UPSC Agriculture – Chapter 3: Land Holdings, Soil Health and Fertilisers (25 MCQs)
UPSC Agriculture – Chapter 3: Land Holdings, Soil Health and Fertilisers (25 MCQs) – 25 questions, subject: Agriculture. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.
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In the Agriculture Census, a "small" holding is one of:
Correct Answer: D [1 to 2 hectares]
Explanation:
The Agriculture Census classes holdings of 1 to 2 hectares as small; below 1 hectare is marginal.
The average size of an operational holding in India in 1970-71 was about:
Correct Answer: B [2.28 hectares]
Explanation:
The first Agriculture Census, 1970-71, recorded an average operational holding of 2.28 hectares, which fell to 1.08 hectares by 2015-16.
Since 2022-23, the Soil Health Card Scheme has been run as a component of:
Correct Answer: B [the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana]
Explanation:
From 2022-23 the Soil Health Card Scheme is a component of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
Which one of the following is NOT among the 12 parameters on a Soil Health Card?
Correct Answer: C [Soil texture]
Explanation:
Soil texture is not tested; the 12 parameters are N, P, K, S, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, B, pH, EC and organic carbon.
Gypsum is commonly applied to reclaim:
Correct Answer: A [alkaline (sodic) soils]
Explanation:
Gypsum (calcium sulphate) supplies calcium that replaces excess sodium in sodic soils, which is then leached out.
The Nutrient Based Subsidy regime, introduced in 2010, applies to:
Correct Answer: B [phosphatic and potassic fertilisers]
Explanation:
From 1 April 2010 NBS gives a fixed per-kilogram subsidy on N, P, K and S in phosphatic and potassic fertilisers; urea stays outside.
Muriate of potash used in India is:
Correct Answer: A [wholly imported]
Explanation:
India has no commercial potash production, so all muriate of potash used in the country is imported.
The broad all-India norm for the ratio of N:P:K use is about:
Correct Answer: D [4:2:1]
Explanation:
Agronomists treat an N:P:K ratio of about 4:2:1 as the broad all-India norm for balanced fertiliser use.
The Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016 was drafted by an expert committee of NITI Aayog chaired by:
Correct Answer: D [T. Haque]
Explanation:
NITI Aayog's expert committee on land leasing, chaired by T. Haque, drafted the Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016.
Consider the following statements about the effects of excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers:
1. Soil acidity may increase.
2. Nitrate may leach into groundwater.
3. Nitrogen-fixing micro-organisms in the soil multiply.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]
Explanation:
Excess nitrogen acidifies soil and leaches as nitrate into groundwater, but it does not multiply nitrogen-fixing micro-organisms.
Assertion (A): Nitrogen is over-used relative to phosphorus and potassium in Indian farms.
Reason (R): Urea's retail price is fixed by the Government at a low level, while P and K fertilisers get a fixed per-nutrient subsidy and their prices can rise.
Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]
Explanation:
Both are true: cheap fixed-price urea against costlier P and K under NBS directly causes the nitrogen-heavy skew.
Under fertiliser DBT (rolled out nationwide by March 2018), the subsidy is paid to companies:
Correct Answer: C [after sale to the farmer is recorded on a point-of-sale machine]
Explanation:
Under DBT the Department of Fertilizers releases subsidy to companies on the basis of actual retail sales recorded on point-of-sale devices.
PM-PRANAM (2023) aims to:
Correct Answer: C [reward States that reduce chemical fertiliser use]
Explanation:
PM-PRANAM (approved June 2023) passes a share of the fertiliser subsidy saved to States that reduce chemical fertiliser use.
Under "One Nation One Fertiliser" (2022), subsidised fertilisers are sold under the single brand name:
Correct Answer: D [Bharat]
Explanation:
Since October 2022 subsidised fertilisers carry the single brand 'Bharat', such as Bharat Urea and Bharat DAP.
Which of the following is a free-living nitrogen-fixing bacterium used as a bio-fertiliser?
Correct Answer: D [Azotobacter]
Explanation:
Azotobacter lives freely in the soil, not in root nodules, and fixes atmospheric nitrogen, so it is used as a bio-fertiliser.
Consolidation of holdings in India succeeded mainly in:
Correct Answer: B [Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh]
Explanation:
Good land records and active State programmes made consolidation succeed mainly in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.
Arrange the following in chronological order:
1. Nutrient Based Subsidy
2. Soil Health Card Scheme
3. Nano urea launched
4. Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct Answer: C [1-2-4-3]
Explanation:
2010, 2015, 2016, 2021.
ISRO's Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas (2021) estimated that the share of India's geographical area undergoing land degradation was nearly:
Correct Answer: A [30 per cent]
Explanation:
The SAC Atlas (2021) found about 97.85 million hectares, 29.7 per cent of India's geographical area, degrading in 2018-19.
The 100 per cent neem coating of urea was made mandatory in:
Correct Answer: B [2015]
Explanation:
In 2015 the Government made it mandatory for all domestically produced and imported urea to be neem-coated.
The soil formed by intense leaching in areas of high temperature and heavy rainfall is:
Correct Answer: C [laterite soil]
Explanation:
Heavy rain and high temperature leach away silica and bases, leaving iron and aluminium oxides that form laterite soil.
Which one of the following best describes the concept of 'Small Farmer Large Field'?
Correct Answer: B [Many marginal farmers in an area organize themselves into groups and synchronize and harmonize selected agricultural operations]
Explanation:
In Small Farmer Large Field, marginal farmers keep their own land but group together to synchronise operations and gain scale.
With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements:
1. At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
2. Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
3. Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer: B [2 and 3 only]
Explanation:
urea's MRP is administered.
The nation-wide 'Soil Health Card Scheme' aims at
1. expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.
2. enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.
3. checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Correct Answer: B [3 only]
Explanation:
The Soil Health Card advises crop-wise fertiliser doses from soil tests, aiming to check overuse and imbalanced use of fertilisers.
With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statements:
1. A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity.
2. Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle.
3. Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer: B [3 only]
Explanation:
Only statement 3 holds: irrigation without proper drainage gradually raises salts, salinising some agricultural lands.
Why does the Government of India promote the use of 'Neem Coated Urea' in agriculture?
Correct Answer: B [Neem coating slows down the rate of dissolution of urea in the soil.]
Explanation:
The neem oil coating slows the dissolution of urea, so nitrogen is released gradually and less is lost by leaching.
➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U16 · Agriculture (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-agriculture
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