11 Enhancement of Food Production - part 01 - Improvement In Food Production, Plant breeding Improvement In Food Production :

Improvement In Food Production :

Food is one of the basic needs as it gives us energy for everything.
It keeps us alive, strong and healthy. It can be defined as any thing solid or liquid, which when swallowed, digested and assimilated in the body, keeping us well.
It is organic, energy rich, non-poisonous, edible and nourishing substance.
Green plants synthesize their own food through photosynthesis.
But animals including humans can not synthesize their food on their own, hence are dependent on plants directly.
The famine is responsible for dearth of food, besides the rapid and dramatic increase in world population over the time.
To meet the increasing demand for food, there is need for improvement of food production, both quantity wise and quality wise (nutritive).
Plant breeding and animal breeding help us to increase the food production.

Plant breeding :

The improvement or purposeful manipulation in the heredity of crops and the production of new superior varieties of existing crop plants, constitute what is called plant breeding.
Applied branch of botany.
An art and the science of changing and improving the heredity of plants.
Can be carried out by using the applications of principles of genetics, taxonomy, physiology, pathology, agriculture, rDNA technology,etc.
Is a method of altering the genetic pattern of plants to increase their value and utility for human welfare.
The plant breeding is done to increase crop yield, improve quality, increase tolerance to environmental stresses, make the plants resistant to pathogens and increase tolerance to insect pest.
Green Revolution was the result of a sequence of scientific breakthroughs and developmental activities that successfully fought hunger by increasing food production.
Seeds with superior quality, use of chemicals - pesticides and fertilizers, and multiple cropping system supported by the use of modern farm machinery and proper irrigation system, helped for the development of high-yielding and disease resistant varieties in wheat, rice, maize, etc.
In fact, plant breeding dates back to about 10,000 years ago.
The present day crops are the result of domestication and acclimatization.

Do U Know?

Primary aim of plant breeding is to obtain a new crop veriety superior to the existing type, in all characters.
This purposeful manipulation incorporates various objectives. which differ form plant to plant depending upon its type and the use.
Some objectives are common- like yield, quality, resistance, life cycle span, etc.,
while some objectives will differ on the basis of the type and use of plant.

Do u Know ?

Different methods of plant breeding include Introduction, Selection, Hybridization, Mutation breeding, Polyploidy breeding, Molecular plant breeding, Tissue culture, rDNA technology, SCP, etc.

Know the Scientist :

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug:

An American biologist, who has been called “Father of the Green Revolution”,“Agriculture’s greatest spokesperson” and “The Man Who Saved a Billion Lives.”
Dr. Borlaug, a 1970 Nobel Laureate, was honoured for his work in the ‘Green Revolution,’ saving millions of lives from famine in India, Mexico, and the Middle East.

Dr. M. S. Swaminathan:

He has been called the “Father of Green Revolution in India” for his role in introducing and further developing high-yielding varieties of wheat in India.
He advocated moving India to sustainable development, especially using environmentally sustainable agriculture, sustainable food security and the preservation of biodiversity.
He is pioneer in mutation breeding in India.
He developed new varieties of wheat like sonora, NP 165 and sarbati.

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