Technology Used In Food Production 294324

Technology used in food production

Increase in population- increase demand of food- a need to improve the quantity and quality of food production  In Malaysia, to meet the demand of food, food has to be imported and efforts are being carried out by the various government agencies to diversify food production 

Methods to improve quality and quantity of food production Direct seeding  Hydroponics and aeroponics  Selective breeding  Tissue culture  Genetic engineering  Proper soil management  Biological control 

Direct sedding Seeds sown directly, involve no transplanting hence plants achieve faster growth and give higher yields.  Example : cultivation of padi 

Hydroponics and aeroponics Hydroponics- growing crop plants in culture solution containing macronutirients and micronutrients  Aeroponics – culture solutions are sprayed directly to the roots of plants 

Advantages of Hydroponics and aeroponics      

These method require less space Can be carried out on a large scale Does not require the use of insecticides and pesticides Can be carry out all year round Suitable to carried out at home for home consumption Example : Tomato, lettuce, spinach

Selective breeding Different plants and animals with beneficial characteristics such as high nutritional contents, shorter maturity time, higher yields and higher resistance to disease are selected.  Example : Palm fruit Cross between Dura and Pisifera to produce Tenera 

Tissue culture Produces clones with the same desired characteristics as the parent  Produce large numbers of young plants within a short time 

Genetic engineering Transfer of useful genes from one organism to another  GEO = genetically engineered organisms, are called transgenic organisms  GMF = genetically modified food  Eg : wheat, tomatoes, soy beans 

Proper soil management To prevent leaching, soil erosion, depletion of soil nutrients and change in soil texture  Increase humus content of soil for better crop yield 

Biological control Control pests without using pesticides and insecticides, for better crop yield  Eg : the use of snakes and owls to control rats in oil palm estates 