CBSE Class 9 Science Improvement in Food Resources VBQs

Question. What do we get from cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables?
Answer : Cereals give carbohydrates which provide energy. Pulses give proteins which build our body.
Vegetables and fruits provide vitamins and minerals.

Question. What are the desirable agronomic characteristics for crop improvements?
Answer : The essential agronomic features required for crop improvement are:
• Profuse branching along with tallness in any fodder crop
• Dwarfness in any cereals.

Question. Why should preventive measures and biological control methods be preferred for protecting crops ?
Answer : Diseases in plants are caused by pathogens. To get rid of pathogens, some preventive measures and biological control methods are used as they are simple, economic and minimise pollution without affecting the  soil quality.

Question. Discuss the implications of the following statement: “It is interesting to note that poultry is India’s most efficient converter of low fiber food stuff into highly nutritious animal protein food.”
Answer : The poultry birds are efficient converters of agricultural by products, particularly cheaper fibrous wastes into high quality meat and in providing egg, feathers and nutrient rich manure. So, the given statement is correctly said for the poultry birds.

Question. What are the desirable characters of bee varieties suitable for honey production?
Answer : (i) The variety of bee should yield large amount of honey.
(ii) The bees should stay for a longer period in bee hives
(iii) The bees should not sting much.
(iv) Bee should be disease resistant.

Question. What are the advantages of composite fish culture?
Answer : Advantages of composite fish culture are: (i) In a single fish pond, a combination of 5 or 6 types of fish species can be cultured since they do not compete for food among them.
(ii) Food resource can be completely utilized
(iii) Survival of the fish also increases, (iv) More yield.

Question. What are macro-nutrients and why are they called macro-nutrients?
Answer : Macro-nutrients are the essential elements which are utilized by plants in large quantities. As they are required in large quantities they are called macro-nutrients e.g., carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, etc.

Question. How are fish obtained?
Answer : There are two ways of obtaining fish. One is from natural resources, which is called capture fishing.
The other way is by fish farming, which is called culture fishery.

Question. How do plants get nutrients ?
Answer : Plants get nutrients from air, water and soil. There are, sixteen nutrients essential for the growth of plants. Carbon and Oxygen are supplied by water. The remaining thirteen nutrients are supplied by soil.

Question 6: Compare the use of manures and fertilisers in maintaining soil fertility.
Answer :

Question. Which of the following conditions will give the most benefits? Why?
(a) Farmers use high-quality seeds, do not adopt irrigation or use fertilizers.
(b) Farmers use ordinary seeds, adopt irrigation and use fertilizer.
(c) Farmers use quality seeds, adopt irrigation, use fertilizer and use crop protection measures. (✓)

Question. What factors are responsible for losses of grains during storage ?
Answer : (i) Abiotic factors like moisture (present in food grains), humidity (of air) and temperature.
(ii) Biotic factors like insects, rodents, birds, mites, bacteria and fungi

Question. What management practices are common in dairy and poultry farming?
Answer : (1) Well designed and hygienic shelter.
(2) Proper food is required to get good yield of egg and meat.
(3) Complete protection from diseases causing agents like virus, bacteria or fungi.

Question. Which method is commonly used for improving cattle breeds and why?
Answer : Cross breading is generally the best method adopted for improving the cattle breed quality. In this method, breeding is between two good cattle breed results in a new improved variety of cattle breed or offspring. While breeding, it is taken care to have a good resultant with high yield having resistance to climatic conditions.

Question. How do biotic and abiotic factors affect crop production?
Answer : Two major factors that affect the crop are:
• Biotic factors like insects, rodents, pests, and many more spread the disease and reduce crop production.
• Abiotic factors like humidity, temperature, moisture, wind, rain, flood and many more destroy the crop raised.

Question. What are the differences between broilers and layers and in their management?
Answer : Broilers: The poultry bird raised for meat purpose is called broiler. Broilers feed on protein rich adequate fat food. The level of vitamins A and K is kept high in the poultry feeds.
Layers: The egg laying poultry bird is called layer. The housing, environmental and nutritional requirements of broilers vary from those of egg layers. Layers require proper lightning and enough space.

Question. What is pasturage and how is it related to honey production?
Answer : Pasturage refers to the availability of flowers to the bees for easy accessibility for pollen collection and nectar. Kinds of flowers available will determine the taste of the honey .

Exercise Question-Answers

Question. How do good animal husbandry practices benefit farmers ?
Answer : Good practice of animal husbandry benefits farmers by following ways:
• Yields in good quality cattle.
• Better quality of milk production.
• Use in agriculture for carting, irrigation and tilling.

Question. Explain any one method of crop production which ensures high yield.
Answer : Plant breeding is one of the methods adopted for high yield plant breeding and is implemented to improve the varieties of crops by breeding plants. Plants from various places/areas are picked up with preferred traits and then the process of hybridization or cross-breeding is done among these diversities to get a crop/plant of anticipated characteristic.

Question. What is genetic manipulation? How is it useful in agricultural practices?
Answer : Genetic manipulation is process in which the transfer of genes takes place from one organism to another. Here gene of a particular character is introduced inside the chromosome cell and hence results in a transgenic plant.
Genetic manipulation is useful in developing varieties which have increased yield, better quality, shorter and early maturity period, better adaptability to adverse environmental conditions, well as desirable characteristics.

Question. For increasing production, what is common in poultry, fisheries and bee-keeping ?
Answer : Through cross breeding, the production of poultry, fisheries and bee keeping can be increased.

Question. How do storage grain losses occur?
Answer : The factors responsible for loss of grains during storage are:
• Abiotic factors like moisture (present in food grains), humidity (of air) and temperature.
• Biotic factors like insects, rodents, birds, mites and bacteria.

Question. Why are manure and fertilizers used in fields?
Answer : They are used to ensure good vegetative growth (leaves, branches and flowers), giving rise to healthy plants, that results in high crop production.

Question. What are the benefits of cattle farming?
Answer : Benefits of cattle farming are:
• Cattles are used in agricultural purpose.
• Generation of good quality cattle.
• Milking and meat purpose.
• Skin of cattle is used for leather and wool industry.

Question. How do you differentiate between capture fishing, marine culture, and aquaculture ?
Answer : Capture fishing: It is a technique in which fishes are captured from various sources of natural resources like sea, rives, lake and pond.
Marine culture: culturing of fish in marine fishes like prawns, oyster, bhetki and mullets in marine water for commercial use.
Aquaculture: Involves in culturing of fish in both marine and fresh water.

Question. What are the advantages of inter-cropping and crop rotation ?
Answer : Advantages of using inter-cropping:
1. It helps to maintain soil fertility.
2. It increases productivity per unit area.
3. Save labour and time.
4. Both crops can be easily harvested and processed separately.
Advantages of using crop rotation:
1. It improves the soil fertility.
2. It avoids depletion of a particular nutrient from soil.
3. It minimise pest infestation and diseases.
4. It helps in weed control.
5. It prevents change in the chemical nature of the soil.