Q6 of 465 Page 65

What is the need of crossing the exotic breeds of cattle with local (Indian) breeds, when exotic cattle have higher yield as compared to the hybrid breed of cattle?

Hybrid produced by cross breeding exotic breed with local breed yields less milk as compared to the exotic breed. Even then, exotic breed cannot be incorporated in our dairy farms due to following reasons:

(i) Most of the exotic breeds have come from colder countries. Colder areas are limited in our country. Exotic breeds will not be able to tolerate the high levels of temperature and humidity in our weather.


(ii) The exotic breeds will fall prey to local pests and pathogens easily as they are not resistant to them.


(iii) The feed available locally does not match with the feed required by the exotic breeds.


Therefore, best available option is to import a few exotic cattle and cross-breed them with local cattle for obtaining hybrid cattle acclimatized to local climate and resistant to local diseases.


More from this chapter

All 465 →
4

Why should organic foods be preferred over conventional food?

 5

Why is fumigation regarded a better option than spraying in godowns? Give examples of both types of pesticides.

 7

Vikash went to vegetable market with his elder sister, a M.Sc. Botany student. There he saw many varieties of different vegetables such as different kinds of chillies (short, long, round, pungent, less pungent, green, reddish, orange), several varieties of potato and tomatoes. He asked his sister the following questions:

(i) What is the need of producing so many varieties of different crop plants.


(ii)What is the name of branch of science which deals with crop improvement?


(iii) What are the methods used by plant breeders?


(iv) What is hybridization?

 1

Give one example of an Indian and foreign poultry breed which when crossed produce an improved variety. List any one desirable trait expected from such cross breeding.