Class: IX Subject: Science No.

of periods: 2
Chapter: Improvement in food Resources
Date: 1st & 2nd August 2017
Teaching Aids: Textbook (NCERT), Reference books, Power point presentation, multimedia
(videos) etc.

Teaching Technique: Lecture, Demonstration cum Discussion based approach

CONTENTS TO BE COVERED
 Improvement in crop yields
 Crop variety improvement
 Crop production improvement
 Crop protection management
 How do biotic and abiotic factors affect crop production?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES
By the end of the lesson, with the help of proper demonstration and discussion my students
will be able to:

Learn the three main practices for improving crop yield viz., crop variety improvement, crop
production improvement and crop protection management.
 Hold discussion on how one can bring about improvement in food resources.
 Understand how Biotic and Abiotic factors affect crop production.
 Learn about the different desirable agronomic characteristics.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
 Holding discussion on how to bring about improvement in food resources.
 Watching Power point presentation and videos related to the contents mentioned
above.
Initiation : Learners will be introduced to the topic through some introductory questions
• Why do we need to improve our food resources?
• What are the various food sources of nutrients that we require to maintain a healthy
lifestyle?
• There is a need to introduce production efficiency of crops and livestock because-
 rapid increase in population (4 times since Independence)
 No major scope of increasing area of land under cultivation(only 25% increase in
cultivable land area)
How can It be done? – By employing sustainable practices!
Procedure: Extensive use of TAL will be done during the lesson. Teacher will provide basic
information on the topic
 The lesson will be spread over two days. The first day learners will see an
introductory ppt on food variety improvement. This will be followed by a discussion
and explanation in the class.
Introduction:
Q: What are Sustainable Practices?
Increase in food production and nutrient quality, without degrading our environment and
disturbing the ecological balance is required in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Major Advancements for Increase in Food Production in Our Country
• The Following are the advancements in our country to increasing our food
production.
 Green Revolution – Increase in Crop yield, variety and quality.
 White Revolution – Increase in Milk Production (Operation Flood)
 Blue Revolution – Increase in Fish production
 Yellow Revolution – Increase in oil seed production
Types of Crops Grown in our Country
(Crops that are sources for various important nutrients)
• Cereals: wheat, rice, maize, millets and sorghum. Provide carbohydrates for energy
requirements.
• Pulses: pea, gram, black gram, green gram, pigeon pea and lentil. Provide proteins for
Body Development
• Oilseeds: soya bean, ground nut, sesame, castor, mustard, linseed and sun flower.
Provide necessary fats.
• Vegetables, spices and fruits provide vitamins and minerals for body functioning.
• Fodder crops like berseem, oats or sudan grass are raised as food for the
livestock(Cattle and Poutry)
Cropping Seasons in India
• Different crop require different climatic conditions,
temperature and photoperiods for their growth and
completion of life cycle.
• Crops which grown in rainy season are called kharif
crops. Kharif crops: paddy, soya bean, pigeon pea,
cotton, green gram etc.
• Crops which grown in winter season are called rabi
crops. Rabi crops: wheat, gram, peas, mustard, linseed
etc.
Strategies or Practices we use to Improve our Existing Food
Resources
IMPROVING CROP YIELD
• The practices involved in farming to improve our yield are divided into three stages.
They are
a) Appropriate Choice of seeds for planting.
b) Improving Nurturing of the crop plants
c) Protection of the growing and harvested crops from loss.
Hence the major activities for improving crop yields can be classified as
• Crop variety improvement
• Crop production improvement
• Crop protection improvement
The second day will continue with detailed explanation of the following and a worksheet will be
given for completion based on the two days understanding.

Techniques of Crop Variety Improvement

• Crop variety improvement can be achieved by two methods:
• Hybridisation and Genetically modified crops.
 • Hybridisation: In genetics, hybridisation is the process of combining different
varieties or species of organisms which are genetically dissimilar to create a hybrid.
The hybrid so obtained, will have desired qualities of both the Parent varieties.
• It can be inter varietal(between different varieties), inter specific, (between different
species) , intergeneric (between different genus)
• Genetically modified crops: The crop is improved by introducing a gene that would
provide desired characteristics.
C R O P P IN G S E A S O N S
• BT Gene obtained from bacteria, introduced into Cotton plant, provides pest
resistance against Ball Worm. This saves the cotton crop from damage. The Cotton so
obtained is called “BT Cotton”
Black board work:

The content will be summarized in the following manner on blackboard.

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

Green Revolution
White Revolution
Blue Revolution
Yellow Revolution

KHARIF

RABI

ZAID
ASSIGNMENTS
Review Questions
 Why is Improvement in our food resources essential?
 Differentiate between Kharif and Rabi Crops, giving examples.
 What are the various sources for nutrients required in our diet?
 What are the factors against which Crop Varieties need to be improved?
 What is hybridisation? What are its advantages?
 How is gene manipulation beneficial to the crop? Suggest suitable example.

To make a herbarium of cereals, pulses and oil seeds and identify the seasons of their
sowing and harvesting.