Shankar IAS Test: Agriculture - UPSC MCQ

None of them are correctly matched
Silver refers to Egg Production
Yellow refers to Edible Oil Production
White refers to Milk Production

Classification based on climate:

1. Tropical: Crops grow well in warm & hot climates. E.g. Rice, sugarcane, Jowar, etc

2. Temperate: Crops grow well in cool climates. E.g. Wheat, Oats, Gram, Potato, etc.

Classification based on the life of crops/duration of crops:
1. Seasonal crops: A crop completes its life cycle in one season. E.g. rice, Jowar, wheat, etc.
2. Two seasonal crops: crops complete their life cycle in two seasons. E.g. Cotton, turmeric, ginger.
3. Annual crops: Crops require one full year to complete their life cycle. E.g. sugarcane.
4. Biennial crops: Crops require two years to complete their life cycle E.g. Banana, Papaya.

Special purpose tillage: Tillage operations intended to serve special purposes are said to be special-purpose tillage.
They are,

• subsoiling,
• leveling,
• clean tillage
• blind tillage
• wet tillage
• zero tillage.

Intercropping Growing two or more crops simultaneously with distinct row arrangement on the same field at the same time.

• Base crop: primary crop which is planted/ down at its optimum sole crop population in an intercropping situation.
• Intercrop: This is a second crop planted in between rows of the base crop to obtain extra yields with intercrop without compromise in the main crop yields.

Hi-tech patrolling is set to be introduced in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) ahead of Maha Vishuva Sankranti, a religious function when tribals indulge in a ritual of the mass killing of wild animals in the forests here.

Mixed cropping

• Growing of two or more crops simultaneously intermingled without row arrangement is known as mixed cropping
• It is a common practice in most of the dryland tracts in India
• Seeds of different crops are mixed in a certain proportion and are sown
• The objective is to meet the family requirement of cereals, pulses, and vegetables, it is subsistence farming.
• Ex: Sorghum, Bajra, and cowpea are mixed and broadcasted in rainfed conditions (with low rainfall situations) to avoid complete crop failures and with ascertaining the minimum yields.

Mixed farming is defined as a system of farming on a particular farm which includes crop production, raising livestock, poultry, fisheries, beekeeping, etc. to sustain and satisfy as many needs of the farmer as possible. Subsistence is an important objective of mixed farming. While higher profitability without altering ecological balance is important in the farming system.

Both statements about organic farming are correct.

Statement 1 is correct because organic farming is a method of agriculture that does not use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or other chemicals, and instead relies on natural methods of fertilization and pest control. Organic farming aims to produce agricultural products, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and livestock, in a way that is sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Statement 2 is also correct because organic farming relies on local resources and is designed to be self-sustaining. It seeks to minimize the use of imported resources and instead relies on resources that are locally available, such as natural fertilizers and pest control methods.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

Both 1 and 2

Drip irrigation:

• Drip irrigation is also called trickle irrigation and involves dripping water onto the soil at very low rates from a system of small diameter plastic pipes fitted with outlets called emitters.
• Water is applied close to plants so that only part of the soil in which the roots grow is wetted, unlike surface and sprinkler irrigation, which involves wetting the whole soil profile.