Agriculture and Allied Subjects
This domain tests crop production, soil and water management, inputs, livestock and agricultural schemes, with a Maharashtra focus. Questions often combine a field situation with a scheme or a calculation.
Core rules
- Seasons: kharif (monsoon sowing), rabi (winter), zaid (summer). Vidarbha is a major rainfed cotton belt; Marathwada grows cotton and soybean; western Maharashtra has sugarcane; Nashik is known for grapes and onions; Konkan for Alphonso mango and cashew.
- Soils: black cotton soil (regur) retains moisture; red and laterite soils occur in Konkan and eastern areas; soil testing guides fertilizer use.
- Nutrients: urea is about 46% nitrogen; DAP is about 18% N and 46% P2O5; apply on soil-test basis.
- Irrigation: drip and sprinkler save water; watershed development improves recharge; avoid excess irrigation that causes salinity.
- Protection: integrated pest management uses monitoring, thresholds and biocontrol before chemical sprays.
- Schemes: PM-KISAN income support, PMFBY crop insurance, Kisan Credit Card, Soil Health Card, e-NAM, PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.
Worked example
A farmer applies 100 kg of urea. How much nitrogen is applied? Urea contains about 46% N, so 100 × 0.46 = 46 kg N. The remaining mass is mainly carrier material. Do not report 100 kg as N; the question asks for the nutrient, not the fertilizer quantity.
Traps
- Mixing kharif and rabi crops; cotton is not a rabi crop in Maharashtra.
- Confusing urea with DAP percentages.
- Assuming PMFBY pays without enrollment before the cut-off date.
- Treating drip irrigation as a fertilizer scheme rather than a water-saving method.
- Giving a scheme’s slogan instead of its benefit or ministry.