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Introduction
Man is an omnivore. He depends on both plants and animals for food. We know that crops are a major source of food.
Livestock
Livestock refers to all domestic animals that are used to produce food and other valuable products for man. It includes cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and pigs. Livestock may be milk producing or meat providing.
Buffaloes
Buffaloes are reared in large numbers in India. There are more than ten different breeds of buffaloes in India.
Milch Animal Management
Most zebu cattle (domesticated cattle, Bos indicus) are resistant to Rinderpest. This disease has been controlled through a National Vaccination Programme.
Milch Animal Management - Continued
Indigenous dairy breeds produce 6-8 litres of milk a day where as foreign exotic breeds produce 60 litres of milk a day.
Meat Producing Livestock
Besides cows, the goat, sheep and pig also provide meat. Goat meat is more popular than meat of sheep and pig.
Poultry
Poultry includes all domestic birds - chicken, ducks, geese and turkey. They are reared for their meat and eggs.
Fish Farming
Fish is a source of high quality animal protein and a rich source of minerals like calcium, phosphorus and iron. India abounds in fish, both fresh water and marine.
Human Dependence on Plants and Animals for Food
Animals are heterotrophs i.e. they are incapable of synthesizing their own food. They depend on plants and other animals for food. Man also being a heterotroph, gets his food from plants as well as animals.
Crop Production
Plant responses to soil conditions and atmospheric environment must be exploited to the maximum to produce a high yield per unit area of land.
Nutrients
The nutrients required by plants for their healthy growth are 16 in number. They are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, molybdenum and chlorine.
Fertilizers
Constant use of the soil leads to the loss of its important nutrients particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and thus the soil loses its fertility.
Chemical Fertilizers
Chemical fertilizers contain a higher amount of nutrients as against manures and so are used in very small quantities.
Water
India has 12 major river basins and 8 composite river basins that form the surface water resource. Besides, the ground water also adds to the total water resource.
Protection of Crops
Certain preventive measures can be adopted to protect crops from weeds, insects, mites, rodents and fungi.
Scientific Storage of Grains
Besides crop production, good crop management involves storage of grains before distribution. During storage, grains and seeds are subjected to spoilage by various agencies.
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainability means keeping an effort going continuously, or the ability to last out and keep from falling.
Mixed Farming
While modern day farmers specialize in one agricultural sector, either dairy or growing potatoes, their predecessors kept a wide array of farm animals and planted many different kinds of field crops.
Mixed Cropping
Mixed cropping is growing of two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land.
Crop Rotation
The growing of different kinds of crops on a piece of land in a preplanned succession is known as crop rotation.
Varietal Improvement
There are several varieties of rice available in the market. Similarly, there are many varieties of mangoes and brinjals. Each variety is unique in its colour, size, shape and taste.
Plant Breeding
Crop production can be improved by breeding new varieties of crops having higher yield. The main aim of plant breeding is to produce new crops superior to the existing ones.
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Multiple Choice Questions
