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Biology and Human Welfare - Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production

Grade 12ICSEBiology

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

Animal Husbandry: Management of livestock including feeding, breeding, and disease control to increase yield. Key practices include Dairy Farm Management and Poultry Farm Management.

Animal Breeding: Aimed at increasing yield and improving desirable qualities. Includes Inbreeding (breeding closely related individuals for 464-6 generations) and Outbreeding (Out-crossing, Cross-breeding, and Interspecific Hybridization).

Inbreeding Depression: Continued inbreeding reduces fertility and productivity, which can be restored by a single outcross with unrelated superior animals of the same breed.

MOET (Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer): A program for herd improvement where a cow is administered hormones with FSHFSH-like activity to induce follicular maturation and super-ovulation (686-8 eggs per cycle).

Green Revolution: The dramatic increase in food production during the mid-19601960s due to the use of high-yielding varieties (HYV), especially of wheat and rice, developed by NormanNorman E.E. BorlaugBorlaug and M.S.M.S. SwaminathanSwaminathan.

Plant Breeding Steps: (1) Collection of variability (GermplasmGermplasm collectioncollection), (2) Evaluation and selection of parents, (3) Cross-hybridization, (4) Selection and testing of superior recombinants, (5) Testing, release, and commercialization.

Biofortification: Breeding crops with higher levels of vitamins, minerals, or higher protein and healthier fats to improve public health (e.g., IronIron enriched rice, VitaminVitamin AA enriched carrots).

Single Cell Protein (SCP): Use of microorganisms like SpirulinaSpirulina or MethylophilusMethylophilus methylotrophusmethylotrophus to produce protein-rich food/feed. 250250 gg of MethylophilusMethylophilus methylotrophusmethylotrophus can produce 2525 tonnes of protein due to high rate of biomass production.

Tissue Culture: Technique of regenerating whole plants from any part of a plant (explantexplant) grown in a sterile nutrient medium. Based on TotipotencyTotipotency—the capacity of a cell/explant to generate a whole plant.

Somaclonal Variation: Genetic variations present among plants regenerated from a single culture (somaclones), which are genetically identical to the original plant.

Somatic Hybridization: Fusion of isolated protoplasts from two different varieties of plants (using PolyethylenePolyethylene GlycolGlycol or PEGPEG) to get a hybrid protoplast, e.g., PomatoPomato (Potato + Tomato).

📐Formulae

Inbreeding Coefficient (F)=[(12)n+1(1+FA)]\text{Inbreeding Coefficient (F)} = \sum \left[ \left( \frac{1}{2} \right)^{n+1} (1 + F_A) \right]

Total Biomass Production (SCP)Growth Rate×Initial Substrate Concentration\text{Total Biomass Production (SCP)} \propto \text{Growth Rate} \times \text{Initial Substrate Concentration}

Plant Regeneration Potential=Totipotency of Explant Cells\text{Plant Regeneration Potential} = \text{Totipotency of Explant Cells}

Net yield increase=Yield of HybridYield of ParentYield of Parent×100\text{Net yield increase} = \frac{\text{Yield of Hybrid} - \text{Yield of Parent}}{\text{Yield of Parent}} \times 100

💡Examples

Problem 1:

A scientist wants to produce 10,00010,000 plants of a rare orchid in a short period. Which technique should be used, and what is the specific term for the plants produced?

Solution:

The technique used is Micropropagation (a form of Tissue Culture). The plants produced are called Somaclones.

Explanation:

Micropropagation allows for the rapid vegetative multiplication of plants using explantsexplants in a controlled environment. Since they are derived from the same parent plant via mitosis, they are genetically identical and termed somaclones.

Problem 2:

Explain the significance of the 250250 gg of the bacterium MethylophilusMethylophilus methylotrophusmethylotrophus in solving the world's protein deficiency.

Solution:

High biomass production: 250250 gg of this bacterium can produce 25×10325 \times 10^3 kgkg (25 tonnes) of protein in 2424 hours.

Explanation:

Due to its high rate of biomass production and growth, this microorganism serves as a potent source of Single Cell Protein (SCP), far exceeding the protein production rate of larger livestock like cows (250250 kgkg cow produces only 200200 gg of protein per day).

Problem 3:

Identify the chemical used to facilitate the fusion of protoplasts in somatic hybridization.

Solution:

The chemicals used are Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and Sodium Nitrate.

Explanation:

After removing the cell walls using cellulasecellulase and pectinasepectinase, the naked protoplasts are treated with PEGPEG to induce fusion of the plasma membranes, leading to the formation of a somatic hybrid.

Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production Revision - Class 12 Biology ICSE