Need for Food and Agriculture

  1. Food Components: Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals are essential for growth and health.
    • Sources: Plants (cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables) and animals (milk, meat, eggs).
  2. India’s Challenge:
    • High population (1 billion+) demands more food.
    • Limited cultivable land necessitates enhanced efficiency in crop and livestock production.

Successes and Challenges

  1. Revolutions:
    • Green Revolution: Boosted food grain production.
    • White Revolution: Improved milk yield.
  2. Sustainability Issue:
    • Intensive resource usage harms the environment.
    • Need: Sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry practices.
  3. Food Security:
    • Requires availability (adequate production) and access (affordability).
    • Solutions: Increase agricultural incomes, adopt mixed and integrated farming (e.g., crop-livestock-beekeeping).

Improving Crop Yields

  1. Types of Food Crops:
    • Cereals: Wheat, rice (carbohydrates).
    • Pulses: Gram, lentils (protein).
    • Oilseeds: Soybean, mustard (fats).
    • Fruits and Vegetables: Rich in vitamins and minerals.
    • Fodder Crops: Berseem, oats (livestock feed).
  2. Seasonal Crops:
    • Kharif (June–October): Rice, maize.
    • Rabi (November–April): Wheat, gram.
  3. Strategies:
    • Crop Variety Improvement:
      • Hybridization: Intervarietal, interspecific, intergeneric.
      • Genetically modified crops for higher yield, stress resistance, and better quality.
      • Desirable traits: Early maturity, wider adaptability, agronomic suitability (e.g., dwarf cereals).
    • Crop Production Management:
      • Inputs: Nutrients, irrigation, cropping patterns (mixed cropping, intercropping, crop rotation).
      • Manures and fertilizers enhance soil fertility and yield.

Nutrient Management

  1. Sources:
    • Air: Carbon, oxygen.
    • Water: Hydrogen.
    • Soil: Macro (N, P, K) and micro (Zn, Fe) nutrients.
  2. Manure:
    • Types: Compost, vermicompost, green manure.
    • Benefits: Improves soil structure, water retention, and organic content.
  3. Fertilizers:
    • Supply N, P, K for high yields.
    • Excess use harms soil fertility and water bodies.

Irrigation Techniques

  1. Methods:
    • Wells: Dug or tube wells.
    • Canals: Extensive irrigation networks.
    • Tanks: Small reservoirs for water storage.
    • Rainwater Harvesting: Enhances groundwater.
  2. Water-Related Issues:
    • Drought-resistant crop varieties are crucial for areas with scarce rainfall.

Cropping Patterns

  1. Mixed Cropping:
    • Growing two crops simultaneously (e.g., wheat + gram).
    • Reduces risks of crop failure.
  2. Intercropping:
    • Alternating rows of different crops (e.g., soybean + maize).
    • Maximizes resource use and reduces pest spread.
  3. Crop Rotation:
    • Growing crops in a planned sequence.
    • Maintains soil fertility and ensures multiple harvests.

Crop Protection Management

  1. Threats:
    • Weeds: Compete for resources (e.g., Parthenium).
    • Insect Pests: Damage crops by cutting roots, sucking sap, or boring stems.
    • Diseases: Caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
  2. Control Methods:
    • Chemicals: Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides (limited use to avoid pollution).
    • Mechanical: Weed removal, proper seedbed preparation.
    • Preventive: Resistant varieties, summer plowing.

Organic Farming

  • Avoids synthetic chemicals.
  • Relies on natural inputs like biofertilizers (e.g., neem leaves, blue-green algae) and biological pest control.

STORAGE OF GRAINS

  • Storage Losses: Grains often face losses due to:
    • Biotic factors: Insects, rodents, fungi, mites, and bacteria.
    • Abiotic factors: Improper moisture and temperature during storage.
  • Effects of Losses:
    • Decreased quality and weight.
    • Reduced germination ability.
    • Discoloration leading to poor market value.
  • Prevention Measures:
    • Cleaning: Thorough cleaning of grains before storage.
    • Drying: Sun-drying followed by shade-drying to reduce moisture.
    • Fumigation: Use of chemicals to kill pests.
  • Systematic Management:
    • Proper treatment and maintaining storage conditions in warehouses help control losses.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

  • Definition: Scientific management of livestock for feeding, breeding, and disease control.
  • Types:
    • Cattle, goat, sheep, poultry, and fish farming.
  • Importance:
    • Rising demand for milk, eggs, and meat due to population growth and improved living standards.
    • Need for humane livestock treatment to balance ethical and productivity concerns.

Cattle Farming

  1. Purposes:
    • Milk production (Milch animals).
    • Agricultural labor (Draught animals).
  2. Cattle Types:
    • Indian species: Bos indicus (cows) and Bos bubalis (buffaloes).
  3. Milk Production:
    • Depends on the lactation period (milk-producing phase after calving).
    • Improved through cross-breeding:
      • Exotic breeds: Long lactation periods (e.g., Jersey, Brown Swiss).
      • Indian breeds: Disease resistance (e.g., Red Sindhi, Sahiwal).
  4. Animal Care:
    • Shelter: Ventilated sheds, sloped floors for cleanliness.
    • Food:
      • Roughage: High in fiber.
      • Concentrates: Rich in proteins and nutrients.
      • Balanced Diet: Ensures proper growth and milk output.
  5. Disease Management:
    • Diseases caused by parasites (internal and external), bacteria, and viruses.
    • Regular vaccinations are crucial for preventing infections.

Poultry Farming

  1. Purpose:
    • Layers: For eggs.
    • Broilers: For meat.
  2. Breeding:
    • Cross-breeding between Indian (e.g., Aseel) and foreign (e.g., Leghorn) breeds for:
      • High egg and chick production.
      • Heat tolerance.
      • Efficient use of cheap diets.
  3. Care:
    • Cleanliness and regular disinfection.
    • High-protein and vitamin-rich feed (especially vitamins A and K).
    • Vaccination to prevent diseases.
  4. Broilers vs. Layers:
    • Broilers: Protein-rich feed, raised for meat.
    • Layers: Balanced diet for consistent egg production.

Fish Production

  1. Sources:
    • Capture fishing: Natural resources like seas and rivers.
    • Culture fishery: Fish farming in controlled environments.
  2. Marine Fisheries:
    • Resources include a long coastline and deep seas.
    • Popular fish: Tuna, pomfret, sardines, and prawns.
    • Mariculture: Farming high-value species like mullets and oysters.
  3. Inland Fisheries:
    • Freshwater sources: Ponds, rivers, and reservoirs.
    • Composite Fish Culture:
      • Multiple fish species in one pond to avoid competition.
      • Example: Catla (surface feeder), Rohu (middle-zone feeder), Grass Carp (weed eater).
    • Challenges:
      • Breeding only in monsoons.
      • Solutions: Hormonal stimulation to ensure year-round breeding.

Bee-Keeping

  1. Purpose:
    • Honey and wax production.
    • An additional income source for farmers.
  2. Common Bees:
    • Indian bee (Apis cerana indica), rock bee (A. dorsata), little bee (A. florea).
    • Italian bee (A. mellifera): High honey yield, less aggressive.
  3. Factors Affecting Honey Quality:
    • Pasturage: The type and quantity of flowers available for nectar collection.
    • Determines taste and quality of honey.

Key Concepts for Competitive Exams

  • Macro and Micro Nutrients: Plants need macronutrients (large amounts) and micronutrients (small amounts).
  • Farming Types:
    • Organic farming avoids chemicals.
    • Mixed farming integrates crops and livestock.
    • Mixed cropping involves growing multiple crops together.
    • Crop rotation ensures soil health by changing crops in sequence.
  • Animal Feed:
    • Roughage vs. Concentrates.
    • Importance of micronutrients in cattle feed.
  • Fish Farming:
    • Marine vs. Inland fisheries.
    • Advantages of composite fish culture.
  • Bee-Keeping:
    • Traits of high-yielding bee varieties.
    • Relationship between pasturage and honey production.

THESE ALL ARE THE NOTES OF CHAPTER 12 SCIENCE. AND AFTER SOME TIME YOU GET IMPORTANT QUESTIONS HERE. *#THANKS FOR VISITING, VISIT AGAIN#* 😊