IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD RESOURCES

IMPROVEMENT IN CROP YIELDS

• Cereals such as wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and millets provide us carbohydrates for energy requirements.
• Pulses like gram, pea, black gram, pigeon pea an lentil provide us with protein.
• Oil seeds like soyabean, groundnut, sesame, castor and mustard provide us with necessary fats.
• Vitamins, spices and fruits provide a range of vitamins and minerals.
• Fodder crops such as berseem, oats or sudan grass are raised as food for the livestock.

• Different climatic conditions, temperature and photoperiods are required for growth of crops and completion of their life cycle.
• Photoperiods are related to duration of sunlight.
• Based on photoperiods, crops are divided into Kharif and Rabi.
• Crops grown in rainy season are called Kharif crops.


• Kharif crops are sown in the months of June- Oct.
• E.g- Paddy, soyabean,pigeon pea, maize, cotton, green gram and black gram

• Crops grown in winter season are called Rabi crops.
• Rabi crops are sown in the months of Nov- April.
• Examples- Wheat, gram, peas, mustard and linseed.
• The crop improvement practices has been divided into three stages:
• Crop variety improvement
• Crop production improvement
• Crop protection management.