Question and Answer:

Question 1.
Explain in brief the role of animal husbandry in human welfare.
Answer:
Animal husbandry is the scientific management and breeding of domestic animals for food and other products. It plays an important role in human welfare by providing milk, meat, eggs, wool, and other animal products. Good animal husbandry practices help meet the growing demand for food of animal origin, improve the quality and quantity of production, and support the livelihood of farmers.

Question 2.
If your family owned a dairy farm, what measures would you undertake to improve the quality and quantity of milk production?
Answer:
Milk yield mainly depends on the quality of breeds on the farm. Therefore, selecting high-yielding and disease-resistant breeds suited to the local climate is very important. To realize their full yield potential, the cattle must be properly housed, provided with clean water, and kept disease-free.

Feeding should be done scientifically, with special emphasis on the quality and quantity of fodder. Strict cleanliness and hygiene must be maintained for the cattle, handlers, and equipment during milking, storage, and transportation of milk and its products.

Regular inspections, proper record keeping, and periodic visits by a veterinary doctor are also essential to ensure high-quality and high-quantity milk production.

Question 3.
What is meant by the term ‘breed? What are the objectives of animal breeding?
Answer:
A breed refers to a group of domestic animals related by descent and similar in general appearance, features, size, and behaviour. All the members of a breed possess similar characteristics like body structure, colour, and milk or meat production capacity.

Objectives of animal breeding:

1. Increased production: To improve the yield of milk, meat, eggs, wool, etc.
2. Better quality: To enhance the quality of animal products.
3. Disease resistance: To produce animals with better resistance to diseases.
4. Adaptability: To develop breeds well adapted to specific environmental conditions.
5. Improved growth rate and fertility: To produce animals with better growth, reproduction, and survival rates.

These objectives help improve both productivity and profitability in animal husbandry.

Question 4.
Name the methods employed in animal breeding. According to you which of the methods is best? Why?
Answer:
The methods employed in animal breeding are:

1. Natural breeding – It includes inbreeding and outbreeding.
2. Artificial breeding – It includes artificial insemination and Multiple Ovulation and Embryo Transfer Technology (MOET).

According to me, artificial insemination is the best method because the semen of a desired male animal can be collected and used to inseminate a large number of females. It helps to improve the breed and increases the rate of successful fertilization.

Question 5.
What is apiculture? How is it important in our lives?
Answer:
Apiculture is the scientific method of rearing and maintenance of honeybees for the production of honey and other products like wax, royal jelly, and propolis.

Importance in our lives:

1. Provides honey, which is a nutritious food and has medicinal value.
2. Produces beeswax, used in cosmetics, polishes, and medicines.
3. Helps in pollination, which increases crop yield.
4. Provides employment and additional income to farmers.

Thus, apiculture is an important agro-based industry that benefits both agriculture and rural economy.

Question 6.
Discuss the role of fishery in enhancement of food production.
Answer:
The fishery is an industry devoted to the catching, processing, and selling of fish, shellfish, and other aquatic animals. A large part of our population depends on fish, fish products, and other aquatic animals such as prawns, crabs, lobsters, and edible oysters for food.

Some common freshwater fishes include Catla, Rohu, and Common carp, while marine fishes include Hilsa, Sardines, Mackerel, and Pomfrets.

To meet the increasing demand for fish and aquatic products, various scientific techniques like aquaculture and pisciculture have been developed. These methods have greatly increased the production of aquatic plants and animals, both in freshwater and marine water, leading to what is known as the ‘Blue Revolution’.

Question 7.
Briefly describe various steps involved in plant breeding.
Answer:
Plant breeding is the purposeful manipulation of plants by crossing different varieties to create desired plant types that are better suited for cultivation, give higher yields, and are disease-resistant.

The steps involved in plant breeding are as follows:

1. Collection of germplasm:
   Collection and preservation of all different wild varieties, species, and relatives of cultivated species. The entire collection of genetic material containing all the diverse alleles for all genes in a crop is called the germplasm collection.
2. Evaluation and selection of parents:
   The germplasm is evaluated to identify plants with desirable combinations of characters.

• In self-pollinated crops, repeated self-pollination is done till superior homozygous genotypes are obtained (pure lines).
• In cross-pollinated crops, superior genotypes are selected and allowed to cross-breed to maintain heterozygosity.

3. Cross hybridization among selected parents:
   Crossing of two or more types of plants is done to bring desirable traits together in the progeny. The process involves selection of parents, emasculation, bagging, tagging, and artificial pollination.
4. Selection and testing of superior recombinants:
   From the progeny of hybrids, plants with the desired combination of characters are selected and self-pollinated for several generations to achieve uniformity (homozygosity).
5. Testing, release, and commercialization of new cultivars:
   The newly selected lines are tested for yield, quality, and disease resistance. After successful evaluation, the improved varieties are released for commercial cultivation.

Question 8.
Explain what is meant by biofortification.
Answer:
Biofortification is the process of breeding crops to increase their nutritional value by enhancing the levels of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and healthier fats. The main aim of biofortification is to improve public health and reduce malnutrition through nutrient-rich food crops.

Question 9.
Which part of the plant is best sulted for making virus-free plants and why?
Answer:
The apical or axillary meristems are best suited for making virus-free plants because these regions are usually free from viruses. This is because viruses do not easily reach or multiply in actively dividing meristematic cells.

Question 10.
What is the major advantage of producing plants by micropropagation?
Answer:
Thousands of plantlets can be produced from a single explant in a short period of time. All the plants produced are genetically identical, disease-free, and show uniform growth.

Question 11.
Find out what the various components of the medium used for propagation of an explant in vitro are?
Answer:
The culture medium used for the propagation of an explant in vitro contains nutrients such as inorganic salts, vitamins, 2–4% sucrose, the amino acid glycine, and growth regulators like auxins and cytokinins. It may also include natural additives like yeast extract, coconut milk, or banana pulp.
The medium can be kept liquid, made semisolid with gelatin, or solidified with agar. These nutrients and growth substances are essential for the growth and development of the explant under sterile conditions.

Question 12.
Name any five hybrid varieties of crop plants which have been developed In India.
Answer:
The following are some hybrid varieties of crop plants developed in India:

1. Himgiri (Wheat) – Resistant to leaf rust, stripe rust, and hill bunt.
2. Pusa Gaurav (Mustard) – Resistant to aphids.
3. Pusa Komal (Cowpea) – Resistant to bacterial blight.
4. Pusa Sadabahar (Chilli) – Resistant to chilli mosaic virus, TMV, and leaf curl.
5. Jaya and Ratna (Rice) – High-yielding semi-dwarf varieties.