Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production

(a) The shift from grain to meat diets creates more demands for cereals. Why?
(b) A 250 kg cow produces 200 g of protein per day but 250 g of Methylophillusmethylotrophus can produce 25 tonnes of protein Name this emerging area of research. Explain its benefits.

Solution: (a) We know that an organism at a specific trophic level consumes 90% of the biomass it consumes for its own needs, leaving just 10% for the creature at the next trophic level. So, to...

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Lifestyle diseases are increasing alarmingly in India. We are also dealing with large scale malnutrition in the population. Is there any method by which we can address both of these problems together?

Solution: Adopting nutritious foods can help prevent both malnutrition and lifestyle problems. As part of an overall healthy diet, eating a diet high in various vegetables and fruits may protect...

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You are planning to set up a Dairy Farm. Describe the various aspects you would consider before you start the venture. Solution: Before launching the business, keep the following factors in mind:

(i) Breed Selection: The breed should be capable of producing a high milk output. It should be able to fend off a variety of ailments. (ii) Cattle shed construction: Cattle sheds should be well...

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A few statements are given below followed by a set of terms in a box. Pick the correct term and write it against the appropriate statement
a. Mating of closely related individuals within the same breed

b. Mating of animals of the same breed but having no common ancestors on either side for 4-6 generations

c. Mating of animals of two different species

d. Breeding of animals belonging to different breeds

(i) Crossbreeding, (ii) Inter-specific hybridization, (iii) Outbreeding, (iv) Outcrossing, (v) Inbreeding

Solution: a) Mating of closely related individuals within the same breed - v) inbreeding b) Mating of animals of the same breed but with no common ancestors on either side for at least 4-6...

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Given below are a few statements regarding somatic hybridization. Choose the correct statements.
(i) protoplasts of different cells of the same plant are fused

(ii) protoplasts from cells of different species can be fused

(iii) treatment of cells with cellulase and pectinase is mandatory

(iv) the hybrid protoplast contains characters of only one parental protoplast.

a. (i) and (iii)

b. (i) and (ii)

c. (i) and (iv)

d. (ii) and (iii)

Solution: Somatic hybridization is a technique for manipulating cellular genomes by fusing protoplasts from different species. Treatment of cells with digesting enzymes can be used to isolate their...

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Use of certain chemicals and radiation to change the base sequences of genes of crop plants are termed:
a. recombinant DNA technology

b. transgenic mechanism

c. mutation breeding

d. gene therapy.

Solution: Mutation breeding is the technique of exposing seeds to chemicals and radiation to create mutants with desirable qualities that may be bred with other growers. The base sequence of genes...

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Fungicides and antibiotics are chemicals that:
a. enhance yield and disease resistance

b. kill pathogenic fungi and bacteria, respectively

c. kill all pathogenic microbes

d. kill pathogenic bacteria and fungi respectively.

Solution: Biocidal chemical substances known as fungicides are used to kill parasitic fungi or their spores. They stop pathogenic fungi from growing and causing major damage to crops. Antibiotics...

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Which one of the following combination would a sugarcane farmer look for in the sugarcane crop?
a. Thick stem, long internodes, high sugar content and disease resistant

b. Thick stem, high sugar content and profuse flowering

c. Thick stem, short internodes, high sugar content, disease-resistant

d. Thick stem, low sugar, content, disease-resistant

Solution: Saccharum barberi is sugarcane that is grown in north India, but it has a low sugar content and yield. Saccharum officinarum, on the other hand, was grown in south India and has thick...

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Several South Indian states raise 2-3 crops of rice annually. The agronomic feature that makes this possible is because of
a. shorter rice plant

b. better irrigation facilities

c. early yielding rice variety

d. disease-resistant rice variety

Solution: Rice is grown in some South Indian states twice a year. This is owing to the development of improved rice varieties with increased nutritious content and higher annual yields. Golden rice...

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In virus-infected plants, the meristematic tissues in both apical and axillary buds are free of the virus because:
a. the dividing cells are virus-resistant

b. meristems have anti-viral compounds

c. the cell division of meristems is faster than the rate of viral multiplication

d. Viruses cannot multiply within the meristem cell (s).

Solution: The meristematic tissues are virus-free because virus spread in plant tissue does not keep up with meristem growth, which means meristem growth outpaces viral multiplication. Since they...

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