in the sun and then in the shade, as well as fumigation with pest-killing chemicals, are the preventive and control measures.

Animal Husbandry

Cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, and fish are used to fulfil food demand through meat, milk, and eggs; therefore, efficiency in animal husbandry of these animals must be a priority. Demand for milk, eggs, and meat is directly proportional to income level.

Cattle Farming

Cattles are used for milk and for assisting in agricultural work such as tilling, irrigation, and carting. Bos indicus (cows) and Bos bubalis (buffaloes) are two species of Indian cattle. Milch animals are dairy females who produce milk, whereas draught animals are those who are used for farm labour. Increase in milk production results in increased milk output. Crossbreeding is done between foreign breeds (Jersey, Brown Swiss) with long lactation periods; and local breeds (Red Sindhi, Sahiwal) that show disease resistance to get animals with both characteristics.

Hygienic conditions must be ensured for cattle as well as handlers. Shelters have to be well ventilated and roofed sheds to safeguard them from rain, heat, and cold. Keeping a slope on the floor helps to maintain a dry floor and facilitates cleaning. Dairy animals have two sorts of food requirements: (a) maintenance, which is the food necessary to keep the animal nourished, and (b) milk-producing, which is the type of food required during the lactation phase. Fibres, as well as a significant number of proteins and other nutrients, are included in the animal feed.

Poultry Farming

Poultry birds are raised for meat and eggs. Improved poultry breeds are obtained from cross breeding Indian (Aseel) and exotic (Leghorn) breeds. Desirable traits for which cross-breeding is performed are increased number and quality of chicks, dwarf broiler parents, tolerance to high temperature, low maintenance requirements, and smaller sized egg-laying birds.

Egg and Broiler Production

Broilers are fed a diet rich in vitamins for better growth and nutritional efficiency. Feathering is avoided in them. Optimum temperature and hygienic conditions must be maintained in the poultry farm. Boilers are fed with a protein- and fat-rich diet. The content of vitamins A and K is high in the diet for egg layers.

Fish Production

Fish are an important protein source. There are two ways to get fish: one is through natural resources, i.e., capture fishing, and another way is to raise fish, which is called culture fishing.

Marine Fisheries

Pomphret, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and Bombay duck are some of the popular marine fish varieties in India. Finned fishes like mullets, bhetki, and pearl spots, shellfish such as prawns, mussels, and oysters have high economic value and are often grown in seawater. Increasing demand for fisheries is met by mariculture, i.e., culturing of fishes.

Inland Fisheries

Fishes from freshwater (rivers, reservoirs, canals, ponds) and brackish water (estuaries, lagoons) are included under inland fishes. Aquaculture generally dominates over capture fishing; this is done to meet the high demand of inland fishes. Small fishes are often cultured in rice field water to serve as an additional source of food/income for farmers. To solve the problem of scarcity of good quality fish seeds, a method for growing these fish with hormonal stimulation has now been adopted. This has ensured the supply of pure fish seed in desired quantities.

Bee-keeping

Honey bees are kept for honey. Because beekeeping requires less investment, farmers use it as a revenue-generating business. In addition to honey, bees also produce wax, which is used to prepare various medicines. Apis cerana (Indian bee), A. dorsata (rock bee) and A. florae (little bee) are local varieties commercially used for honey production.

A. mellifera (Italian bee) is commonly used for commercial honey production. It has a high honey collection capacity, stings less, stays in the given beehive for long periods, and breeds very well. The pasturage, or flowers available to the bees for nectar and pollen collection, determines the quality of honey. The type of flowers available, in addition to a suitable supply of pasturage, will affect the honey's flavour.

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Significance of NCERT Notes for Class 9 Science, Chapter 15

Improvement of food resources class 9 notes will be useful in revising the chapter and getting a sense of the key issues discussed. This NCERT class 9 science chapter 15 notes may also be used to cover the important concepts of the CBSE science syllabus in class 9 as well as for competitive examinations such as NEET and NTSE.

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