IBPS AFO key terms

A crop sown with the arrival of the monsoon around June and harvested in autumn, such as rice, maize, cotton, or groundnut. It depends mainly on rainfall rather than assured irrigation.

A crop sown in winter, roughly October to December, and harvested in spring, such as wheat, barley, gram, or mustard. It generally needs cool growing weather and irrigation support.

A short-duration crop grown between the Rabi harvest and the Kharif sowing, typically in summer on irrigated or residual-moisture land. Examples include watermelon, cucumber, moong, and fodder crops.

The ratio of total cropped area to net sown area in a year, expressed as a percentage. It shows how many times land is cropped annually and rises with irrigation and short-duration varieties.

The proportion of land under different crops at a given time in an area. It reflects soil, climate, irrigation, market demand, and farmer choices, and shifts as technology or prices change.

Growing different crops in sequence on the same field over seasons. It helps maintain soil fertility, disrupt pest and disease cycles, and balance nutrient use compared with continuous monocropping.

Growing a leguminous crop such as sunhemp or dhaincha and ploughing it into the soil while still green. The decomposing biomass adds organic matter and fixes nitrogen for the next crop.

Supplying crop nutrients through a combined and balanced use of chemical fertilizers, organic manures, biofertilizers, and crop residues. The aim is sustained yields with better soil health and reduced waste.

A preparation containing living microorganisms, such as Rhizobium, Azotobacter, or phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, that improves nutrient availability to plants. It supplements rather than replaces chemical fertilizer and must be stored and applied correctly.

A report issued after soil testing that lists field-specific values for parameters such as pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients, along with fertilizer and amendment recommendations for the farmer.

An essential plant nutrient needed in very small amounts, such as zinc, boron, iron, manganese, copper, or molybdenum. Deficiency can sharply cut yield even when major nutrients are adequate.

A strategy that combines cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods to keep pest populations below economic injury levels. Chemical pesticides are used sparingly and selectively, reducing cost and resistance risk.

The pest population density at which control measures should be applied to prevent the pest from reaching the economic injury level. It guides when spraying is actually justified.

A device baited with a synthetic sex attractant to lure and catch specific insect adults, used for monitoring or mass trapping. It supports timely pest control decisions with little pesticide use.

Treating seed before sowing with fungicides, insecticides, bioagents, or inoculants to protect against seed-borne and soil-borne problems. Correct dosage and timing improve germination and early crop establishment.

Seed of a notified variety produced under a recognized seed certification programme, with prescribed field inspections and quality tests. It carries a tag confirming genetic purity and germination standards.

The proportion of the total cropped area under a crop that is sown with fresh certified seed rather than farm-saved seed in a season. Higher rates usually support better yields and varietal spread.

Applying water slowly and directly near the plant root zone through emitters in pipes. It saves water, allows fertigation, and reduces weed growth and foliar disease compared with flood irrigation.

Delivering soluble fertilizers to crops along with irrigation water, usually through drip or sprinkler systems. It improves nutrient-use efficiency and lets the grower adjust doses during the season.

Spraying water over the crop like rainfall through nozzles under pressure. It suits undulating land and closely sown crops and is more water-efficient than surface flooding but less so than drip.

The area of land served by an irrigation project or canal system, for which water supply is planned. Command area development includes field channels, land levelling, and drainage works.

Using machines and implements for field operations such as tillage, sowing, spraying, and harvesting. It reduces labour drudgery, improves timeliness, and can raise productivity when matched to farm size.

A facility that rents farm machinery and implements to small and marginal farmers who cannot afford to own them. It improves access to mechanization and spreads fixed costs over more users.

A banking scheme providing short-term crop and allied-activity credit to farmers through a card-based limit. It allows flexible withdrawals and repayment, and often carries interest subvention on prompt repayment.

A regulatory requirement under which banks must direct a minimum share of lending to specified sectors including agriculture, micro-enterprises, education, and housing. Agriculture targets include small and marginal farmers.

A risk-transfer product that compensates farmers for notified crop losses from natural calamities, pests, or disease. Premiums are shared between farmer and government under the prevailing scheme.

The apex development bank for agriculture and rural credit in India, established in 1982. It refinances rural lending, supervises cooperative and regional rural banks, and supports rural infrastructure funds.

A small voluntary group of people, often women, who pool savings and lend internally, later linking to banks for credit. SHGs are a key channel for rural financial inclusion and micro-enterprise finance.

The interest rate at which the central bank lends short-term funds to commercial banks against securities. Changes in it influence borrowing costs, credit growth, inflation, and liquidity in the economy.

The share of a bank's net demand and time liabilities that must be kept as cash with the central bank. Raising it drains liquidity from the banking system; it earns no interest for the bank.

A sustained rise in the general price level, which reduces the purchasing power of money. Central banks typically tighten monetary policy to control it, affecting farm input costs and rural demand.

A comparison of two quantities by division and an equation stating that two ratios are equal. These ideas underly partnership, mixture, and scaling problems in numerical ability tests.

A fraction expressed with a denominator of 100, used to compare quantities on a common scale. Profit and loss, discount, interest, and data interpretation questions commonly rely on percentage conversions.

Interest calculated only on the original principal for the whole period, without compounding. The formula is principal multiplied by rate multiplied by time, divided by one hundred.

Interest that is added to the principal at fixed intervals so that later interest is earned on interest as well. It grows faster than simple interest over multiple periods.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. It is used in questions on weighted averages, age problems, and speed, and is sensitive to extreme values.

A reasoning question type presenting statements about categories and conclusions that must be judged as logically valid or invalid. Only what necessarily follows from the statements is accepted.

A puzzle type in which family relationships are described or coded, and the candidate must identify how two people are related. Drawing a family tree helps avoid confusion over gender and generation.

A puzzle in which people or objects must be placed in rows or around a table using clues about relative positions. Candidates typically fix one anchor position and eliminate possibilities step by step.

An English language exercise in which words or phrases are removed from a passage and the candidate selects the option that best restores meaning and grammar at each blank. Context and collocation are key.

A question type in which sentences of a paragraph are given in scrambled order and must be rearranged into a coherent sequence. Opening and closing sentences and pronoun or connector links give the clues.

A passage-based section testing the ability to grasp main idea, tone, inference, and specific detail, and to answer questions without outside knowledge. Careful reading of the question stem matters as much as the passage.