UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 64
With reference to the circumstances in Indian agriculture, the concept of "Conservation Agriculture" assumes significance. Which of the following fall under the Conservation Agriculture ?
- Avoiding the monoculture practices
- Adopting minimum tillage
- Avoiding the cultivation of plantation crops
- Using crop residues to cover soil surface
- Adopting spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotations
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Correct Option: C
Explanation: The FAO’s defining conservation-agriculture principles are minimum soil disturbance, permanent organic soil cover and crop diversification/rotation. Avoiding all plantation crops is not a principle; avoidance of monoculture in statement 1 is too broad compared with the specified rotation principle.
Statement/Pair-wise Analysis:
Statement/Item 1: Incorrect - Avoiding monoculture as an absolute rule is not separately one of the three formally stated pillars; rotation/diversification is captured by item 5.
Statement/Item 2: Correct - No-till/minimum tillage protects soil structure and biota.
Statement/Item 3: Incorrect - Conservation agriculture does not ban plantation crops by category.
Statement/Item 4: Correct - Retained crop residues supply protective soil cover.
Statement/Item 5: Correct - Crop rotation and spatial/temporal diversity break pest cycles and improve soil.
Option-wise Analysis:
A: Incorrect - includes incorrect statement/items 1, 3; omits correct statement/items 2, 5.
B: Incorrect - includes incorrect statement/item 3.
C: Correct - includes all and only the true statements/items.
D: Incorrect - includes incorrect statement/items 1, 3; omits correct statement/item 4.
Review Note: Item 1 is pedagogically debatable: diversification commonly reduces monoculture; the supplied key follows the three precisely defined conservation-agriculture pillars.