Geography · Economics

Agricultural Practices in India

2,426 Questions

Agricultural practices in India form a core segment of geography and economics syllabi. This hub covers crop distribution, farming techniques, and land measurement terms. These concepts regularly appear in SSC, state PSC, and civil services examinations.

Plantation and food cropsCrop cultivation regionsLand measurement unitsAgricultural storage techniquesIntercropping systemsWater resource management

Agricultural Practices in India Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following countries is suffering from acute shortage of food grains as most of the farmers there are growing poppy and not the foodgrains?

  1. Nigeria

  2. Iraq

  3. Afghanistan

  4. Uganda
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Afghanistan has been suffering from acute food shortage because many farmers grow poppy (used for opium/heroin production) instead of food grains due to higher profitability. The country is a major illicit opium producer, which has displaced traditional food crops. Nigeria, Iraq, and Uganda face food security challenges, but not specifically due to poppy cultivation.

Multiple choice

For which of the following crops does India have the largest cultivated area in the world?

  1. Wheat

  2. Rice

  3. Pulses

  4. Cotton
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

India has the largest area under rice cultivation in the world, covering approximately 44 million hectares. Rice is the staple food crop for a majority of the Indian population and is grown in diverse agro-climatic zones across the country. While India also produces significant amounts of wheat, pulses, and cotton, rice cultivation area remains the largest globally.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the full form of 'NOVOD' as used in agricultural sector?

  1. National Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils Development Board

  2. National Orange and Vegetable Output Development Board

  3. New Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils Development Body

  4. Narcotics, Oils, Vegetable and Orchids Development Board
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

NOVOD stands for National Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils Development Board. This is a government organization under the Ministry of Agriculture that promotes oilseeds and vegetable oils development in India. The other options incorrectly substitute key words - 'Orange' for 'Oilseeds', 'Body' for 'Board', or add unrelated terms like 'Narcotics' and 'Orchards'.

Multiple choice

The Food and Agriculture Organisation observed the year 2002 as:

  1. International Year of the Farmer

  2. International Year of the Girl child

  3. International Year of Mountains

  4. International Year of Agriculture

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The United Nations declared 2002 as the International Year of Mountains to promote sustainable mountain development. The FAO was the lead UN agency for this initiative. Other 'International Years' include different themes for different years - 2002 was specifically focused on mountain ecosystems and communities.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following is cultivated by transplanting seedlings?

  1. Soyabean

  2. Maize

  3. Onion

  4. Sorghum
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Onion is typically cultivated by transplanting seedlings. Farmers first grow seeds in nursery beds, then transplant the seedlings to the main field. This practice helps establish better root systems, ensures uniform growth, and improves yields.

Multiple choice

Name the first country of the world to develop hybrid cotton variety leading to increased production.

  1. England

  2. America

  3. India

  4. Egypt
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

India was the first country in the world to develop hybrid cotton varieties (specifically hybrid 4), which led to significantly increased cotton production. This breakthrough was achieved by Indian agricultural scientists notably at institutions like CICR (Central Institute for Cotton Research). The development of hybrid cotton revolutionized cotton farming in India.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is considered a cash crop?

  1. Groundnut

  2. Jowar

  3. Bajra

  4. Maize
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Groundnut is primarily grown for commercial sale and processing into oil, making it a classic cash crop. Jowar, bajra, and maize are primarily staple food grains.

Multiple choice

Which of the following cannot be considered as a part of Post Harvest Technology (PHT)?

  1. Optimizing oil recovery.

  2. Tapping full potential of Rice Barn Oil.

  3. Use of indigenous technology for processing of tree-borne oilseeds.

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Post-Harvest Technology (PHT) encompasses all processing methods after crop harvest. Oil recovery optimization, Rice Barn Oil extraction, and indigenous processing of tree-borne oilseeds are all examples of PHT activities. Since all listed options are valid PHT components, 'All of these' is correct.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a cash crop?

  1. Wheat

  2. Millets

  3. Rice

  4. Rubber
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Rubber is a cash crop - grown primarily for sale rather than subsistence. Other options like wheat, millets, and rice are food crops (cereals) primarily grown for direct consumption. Rubber is an industrial plantation crop yielding latex for commercial use.

Multiple choice

'Karewas' of Kashmir are best suited for

  1. sericulture

  2. saffron cultivation

  3. mushroom cultivation

  4. the cultivation of Citrus fruits
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Karewas are lacustrine (lake-deposited) soils found in the Kashmir Valley. These well-drained, loamy soils are ideal for saffron cultivation because they require good drainage and specific soil conditions. Sericulture requires mulberry plants, mushroom cultivation needs different organic matter, and citrus fruits thrive in distinct soil types.

Multiple choice

In India, cluster bean (Guar) is traditionally used as a vegetable or animal feed, but recently the cultivation of this has assumed significance. Which one of the following statements is correct in this context?

  1. The oil extracted from seeds is used in the manufacture of biodegradable plastics.

  2. The gum made from its seeds is used in the extraction of shale gas.

  3. The leaf extract of this plant has the properties of anti-histamines.

  4. It is a source of high quality biodiesel.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Guargum is used in the “fracking” or hydraulic fracturing process used for the extraction of the shale oil gas. The fracking process involves injecting a fracturing fluid, almost always water, at high pressure, to create channels in rock formations, which allow the oil or gas to move into larger pools, from which they can be extracted.

Multiple choice

In the context of food and nutritional security of India, enhancing the Seed Replacement Rates of various crops helps in achieving the food production targets of the future. But what is/are the constraint/ constraints in its wider/greater implementation?

  1. There is no National Seeds Policy in place.
  2. There is no participation of private sector seed companies in the supply of quality seeds of vegetables and planting materials of horticultural crops.
  3. There is a demand-supply gap regarding the quality of seeds in case of low value and high volume crops.

Which of the following is the correct option?

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 3 only

  3. 2 and 3

  4. None
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

3 only

Multiple choice

Which Cash Crops are the important foreign exchange earners for India?

  1. Spices and Oilseeds

  2. Cotton and Spices

  3. Wheat & Rice

  4. Coffee and Tea
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Coffee and tea are among India's most important cash crops for foreign exchange earnings. India is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of tea, and coffee from Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu is internationally renowned. These plantation crops generate significant export revenue and are crucial to India's agricultural export profile.

Multiple choice

What is not characteristic of Indian agriculture?

  1. Predominance of large farms

  2. Low level of productivity

  3. Multiplicity of crops

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Indian agriculture is characterized by predominantly small-scale, fragmented landholdings rather than large farms. The predominance of large farms is NOT characteristic of Indian agriculture, which is marked by small peasant farmers.

Multiple choice

The term cereal applies to

  1. rice, wheat, maize, barley, oat, rye

  2. rice, sorghum, wheat, bajra and quinoa

  3. wheat, sugarcane, ragi and bajra

  4. rice, wheat, bajra, maize and buckwheat

  5. maize, rice, sorghum, millets and chick pea
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A cereal is a grass, a member of the monocot family Poaceae, cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran.