UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 87
With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements:
- A substantial saving in seed material is when ‘bud chip setts’ are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field.
- When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with single-budded setts as compared to setts with many buds.
- If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts.
- Sugarcane can be cultivated using setts prepared from tissue culture.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Correct Option: C (1 & 4 only)
Explanation: Bud-chip nursery planting economises sugarcane seed cane and tissue-culture propagation can produce healthy planting material; single-bud setts tend to be more vulnerable in field planting than larger multi-bud setts.
Statement / Pair / Item-wise Analysis:
1. Correct - Bud-chip seedlings transplant efficiently while using substantially less cane as seed.
2. Incorrect - Single-budded direct setts do not reliably out-germinate multi-bud setts in the stated comparison.
3. Incorrect - Larger setts have stored reserves that improve survival in adverse conditions.
4. Correct - Tissue-culture raised sugarcane is used to obtain healthy multiplication material.
Option-wise Analysis:
A. Incorrect-includes incorrect item 2 (Single-budded direct setts do not reliably out-germinate multi-bud setts in the stated comparison); omits correct item 4 (Tissue-culture raised sugarcane is used to obtain healthy multiplication material).
B. Incorrect-includes incorrect item 3 (Larger setts have stored reserves that improve survival in adverse conditions); omits correct item 1 (Bud-chip seedlings transplant efficiently while using substantially less cane as seed); omits correct item 4 (Tissue-culture raised sugarcane is used to obtain healthy multiplication material).
C. Correct-includes all and only valid statements/items 1, 4.
D. Incorrect-includes incorrect item 2 (Single-budded direct setts do not reliably out-germinate multi-bud setts in the stated comparison); includes incorrect item 3 (Larger setts have stored reserves that improve survival in adverse conditions); omits correct item 1 (Bud-chip seedlings transplant efficiently while using substantially less cane as seed).