UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 59 of 99

UPSC Prelims 2018 question on Conservation Agriculture

With reference to the circumstances in Indian agriculture, the concept of 'Conservation Agriculture' assumes significance. Which of the following fall under the Conservation Agriculture?

1. Avoiding the monoculture practices

2. Adopting minimum tillage

3. Avoiding the cultivation of plantation crops

4. Using crop residues to cover soil surface

5. Adopting spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotations

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. 1, 3 and 4
  2. 2, 3, 4 and 5
  3. 1, 2, 4 and 5
  4. 1, 2, 3 and 5
Show answer

Answer: C. 1, 2, 4 and 5

Analysis

Items 1, 2, 4 and 5 fall under Conservation Agriculture, so the answer is (c).

Conservation Agriculture is a set of soil management practices minimising disruption of the soil's structure, composition and natural biodiversity. All its forms share three core principles: maintenance of permanent or semi-permanent soil cover, using previous crop residue or a purpose grown cover crop, which validates item 4; minimum soil disturbance through tillage, just enough to place the seed, which validates item 2; and regular crop rotations to combat biotic constraints, which validates item 5 and, by extension, item 1, since rotation is the opposite of monoculture.

Statement by statement

Item 3 is INCORRECT. Nothing in Conservation Agriculture requires avoiding plantation crops. Its other promoted practices include green manures and cover crops, no burning of crop residues, integrated disease and pest management, and controlled traffic over agricultural soils.

Source

Cornell University resource on what Conservation Agriculture is.

How to crack it

Learn the three core principles as a triad, minimum disturbance, permanent cover and rotation, and then test each listed item against them. Item 3 fails because it names a crop category rather than a soil practice, and that mismatch of kind is the tell. When one item in a list belongs to a different category from the rest, it is usually the intruder.

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