Chapter 8 Human Food And Food Production Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What is food?
Answer:
Food:
Food is any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.
Food materials consist essentially of protein, carbohydrates, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy.
Question 2. What are cereal crops?
Answer:
Cereal Crops:
Cereal grain is a staple food that provides more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop. Maize, wheat, rice, etc are cereal crops.
Question 3. What is agriculture?
Answer:
Agriculture:
Agriculture is the process of producing food, feeding products, fiber, and other desired products by the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock).
Question 4. What is food processing?
Answer:
Food Processing:
Food processing is the transformation of raw ingredients, by physical or chemical means into food, or of food into other forms.
Food processing combines raw food ingredients to produce marketable food products that can be easily prepared and served by the consumer.
Food processing typically involves activities such as mincing and macerating, liquefaction, emulsification, cooking (such as boiling, broiling, frying, or grilling), pickling and preservation, canning or jarring (primary processing such as dicing or slicing, freezing or drying when leading to secondary products are also included).
Question 5. How the yield from cultivation can be increased?
Answer:
Increase Of yield from cultivation:
Modern agronomy, plant breeding, agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, and technological improvements have sharply increased yields from cultivation.
Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat. Genetically modified organisms are an increasing component of agriculture, although they are banned in several countries.
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Question 6. Name the major agricultural products.
Answer:
Major agricultural products:
The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into food, fibers, fuels, and raw materials. Specific food includes cereals (grains), vegetables, fruits, oils, meats, and spices. Fibers include cotton, wool, hemp, silk, and flax. Raw materials include lumber and bamboo.
Other useful materials are produced by plants, such as resins, dyes, drugs, perfumes, biofuels, and ornamental products such as cut flowers and nursery plants.
Question 7. What is agronomy?
Answer:
Agronomy:
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fiber, and land reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science.
Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology, chemistry, economics, ecology, earth science, and genetics.
Question 8. What is horticulture?
Answer:
Horticulture:
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and non-food crops such as grass and ornamental trees and plants.
It also includes plant conservation, landscape restoration, landscape and garden design, construction, and maintenance.
Question 9. What are crops and livestock?
Answer:
Crops And Livestock:
A crop is any cultivated plant, fungus, or alga that is harvested for food, clothing, livestock fodder, biofuel, medicine, or other uses. In contrast, animals that are raised by humans are called livestock, except those that are kept as pets.
Question 10. What is animal husbandry?
Answer:
Animal Husbandry:
Animal husbandry is the management and care of farm animals by humans for profit, in which genetic qualities and behavior, considered to be advantageous to humans, are further developed.
The term can refer to the practice of selectively breeding and raising livestock to promote desirable traits in animals for utility, sport, pleasure, or research.
Question 11. State the importance of the classification of crop plants.
Answer:
Importance of the classification of crop plants:
- To get acquainted with crops.
- To understand the requirement of soil and water for different crops.
- To know the adaptability of crops.
- To know the growing habit of crops.
Question 12. What are kharif crops and what are rabi crops?
Answer:
Kharif/Rainy/Monsoon crops:
The crops grown in monsoon months from June to Oct-Nov, require warm, wet weather at the major periods of crop growth, and also required short day lengths for flowering, e.g. cotton, rice, jowar, bajara etc.
Rabi/winter/cold seasons crops: Require winter season to grow well from Oct to March month. Crops grow well in cold and dry weather. Require longer day length for flowering, e.g. wheat, gram, sunflower, etc.
Question 13. Write the differences between Kharif crops and rabi crops.
Answer:
Differences between Kharif crops and rabi crops:
| Kharif | Rabi | |
| Season of sowing | Rainy season | Winter season |
| Cultivation period | June to September | October to March |
| Examples of such crops | Paddy, maize and soybeans, pulses, and vegetables are grown during the summer | Wheat, gram, pea, and mustard |
Question 14. What is the preparation of soil for crop cultivation?
Answer:
Preparation of soil for crop cultivation:
The preparation of the soil is the first step before growing a crop. This involves turning the soil and loosening it so that roots can penetrate deep into the soil and also allows the roots to breathe easily.
Loosening of soil helps in the growth of earthworms and microbes which further loosens the soil and also adds humus to it.
Question 15. What is a plow?
Answer:
Plow:
Plough is being used since ancient times for tilling the soil, adding fertilizers to the crop, removing the weeds, scraping of soil, etc.
This implement is made of wood and is drawn by a pair of bulls or other animals (horses, camels, etc.). It contains a strong triangular iron strip called plowshare.
The main part of the plow is a long log of wood which is called a plow shaft. There is a handle at one end of the shaft. The other end is attached to a beam that is placed on the bulls’ necks.
One pair of bulls and a man can easily operate the plow. The indigenous wooden plow is increasingly being replaced by iron plows nowadays.
Question 16. What is a hoe?
Answer:
Hoe:
Hoe is a simple tool that is used for removing weeds and for loosening the soil. It has a long rod of wood or iron. A strong, broad, and bent plate of iron is fixed to one of its ends and works like a blade. It is pulled by animals.
Question 17. How good and damaged seeds for sowing can be identified?
Answer:
Good seeds can be separated from damaged ones by putting them into water. Damaged seeds are hollow and float on the water while good quality, healthy seeds settle at the bottom.
Question 18. What is a seed drill?
Answer:
Seed Drill:
A seed drill is a modern-day tool for sowing seeds and is used with the help of tractors. This tool has an edge over the traditional tool as it sows the seeds uniformly at proper distances and depths. It also covers the seeds with soil after sowing which prevents damage caused by birds. Seed drill saves time and labor.
Question 19. What is manure?
Answer:
Manure:
Manure is an organic substance obtained from the decomposition of plant or animal wastes. Farmers dump plant and animal waste in pits in open places and allow it to decompose. The decomposition is caused by some microorganisms. The decomposed matter is used as organic manure.
Question 20. Why maturing is required for cultivation?
Answer:
Soil supplies mineral nutrients to the crop. These nutrients are essential for the growth of plants. Continuous growing of crops makes the soil poorer in certain nutrients.
Therefore, farmers have to add manure to the fields to replenish the soil with nutrients. This process is called manuring. Improper or insufficient manuring results in weak plants.
Question 21. What are fertilizers?
Answer:
Fertilizers:
Fertilizers are chemical substances that are rich in a particular nutrient. Fertilizers are produced in factories. Some examples of fertilizers are— urea, ammonium sulfate, superphosphate, potash, and NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium).
Question 22. Write the difference between manures and fertilizers.
Answer:
Difference between manures and fertilizers:
| Fertiliser | Manure |
| 1. A fertilizer is an inorganic salt. | Manure is a natural substance obtained by the decomposition of cattle dung, human waste, and plant residues. |
| 2. A fertilizer is prepared in factories. | Manure can be prepared in the fields. |
| 3. A fertilizer does not provide any humus to the soil. | Manure provides a lot of humus to the soil. |
| 4. Fertilisers are very rich in plant nutrients like nitrogen phosphorus and potassium. | Manure is relatively less rich in plant nutrients. |
Question 23. What are the advantages of manures over _ fertilizers?
Answer:
The advantages of manures over _ fertilizers:
Organic manure is considered better than fertilizers. This is because
- It enhances the water-holding capacity of the soil.
- It makes the soil porous which exchange of gases becomes easy.
- It increases the number of friendly microbes.
- It improves the texture of the soil.
Question 24. What is irrigation? What are the sources of irrigation?
Answer:
Irrigation:
The supply of water to crops at different intervals is called irrigation. The sources of irrigation are— wells, tube wells, ponds, lakes, rivers, dams, and canals.
Question 25. What is a sprinkler system of irrigation?
Answer:
Sprinkler system of irrigation:
This system is more useful on uneven land where sufficient water is not available. The perpendicular pipes, having rotating nozzles on top, are joined to the main pipeline at regular intervals.
When water is allowed to flow through the main pipe under pressure with the help of a pump, it escapes from the rotating nozzles. It gets sprinkled on the crop as if it is raining. The sprinkler is very useful for sandy soil.
Question 26. What is a drip system of irrigation?
Answer:
Drip system of irrigation:
In this system, the water falls drop by drop just at the position of the roots. So it is called a drip system. It is the best technique for watering fruit plants, gardens, and trees.
The system provides water to plants drop by drop. Water is not wasted at all. It is a boon in regions where the availability of water is poor.
Question 27. State the importance of weeding.
Answer:
Importance of weeding:
Weeding is necessary since weeds compete with crop plants for water, nutrients, space, and light. Thus, they affect the growth of the crop. Some weeds interfere even in harvesting and may be poisonous for animals and human beings.
Question 28. What is a pest? Give example.
Answer:
Pest:
A pest is a plant or animal detrimental to humans or human concerns (such as agriculture or livestock production). Yellow stem borers are pests of paddy.
Question 29. What is the harvesting of crops?
Answer:
Harvesting of crops:
Harvesting a crop is an important task. The cutting of a crop after it is mature is called harvesting. In harvesting, crops are pulled out or cut close to the ground. It usually takes 3 to 4 months for a cereal crop to mature.
Question 30. What is the storage of crops? How this is done?
Answer:
Storage of crops:
Storage of crops is an important task. If the crop grains are to be kept for a longer time, they should be safe from moisture, insects, rats, and microorganisms. The fresh crop has more moisture.
If freshly harvested grains (seeds) are stored without drying, they may get spoilt or attacked by organisms, losing their germination capacity.
Hence, before storing them, the grains are properly dried in the sun to reduce their moisture in them. This prevents attack by insect pests, bacteria, and fungi.
Farmers store grains in jute bags or metallic bins. However, large-scale storage of grains is done in silos and granaries to protect them from pests like rats and insects.
Question 31. What are the different kinds of rice?
Answer:
Different kinds of rice:
There are four kinds of rice in our country. They are: ayus, aman, boro and IRRI. Ayus is sown in the month of baishakh and reaped in caravan or Bhadra.
Aman is sown in asar or sravan and reaped in agrarian or push. Boro is sown in winter and reaped in spring. IRRI is cultivated all year round.
Question 32. Write about the preparation of fields for paddy cultivation.
Answer:
Preparation of fields for paddy cultivation:
Paddy farmers get their fields ready before the rainy season. The weeds are cleared and the field is plowed by buffaloes or tractors to a depth of a few inches.
Manures and fertilizers are added to the soil. The whole surface is then covered with water of about 2.5 cm. The field is then made ready for receiving seedlings from the nursery.
Question 33. What is rice?
Answer:
Rice:
Rice is a kind of food grain. It is obtained from a plant called paddy. It is a one-time breeding plant. It grows up to two to three feet high. It feeds millions of people in the world. Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa.
Question 34. What is a mango?
Answer:
Mango:
Mango (Mangifera indica) belonging to Family Anacardiaceae is the most important commercially grown fruit crop in the country. Mango is the leading fruit crop of India and is considered to be the king of fruits.
Question 35. Write about the varieties of mango.
Answer:
Varieties of mango:
Though there are nearly 1000 varieties of mango in India, only the following varieties are grown in different states: Alphonso, Bangalore, Banganpalli, Bombai, Bombay Green, Dashehari, Fazli, Fernandin, Himsagar, Kesar, KishenBhog, Langra, Mankhurd, Mulgoa, Neelam, Samarbehist, Chausa, Suvarnarekha, Vanaraj, and Zardalu.
Recently some mango hybrids have been released for cultivation by different Institutes .. / Universities. These are — Mallika, Amrapali, Mangeera, Ratna, Arkaanmol, etc.
Question 36. Write about the irrigation of mango plants.
Answer:
Irrigation of mango plants:
Young plants are watered frequently for proper establishment. In the case of grown-up trees, irrigation at 10 to 15 days intervals from fruit set to maturity is beneficial for improving yield.
Question 37. Write about the North-Eastern Tea Belt of India.
Answer:
North-Eastern Tea Belt of India:
It is more or less a triangular area mainly in Assam and West Bengal. Assam is the largest producer of tea accounting for over 51 percent of the production and over 53 percent of the area under tea cultivation in India.
West Bengal is the second largest producer contributing over 22 percent of India’s tea from about one-fourth of the country’s total area under tea cultivation. The entire tea of West Bengal is produced in three northern districts Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Coochbehar.
Question 38. What is pruning in tea plantations?
Answer:
Pruning in tea plantations:
It basically helps in maintaining the plant as a low bush in a phase of continuous vegetative growth. Pruning both stimulates and controls growth.
It removes dead, diseased, and overage wood, and thus helps rejuvenate bushes that have crossed the period • of maximum productivity.
Question 39. What is meant by tea testing?
Answer:
Tea Testing:
Tea testing is the process in which a trained taster determines the quality of a particular tea. Due to climatic conditions, topography, manufacturing process,
And different clones of the Camellia sinensis plant (tea), the final product may have vastly different flavors and appearances. These differences can be tasted by a trained taster in order to ascertain the quality prior to sale or possibly blending tea.
Question 40. Write the scientific names of honeybees.
Answer:
Scientific names of honeybees:
Four important species of honeybees are as follows.
- The rock bee, Apis dorsata.
- The Indian hive bee, Apis Serena indicia.
- The little bee, Apis florea.
- The European or Italian bee, Apis mellifera.
Question 41. What are the casts of a honeybee colony?
Answer:
Casts of a honeybee colony:
Honeybee is a social insect. The nest of the honey bee is known as a bee hive. A hive in summer consists of 32 to 50 thousand individuals, depending on the locality.
The members of honeybees are of three castes namely the queen bee, the worker bee, and the drone bee. All three types depend on each other for their existence. There is normally one queen, 10,000 to 30,000 workers, and a few hundred drones in a colony.
Question 42. What are the products of a bee hive?
Answer:
Products of a bee hive:
Honey has been treasured as one of the nature’s most perfect food. Other than honey, the products such as bee wax, bee venom, propolis, royal jelly, and pollen are obtained as bee-hive products.
Question 43. What is mariculture?
Answer:
Mariculture:
Mariculture involves the cultivation of only marine organism, unlike any aquatic organism. This is the method of fish farming which is done usually on a very broader scale by forming an enclosed section of the ocean.
Question 44. What is capture fishery?
Answer:
Capture fishery:
The process of obtaining fish from natural resources like lakes, rivers, ponds, etc. is called capture fishing. Capture fisheries are the exploitation of aquatic organisms without stocking the seed.
Recruitment of the species occurs naturally. This is carried out in the sea, rivers, reservoirs, etc. Fish yield decreases gradually in capture fisheries due to indiscriminate catching of fish including brooders and juveniles.
Question 45. What is culture fishery?
Answer:
Culture Fishery:
The production of fish in a given body of water such as ponds, lakes or reservoirs using scientific methods of feeding, breeding, etc., so as to enhance the output is called culture fishing.
A culture fishery is the cultivation of selected fishes in confined areas with utmost care to get maximum yield. The seed is stocked, nursed, and reared in confined waters, and then the crop is harvested.
Culture takes place in ponds, which are fertilized, and supplementary feeds are provided to fish to get maximum yield. In order to overcome the problems found in capture fisheries to increase production, considerable attention is given to cultural fisheries.
Question 46. What is an inland fishery?
Answer:
Inland fishery:
Inland waters are aquatic-influenced environments located within land boundaries. This includes those located in coastal areas, even those adjacent to marine environments.
Inland water systems can be fresh, saline, or a mix of the two (brackish water). Inland resources comprise rivers and canals, estuaries, floodplains, wetlands, latfbons, and reservoirs.
While the marine water bodies are used mainly for capturing fisheries resources, the inland water bodies are widely used both for culture and capture fisheries.
Question 47. What are nursery ponds?
Answer:
Nursery ponds:
Nursery ponds are constructed to rear carp fry or larvae. A normal sized nursery pond measures 5 x 10 m, with a depth of 0.5 m. Before filling up the water the pond should be cleaned thoroughly to get rid of predators and parasites that may be destructive to the larvae. About 1,500 to 3,000 fries can be stocked in the nursery pond.
Question 48. What is poultry farming?
Answer:
Poultry farming:
Poultry farming is the raising of domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese, for the purpose of farming meat or eggs for food. Poultry is farmed in great numbers with chickens being the most numerous.
Question 49. What are broilers?
Answer:
Broilers:
A young bird of either sex, usually of meat-type breeds up to 8-10 weeks of age and weighing 1.5-2.5kg. The term broiler is applied to chicks that have especially been bred for rapid growth.
- Broiler strains are based on hybrid crosses between Cornish White, New Hampshire, and White Plymouth Rock. In broiler production there are two main production phases:
- keeping of parent stock and production of day-old-chicken and
- growing and finishing of broilers.
Question 50. What are layers in poultry?
Answer:
Layers in poultry:
Layers are efficient egg producers. Breeds used for egg production in the industrial production system are almost entirely based on the White Leghorn and Rhode Island Red.
Selection and crossbreeding techniques have resulted in productive laying hens producing 15 – 19 kg of eggs per year. In layer production, sometimes two phases of production are recognized: (1) the growing phase up to approximately 140 days; and (2) the productive phase from 140 – 560 days.
Question 51. Classify fowl breeds according to their utility.
Answer:
Fowl breeds are of the following three types, according to their utility-
Laying breed: They lay about 220 or more eggs per year. Example- Leghorn
Table breed or Meat breed: They produce a good amount of flesh. Examples- Aseel, Cochin, etc.
Dual breed: They produce both egg and flesh in moderately good amounts. Example-Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire, etc.
Question 52. Classify fowl breeds according to their brood ness.
Answer:
Fowl breeds are of the following two types, according to their broodiness-
Sitter: They sit on their eggs i.e., the mother incubates the eggs. Examples- Brahma, Aseel, etc.
Non-sitter: The mothers do not sit on their eggs. Eggs are generally incubated in artificial incubator machines. Examples- Leghorn, Minorca, etc.
Question 53. Write the advantages of the deep litter system of poultry farming.
Answer:
Advantages of the deep litter system of poultry farming:
- It is economical.
- Hygienic, comfortable, and safe for birds.
- Controls diseases and vices.
- It increases the efficiency of production.
Materials such as paddy husks saw dust, dried leaves, chopped straw, and groundnut kernels depending upon the availability can be used as litter materials.
Question 54. Write the nutritional value of a poultry egg.
Answer:
Nutritional value of a poultry egg:
- Contains one of the highest quality proteins of any food.
- A large egg contains about 70 calories and 6 grams of protein.
- A single egg contains 13 essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, etc.
- Egg proteins contain time-release energy which helps maintain blood glucose levels and makes people feel full and energized longer.
Question 55. Write the differences between major carp and minor craps.
Answer:
The differences between major carp and minor craps:
| Major carp | Minor carp |
| 1. Relatively large in size (90-120cm). | 1. Relatively small in size (10-30cm). |
| 2. Higher growth rate. | 2. Lower growth rate. |
| 3. The number of scales along the lateral line is more than 35. | 3. The number of scales along the lateral line is 26-35. |
| 4. Economically more important. | 4. Economically less important. |
Question 56. Mention the precautions that need to be taken while sowing the seeds.
Answer:
The following precautions should be taken while sowing seeds in the soil:
- The seeds should be sown at the right depth in the soil suitable for germination.
- The seeds should be sown at the right intervals or spacings.
- The seeds should never be sown in dry soil.
- The seeds should not be sown in highly wet soil.
Question 57. Excessive use of fertilizers is harmful to the soil-explain.
Answer:
Excessive use of fertilizers is harmful due to the following reasons:
Excessive use of fertilizers changes the chemical nature of the soil and makes the soil less fertile. Excessive use of fertiliser can turn soil highly acidic or alkaline.
The excessive use of fertilizers causes water pollution in ponds, lakes, rivers, etc.
Question 58. Mention the advantages of crop rotation. Rotation of crop has the following advantages:
Answer:
Advantages of crop rotation:
It improves the fertility of the soil by replenishing it with nitrogen and hence brings about an increase in the production of food grain. The rotation of crops saves a lot of nitrogenous fertilizers.
Question 59. Why is irrigation necessary for agriculture?
Answer:
- Irrigation is necessary because-
- Irrigation before plowing makes the soil soft which makes plowing easier.
- It is necessary to provide moisture for the germination of seeds.
- Water is necessary for healthy crop growth and for the absorption of nutrients.
Question 60. What are the economic utilities of exotic breeds of poultry?
Answer:
Economic utilities:
- Exotic breeds are good layers of large-sized eggs.
- They yield more meat or flesh.
- They heed less feed for maintenance.
Question 61. What is the nutritional value of mango?
Answer:
Nutritional value of mango:
Mango contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, flavonoids, and minerals like Ca, P. Fe, etc. It also contains vitamins A, B, C, E, and K in good quantities. It treats skin pores and adds a glow to the skin.
Question 62. Give a word diagram of the life cycle of the honeybee
Answer:
Life cycle of the honeybee:
