NCERT Book Class 12 Biology Strategies For Enhancement in Food Reproduction

STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCEMENT IN FOOD PRODUCTION

With ever -increasing population of the world, enhancement of food production is a major necessity.Biological principles as applied to animal husbandry and plant breeding have a major role in our efforts to increase food production. Several new techniques like embryo transfer technology and tissue culture techniques are going to play a pivotal role in further enhancing food production.

9.1 ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock. As such it is a vital skill for farmers and is as much science as it is art. Animal husbandry deals with the care and breeding of livestock like buffaloes, cows, pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, camels, goats, etc., that are useful to humans. Extended, it includes poultry farming and fisheries. Fisheries include rearing, catching, selling, etc., of fish, molluscs (shell-fish) and crustaceans (prawns, crabs, etc.). Since time immemorial, animals like bees, silk-worm, prawns, crabs, fishes, birds, pigs, cattle, sheep and camels have been used by humans for products like milk, eggs, meat, wool, silk, honey, etc.

It is estimated that more then 70 per cent of the world livestock population is in India and China. However, it is  surprising to note that the contribution to the world farm produce is only 25 per cent, i.e., the productivity per unit is very low. Hence, in addition to conventional practices of animal breeding and care, newer technologies also have to be applied to achieve improvement in quality and productivity.

9.1.1 Management of Farms and Farm Animals 

A professional approach to what have been traditional practices of farm management gives the much needed boost to our food production. Let us discuss some of the management procedures, employed in various animal farm systems.

 9.1.1.1 Dairy Farm Management

Dairying is the management of animals for milk and its products for human consumption. Can you list the animals that you would expect to find in a dairy? What are different kinds of products that can be made with milk from a dairy farm? In dairy farm management, we dealwith processes and systems that increase yield and improve quality of milk. Milk yield is primarily dependent on the quality of breeds in thefarm. Selection of good breeds having high yielding potential (under the climatic conditions of the area), combined with resistance to diseases is very important. For the yield potential to be realised the cattle have to be well looked after – they have to be housed well, should have adequate water and be maintained disease free.

The feeding of cattle should be carried out in a scientific manner – with special emphasis on the quality and quantity of fodder. Besides, stringent cleanliness and hygiene (both of the cattle and the handlers) are of paramount importance while milking, storage and transport of the milk and its products. Nowadays, of course, much of these processes have become mechanised, which reduces chance of direct contact of the produce with the handler. Ensuring these stringent measures would of course, require regular inspections, with proper record keeping. It would also help to identify and rectify the problems as early as possible. Regular visits by a veterinary doctor would be mandatory. You would probably find it interesting if you were to prepare a questionnaire on diverse aspects of dairy keeping and then follow it up with a visit to a dairy farm in your locality and seek answers to the questions.

9.1.1.2 Poultry Farm Management

Poultry is the class of domesticated fowl (birds) used for food or for their eggs. They typically include chicken and ducks, and sometimes turkey and geese. The word poultry is often used to refer to the meat of only these birds, but in a more general sense it may refer to the meat of other birds too. As in dairy farming, selection of disease free and suitable breeds, proper and safe farm conditions, proper feed and water, and hygiene and health care are important components of poultry farm management.

EXERCISES

1. Explain in brief the role of animal husbandry in human welfare.

2. If your family owned a dairy farm, what measures would you undertake

to improve the quality and quantity of milk production?

3. What is meant by the term ‘breed’? What are the objectives of animal breeding?

4. Name the methods employed in animal breeding. According to you which of the methods is best? Why ?

5. What is apiculture? How is it important in our lives?

6. Discuss the role of fishery in enhancement of food production.

7. Briefly describe various steps involved in plant breeding.

8. Explain what is meant by biofortification.

9. Which part of the plant is best suited for making virus-free plants and why?

10. What is the major advantage of producing plants by micropropagation?

11. Find out what the various components of the medium used for propagation of an explant in vitro are?

12. Name any five hybrid varieties of crop plants which have been developed in India.

SUMMARY

Animal husbandry is the practice of taking care and breeding domestic animals by applying scientific principles. The ever-increasing demand of food from animals and animal products both in terms of quality andquantity has been met by good animal husbandry practices. These practices include (i) management of farm and farm animals, and (ii)animal breeding. In view of the high nutritive value of honey and its medicinal importance, there has been a remarkable growth in the practice of bee-keeping or apiculture.

Fishery is another flourishing industry meeting the ever-increasing demand for fish, fish products and other aquatic foods. Plant breeding may be used to create varieties, which are resistant to pathogens and to insect pests. This increases the yield of the food. This method has also been used to increase the protein content of the plant foods and thereby enhance the quality of food. In India, severalvarieties of different crop plants have been produced. All these measures enhance the production of food. Techniques of tissue culture and somatic hybridisation offer vast potential for manipulation of plants in vitro to produce new varieties.

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