Agriculture: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Geography)

Explanation

Eco-friendly agriculture is a farming approach that focuses on reducing environmental harm while ensuring long-term sustainability and benefiting farmers, communities, and consumers. Sustainable agriculture is crucial for human health, food safety, environmental conservation, long-term food security, soil health, farmer empowerment, water conservation, biodiversity preservation, and addressing climate change.

Option (a) is correct: Organic Farming is eco-friendly. It avoids synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms. It relies on natural inputs like compost, crop rotation, and biological pest control, promoting soil health, biodiversity, and reduced pollution. Options (b), (c) and (d) are incorrect:

Shifting Cultivation is not eco-friendly. Also known as "slash and burn" agriculture, it involves clearing forests for temporary farming. This practice leads to deforestation, soil degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Cultivation of High-Yielding Varieties (HYVs) is not eco-friendly. These varieties often require significant inputs of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and water, which can lead to environmental degradation, including soil depletion, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Growing Plants in Glasshouses is not eco-friendly. Glasshouses typically rely on significant energy inputs for heating, cooling, and artificial lighting, which contribute to carbon emissions unless renewable energy is used.

Explanation

Assertion (A) is true: Bt cotton is a genetically modified (GM) crop that has been engineered to produce a protein toxic to certain insect pests, particularly bollworms. The gene responsible for this trait is derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). When the Bt gene is inserted into the cotton plant, the plant produces the Bt toxin, which kills specific insect pests when they feed on the plant. Reason (R) is true: The Bt gene is derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. This bacterium naturally produces a protein (Cry protein) that is toxic to certain insects. Scientists isolated the gene responsible for producing this protein and inserted it into the cotton plant’s genome to create insect-resistant transgenic cotton. Reason (R) correctly explains Assertion (A): The insertion of the Bt gene from Bacillus thuringiensis into cotton plants enables these transgenic plants to produce the Bt toxin internally. The Bt gene encodes a protein that is toxic to certain insects but harmless to humans and other non-target organisms. When the gene is inserted into the cotton plant, the plant itself produces the toxin, reducing the need for chemical insecticides.

Explanation

A is matched correctly with 2: Cotton cultivation needs 1500-2000 mm of rainfall and the suitable temperature range required for cotton growth is 25° - 35°C. Cotton is a tropical and subtropical crop that needs a long growing season with plenty of sunshine. Excessive rainfall can damage the crop, so moderate rainfall is ideal. The states of India with significant cotton production are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. B is matched correctly with 3: Flax cultivation needs 600-800 mm of rainfall and temperature requirement varies from 5° - 18°C. The major flax growing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Nagaland and Assam accounting for about 97 percent of total area of the country. Flax prefers cooler temperatures and moderate rainfall. It is commonly grown in regions with mild summers and well-distributed rainfall. C is matched correctly with 5: The suitable climatic condition for sugar beet requires 500-600 mm and temperature 18°-22°C. D is matched correctly with 4: Jute cultivation needs 500-1000 mm rainfall and temperature between 18°-22°C. The jute industry is among the oldest and most prominent industries in India. It is primarily grown in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta region of India and Bangladesh. The major jute-producing states in India are West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh.