Important Question Improvement in Food Resources Chapter 12 Science Class 9 CBSE Board

Important Questions For All Chapters – Science Class 9

Short Questions

1. What are the three main factors necessary to increase crop yield?
Answer: The three main factors are crop variety improvement, crop production improvement, and crop protection management.

2. What are macro-nutrients?
Answer: Nutrients required by plants in large quantities such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur are called macro-nutrients.

3. What is composting?
Answer: Composting is the process in which farm waste like cow dung, vegetable waste, and straw are decomposed in pits to form compost rich in organic matter and nutrients.

4. What are kharif crops?
Answer: Crops grown in the rainy season (June to October) are called kharif crops, e.g., paddy, maize, and soyabean.

5. What is intercropping?
Answer: Intercropping is growing two or more crops simultaneously in a definite row pattern on the same field to use nutrients efficiently.

6. What is animal husbandry?
Answer: Animal husbandry is the scientific management of animal livestock including feeding, breeding, and disease control.

7. Name two examples of marine fish.
Answer: Pomphret and tuna are examples of marine fish.

8. What is pasturage in bee-keeping?
Answer: Pasturage refers to the flowers available to bees for nectar and pollen collection, which affect the quality and taste of honey.

9. What are biotic and abiotic factors?
Answer: Biotic factors include diseases, insects, and nematodes, while abiotic factors include drought, salinity, and frost that affect crop production.

10. What are broilers and layers?
Answer: Broilers are poultry birds raised for meat, while layers are raised for egg production.

Long Questions

1. Explain the need for sustainable practices in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Answer: India’s population is growing rapidly, and food demand is increasing. Intensive use of natural resources for high production can cause environmental damage. Therefore, sustainable practices like mixed farming, intercropping, and integrated farming should be used to increase yield without harming natural resources and to maintain ecological balance.

2. What are the major objectives of crop variety improvement?
Answer: The main objectives include:

• Higher yield for more productivity.
• Improved quality for better food products.
• Resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Shorter maturity duration for multiple cropping.
• Wider adaptability for various climatic conditions.
• Desirable agronomic characteristics such as dwarfness in cereals and tallness in fodder crops.

3. What is manure? Explain its types and advantages.
Answer: Manure is organic matter obtained from decomposed animal excreta and plant waste.

Types:

1. Compost and Vermi-compost – Prepared by decomposition with or without earthworms.
2. Green manure – Green plants like sun hemp are ploughed into soil to enrich it.
   Advantages: Improves soil structure, increases water-holding capacity, and adds nutrients without polluting the environment.

4. Compare manure and fertilizers.
Answer: 

• Manure is organic, while fertilizers are inorganic and commercially made.
• Manure adds humus and improves soil texture, while fertilizers give specific nutrients quickly.
• Manure is eco-friendly; excessive fertilizer use may reduce soil fertility and cause water pollution.
  Thus, manure provides long-term benefits, while fertilizers give short-term higher yields.

5. Describe different irrigation systems used in India.
Answer: The main irrigation systems are:

1. Wells – Dug wells and tube wells draw water using pumps.
2. Canals – Water from rivers or reservoirs is distributed through branch canals.
3. River Lift Systems – Water is directly drawn from rivers for irrigation.
4. Tanks – Small reservoirs storing rainwater.
   Modern practices include rainwater harvesting and watershed management to conserve water.

6. Explain various cropping patterns.
Answer: 

• Mixed cropping: Growing two or more crops on the same land to reduce risk.
• Intercropping: Alternating rows of different crops to utilize nutrients efficiently.
• Crop rotation: Growing different crops in sequence to maintain soil fertility and allow multiple harvests per year.

7. What is crop protection management?
Answer:  It includes protecting crops from weeds, insects, and diseases using preventive measures like intercropping, crop rotation, mechanical removal, and resistant varieties. Chemical methods involve using herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, but they must be used carefully to avoid pollution and health hazards.

8. What are the major causes of grain loss during storage and how can they be prevented?
Answer: Losses occur due to insects, rodents, fungi, and inappropriate moisture or temperature. Prevention includes cleaning and drying grains before storage, using fumigation, and keeping warehouses clean and well-managed.

9. What is cattle farming? Explain its importance and requirements.
Answer: Cattle farming involves rearing cows and buffaloes for milk and farm labour.

• Importance: Provides milk, draught power, and income.
• Requirements: Clean shelters, balanced feed (roughage and concentrates), and disease control through vaccinations. Cross-breeding improves milk yield and disease resistance.

10. Explain poultry farming and its management practices.
Answer: Poultry farming raises domestic fowls for eggs and meat. Management includes:

• Clean housing and good ventilation.
• Balanced diet with protein, vitamins A and K.
• Proper vaccination against diseases.
  Cross-breeding between Indian and foreign breeds improves egg quality and heat tolerance.

11. Describe fish production and its two main methods.
Answer: 

• Capture fishing: Obtaining fish from natural resources like rivers and seas.
• Culture fishery (aquaculture): Breeding and rearing fish in ponds or controlled water bodies.
  It provides cheap protein food and employment.

12. Explain marine and inland fisheries.
Answer: 

• Marine fisheries: Fishing in seas and oceans using boats and nets. Common fishes are tuna and pomphret.
• Inland fisheries: Fish rearing in fresh water or brackish water bodies like ponds and rivers. Includes composite fish culture, where species with different feeding habits are reared together for higher yield.

13. What are the advantages of composite fish culture?
Answer: It uses different species such as Catla, Rohu, Mrigal, Grass Carp, and Common Carp, each feeding at different pond levels. This prevents food competition, utilizes all pond zones, and increases total fish yield.

14. Explain bee-keeping and its economic importance.
Answer: Bee-keeping (apiculture) involves rearing honey bees like Apis cerana indica and Apis mellifera.
Importance: Produces honey and wax, provides additional income, requires low investment, and enhances pollination in crops. The quality of honey depends on the pasturage available.

15. What are the common features among poultry, fisheries, and bee-keeping in increasing production?
Answer: All three involve scientific management, breeding of improved varieties, balanced feeding, disease control, and proper shelter. They also help increase farmers’ income and provide protein-rich food sources like meat, eggs, fish, and honey.