Test: Agriculture - 1 - UPSC MCQ

• In agriculture, multiple cropping is the practice of growing two or more crops in the same piece of land during a single growing season. It is a form of polyculture. It can take the form of double-cropping, in which a second crop is planted after the first has been harvested, or relay cropping, in which the second crop is started amidst the first crop before it has been harvested.

• A related practice, companion planting, is sometimes used in gardening and intensive cultivation of vegetables and fruits. One example of multi-cropping is tomatoes + onions + marigold; the marigolds repel some tomato pests.

India is the largest producer and exporter of tea in the world. The ideal climatic conditions for the production and growing of tea are as follows:

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  Temperature: 21°C to 29°C is ideal for the production of tea. High temperature is required in summer. The lowest temperature for the growth of tea is 16°C.

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  Rainfall: 150-250 cm of rainfall is required for tea cultivation.

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  Soil: Tea shrubs require fertile mountain soil mixed with lime and iron. The soil should be rich in humus.

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  Land: Tea cultivation needs well-drained land. Stagnation of water is not good for tea plants. Heavy rainfall but no stagnancy of water, such mountain slopes are good for tea cultivation.

The low productivity in India is a result of the following factors:

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  The average size of land holdings is very small (less than 2 hectares) and is subject to fragmentation due to land ceiling acts, and in some cases, family disputes

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  Adoption of modern agricultural practices and use of technology is inadequate

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  India has inadequate infrastructure and services.

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  Illiteracy, general socio-economic backwardness, slow progress in implementing land reforms and inadequate or inefficient finance and marketing services.

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  Inconsistent government policy.

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  Irrigation facilities are inadequate,

Tea – Hill slopes with alluvial soil

Millets – Less fertile and sandy soil

Rice – Alluvial soil with clayey subsoil

Coffee – well-drained loamy soil

• The Dapog method of rice nursery was developed in the Philippines. The dapog method of raising seedlings originated in the Philippines and is now fairly common in South and Southeast.

• The dapog nursery is constructed for the raising of seedlings without any soil whatsoever.

• Rice seeds contain sufficient food in the endosperm to permit the young seedling to grow for up to 14 days without receiving any outside nutrients except air, water, and sunlight.

• Consequently, it is possible to nurse seedlings without actually sowing them in soil.

Rice is produced under 15 - 25̊ C, Tea is produced under 18 – 30 ̊ C, Cotton is produced under 25 ̊ C while coffee is produced under 20 ̊ C.

1. The undulating relief and hard rocks make it difficult to dig canals and wells.

2. There is little percolation of rainwater due to hard rock structure and groundwater is not available in large quantities.

3. Most of the rivers of this region are seasonal and dry up in the summer season. Therefore, they cannot supply water to canals throughout the year.

4. The scattered nature of the population and agricultural fields also favours tank irrigation.