Agronomy MCQ Question and Answer | Agriculture MCQ Question

A tensiometer is a device used for measuring soil water tension. It is used at a pressure of 0 - 0.8 bar. It is effective up to a tension of 0.8 bar. At this pressure, air enters the closed system through the pores of the cup and makes the unit operative. It is useful to check the moisture in the soil and help in deciding when to irrigate the field.

Option A: Southern hills

The southern hills, including parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, have hilly terrains, but shifting cultivation is not a dominant practice here.

These regions mostly practice settled agriculture with crops like tea, coffee, and spices due to favorable climate and soil conditions.

Shifting cultivation may occur in isolated tribal pockets, but it is not widespread.

Option B: Western Ghats

The Western Ghats stretch along the western coast of India and are known for their biodiversity and evergreen forests.

Agricultural practices here include plantation crops such as rubber, coffee, tea, and spices.

Shifting cultivation is not a common practice in this region, as the terrain and economic development favor permanent and commercial farming.

Option C: Western Himalayan region

The Western Himalayan region includes parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

This area is characterized by temperate climate and terraced farming on hilly slopes.

The focus is on crops like barley, wheat, and maize.

Shifting cultivation is rarely practiced here due to different cultural and environmental conditions.

Option D: NE Himalayan region

The North-Eastern Himalayan region, which includes states like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and parts of Assam and Tripura, is the primary area in India where shifting cultivation (jhum cultivation) is extensively practiced.

Tribal communities clear forest patches by burning and then cultivate the land for a few years before moving to a new patch, allowing the old one to regenerate.

This method is well-adapted to the hilly, forested terrain and cultural traditions of the region.

Conclusion:

Among all the options, the NE Himalayan region is the most appropriate and widely recognized region for shifting cultivation in India.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option D: NE Himalayan region.

Dehaulming in potatoes is the process of removing the vegetative part of the potato plant that is above the ground from the root. It is the pre-harvest practice done to allow hardening of the skin of potato tubers to reduce injuries and damage to potatoes during post-harvesting and supply.

CIMAP stands for Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.
It is a plant research laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) located in Lucknow.
It is steering multidisciplinary high quality research in biological and chemical sciences and extending technologies and services to the farmers of medicinal and aromatic plants.

The capacity of a soil to resist appreciable change in pH value is called Buffering capacity. It is the resistance in the soil to variations in pH and due to the colloidal humus and clay fractions. It allows the soil to resist any change.

The fields of Sugarcane require the highest amount of water, the yield is good when water is available in excess amount all the time, especially at the crucial stages of irrigation.

Sugarcane is the main producer of sugar and sugar beet is the second most crop to contribute to sugar production. Sugar beet contains approximately 16% of sugar in it.
Hence Cluster bean is not a sugar crop. It is an annual legume crop.

Postponing of first irrigation to 40 - 45 days after sowing is always preferable for the cotton crop to prevent excessive vegetative growth.
The water requirement of cotton is low during the first 60 - 70 days after sowing & highest during flowering and ball development.

Gypsum is very source of calcium and Sulphur which can improve the yield and quality of plants. Application of gypsum encourages pod formation and better filling up of the pods of groundnuts.
Gypsum act as a soil amendment agent and reduces soil erosion by increasing the ability of soil to soak up water after precipitation hence reducing runoff.

Propanil is the herbicide used for the treatment of several types of grass and broad leaved weeds on a rice plantation. It should be applied after 6 - 8 days after transplanting.
Propanil is an acetanilide post emergence herbicide with no residual effect.