(a) Cereal Plant-Human Being
(b) If cereal plants are grown in soil rich in pesticides, it can pose a potential risk to humans and other life forms and can result in unwanted side effects to the environment. Pesticides are lethal to nontargeted species also. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, because they are sprayed or spread across entire agricultural fields. The extensive use of pesticides in agricultural production can degrade and damage the community of micro-organisms living in the soil, particularly when these chemicals are overused or misused as chemical compounds build up in the soil.
OR
(a) The harmful effects of plastics on the environment are :
(i) Plastics do not undergo degradation, thus, stay in the soil for many years, which affects the soil fertility and degrades the soil quality.
(ii) When plastic artifacts enter the drainage and sewage system, they block the pipes and the drains causing water logging.
Alterative to the usage of plastic bags are
(i) We can reduce the use of plastic bags by carrying jute bags and paper bags to carry items from the market.
(ii) We can reduce the use of plastic containers for the storing of food and other items and also use more durable materials like metal boxes.
(iii) We can avoid using take away food containers.
(b) The practices that can be followed at our homes to dispose off wastes are:
(i) We can use discarded bottles and jars to store food items and water.
(ii) We can use broken artifacts and create something new with our own creativity, for e.g.- discarded water bottles can be used as containers for craft, decorative items etc.