CUET UG Geography Booster Test 2-Commercial Crops and Challenges

Oilseeds hold a crucial secondary position in India's agricultural land allocation, trailing behind foodgrain crops. The textbook states that oilseeds collectively cover approximately 14% of the nation's total cropped area. These crops are grown to extract edible oils for domestic food production, and their cultivation is heavily concentrated in dryland regions like the Malwa Plateau and Marathwada, where they perform well under low soil moisture conditions, validating option B.

The textbook lists several semi-arid and dryland geographic regions that serve as hubs for rainfed oilseed cultivation. Matching these regions to their corresponding states: Marathwada is located within Maharashtra (1 matches with Maharashtra); Rayalaseema is a distinct geographic region in Andhra Pradesh (2 matches with Andhra Pradesh); and the Malwa Plateau is situated primarily in Madhya Pradesh (3 matches with Madhya Pradesh). This alignment corresponds to option A.

Groundnut is a tropical legume that requires warm temperatures throughout its growth cycle. In northern and western plains, winter temperatures drop too low for the crop, restricting its cultivation to the rainy Kharif season. However, because southern India maintains warm tropical temperatures year-round, farmers there can utilize winter irrigation to cultivate groundnut during the Rabi season as well, demonstrating regional adaptability, validating option B.

Rapeseed and mustard are subtropical crops grown during the winter Rabi season, making them vulnerable to dry spells and frost damage. To help stabilize production, the agricultural sector expanded irrigation networks, which now cover nearly two-thirds of all cultivated mustard fields. The textbook notes that combining this reliable water supply with seed improvements has helped reduce annual yield fluctuations and stabilize production, validating option C.

The textbook notes that cotton productivity varies depending on regional conditions, irrigation facilities, and farming practices. Mechanised cotton farming using improved seeds and modern agricultural techniques provides better crop management and results in the highest productivity (3). The north-western region, including Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, grows cotton under irrigated conditions, ensuring a reliable water supply and higher yields (2). Maharashtra mainly depends on rainfed cotton cultivation in the Deccan Plateau, where irregular rainfall affects productivity (1). Traditional cotton farming with limited inputs and dependence on natural conditions produces the lowest yields (4). This creates the sequence 3, 2, 1, 4, validating option B.

Jute requires a specific environment to grow well, including fertile alluvial delta soils, heavy monsoon rainfall, and high humidity. These conditions are found primarily in a few eastern states, led by West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam. The textbook explains that because its cultivation is concentrated within these specific eastern river valleys, jute accounts for only 0.5% of India's total cropped area, even though its high productivity allows India to produce about three-fifths of the world's total supply, validating option B.

The textbook notes that tea is a perennial beverage crop that requires specific environmental conditions. It is cultivated on the undulating topography of hilly areas because the sloped terrain prevents water from pooling around the plant roots, which can cause them to rot. Additionally, tea thrives in well-drained soils within humid and sub-humid tropical and subtropical climates that receive regular rainfall throughout the year, validating option B.

The textbook provides several key details regarding India's coffee sector: it notes that India ranked eighth globally in coffee production as of 2018 (1 matches with Eighth); it highlights that the country primarily focuses on growing the high-quality, aromatic Arabica variety (2 matches with Arabica); and it states that Karnataka dominates domestic production, accounting for more than two-thirds of the national total (3 matches with Karnataka). This combination matches option B.

The textbook details the historical timeline of India's agricultural policy. The cycle began in the late 1950s when initial post-Independence land expansion efforts slowed down, leading to a period of production stagnation (3). This vulnerability was exposed in the mid-1960s when two consecutive severe monsoons failed, triggering a major food crisis that forced India to rely on grain imports (2). In response to this crisis, the government introduced imported High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of seeds, launching the Green Revolution (1). This historical progression forms the sequence 3, 2, 1, validating option A.

The Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP) and the Intensive Agricultural Area Programme (IAAP) were launched in the early 1960s to address production slowdowns by targeting inputs to high-potential regions. However, these programs relied on traditional seed varieties that were vulnerable to severe weather. The textbook notes that despite these efforts, two consecutive severe droughts in the mid-1960s caused widespread crop failures and a major food crisis, showing that the programs had not insulated the sector from climatic shocks, validating option B.

The new high-yielding seed varieties required regular watering and fertilization, meaning they could not be safely deployed in areas that relied entirely on unpredictable rainfall. As a result, the strategy was focused on regions with established irrigation networks, such as Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh. The textbook notes that because the program was initially confined to these irrigated zones, it led to distinct regional disparities in agricultural development across the country up until the 1970s, validating option B.

The introduction of modern high-yielding seed varieties changed the field environment. Because these varieties were selected for grain yield rather than hardiness, they were often highly susceptible to pests, insects, and fungal diseases compared to diverse local varieties. The textbook notes that this biological vulnerability required farmers to significantly increase their use of chemical pesticides to protect their investments and prevent crop loss, validating option B.

The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is designed with a clear logical structure. The process begins on the ground by promoting location-specific integrated or composite farming systems (2). These systems help manage resources effectively, supporting soil and moisture conservation practices (1). Together, these actionable methods work toward the mission's long-term goal: making Indian agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative, and climate-resilient (3). This logical flow moves from 2 -> 1 -> 3, validating option A.

The textbook notes that sustainable agriculture relies on protecting soil health and reducing chemical contamination. The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) supports this approach by providing a structured framework to promote organic farming. By encouraging the use of organic compost, bio-fertilizers, and natural pest management, the program helps improve soil organic matter and complements the NMSA's broader goals of resource conservation and climate resilience, validating option B.

The textbook explains that dryland areas deal with low and highly unpredictable monsoon rainfall, making them vulnerable to agricultural droughts. However, when it does rain, the water often arrives in brief, intense downpours. Because dryland soils are often compacted and have limited vegetation cover, they struggle to absorb sudden volumes of water quickly. This can lead to localized flash floods in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, creating a dual challenge, validating option B.

Modern high-input agriculture relies on purchasing specialized inputs every season, including high-yielding seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. The textbook notes that this approach can be difficult to manage for small and marginal farmers, who often have little or no initial savings. To buy these inputs, they must borrow from banks or local moneylenders. If weather issues cause crop failures or market prices drop, they struggle to repay, creating severe financial pressure, validating option B.

Following Independence, land reform was identified as a priority to dismantle exploitative colonial land systems. However, the textbook notes that these reforms were often not implemented effectively across many states. This failure was driven by a lack of strong political will, as regional governments avoided taking difficult steps that went against the interests of powerful landlord lobbies, allowing unequal land distribution to continue, validating option B.

The textbook explains that the average size of operational landholdings in India is shrinking due to growing population pressure. Traditional inheritance practices divide family land among heirs in each new generation, causing plots to become increasingly fragmented over time. These small, scattered fields are often uneconomic to farm because they make it difficult to use modern machinery, manage water effectively, or achieve economies of scale, requiring ongoing consolidation efforts, validating option A.

The passage describes how different intensive farming practices can work together to impact soil health. Poor irrigation management leads to physical soil issues like waterlogging, alkalisation, and salinisation. At the same time, the transition to year-round multiple cropping reduces traditional fallow periods. This combination subjects the land to continuous intensive use while reducing its natural recovery time, accelerating the loss of soil fertility, validating option B.

Leguminous crops (like pulses) play an important role in crop rotations by fixing atmospheric nitrogen into the soil through their root nodules. The passage notes that these crops are being displaced by intensive grain monocultures. Displacing these nitrogen-fixing crops disrupts natural soil enrichment cycles. This leaves the soil reliant on synthetic inputs, prompting farmers to apply more chemical fertilizers and increasing the risk of chemical build-up, validating option B.